Posted on 12/31/2005 3:04:24 PM PST by Flavius
Gazing through the telescopic sight of his M24 rifle, Staff Sgt Jim Gilliland, leader of Shadow sniper team, fixed his eye on the Iraqi insurgent who had just killed an American soldier.
His quarry stood nonchalantly in the fourth-floor bay window of a hospital in battle-torn Ramadi, still clasping a long-barrelled Kalashnikov. Instinctively allowing for wind speed and bullet drop, Shadow's commander aimed 12 feet high.
Click to enlarge
A single shot hit the Iraqi in the chest and killed him instantly. It had been fired from a range of 1,250 metres, well beyond the capacity of the powerful Leupold sight, accurate to 1,000 metres.
"I believe it is the longest confirmed kill in Iraq with a 7.62mm rifle," said Staff Sgt Gilliland, 28, who hunted squirrels in Double Springs, Alabama from the age of five before progressing to deer - and then people.
"He was visible only from the waist up. It was a one in a million shot. I could probably shoot a whole box of ammunition and never hit him again."
Later that day, Staff Sgt Gilliland found out that the dead soldier was Staff Sgt Jason Benford, 30, a good friend.
Iraq factfile
The insurgent was one of between 55 and 65 he estimates that he has shot dead in less than five months, putting him within striking distance of sniper legends such as Carlos Hathcock, who recorded 93 confirmed kills in Vietnam. One of his men, Specialist Aaron Arnold, 22, of Medway, Ohio, has chalked up a similar tally.
"It was elating, but only afterwards," said Staff Sgt Gilliland, recalling the September 27 shot. "At the time, there was no high-fiving. You've got troops under fire, taking casualties and you're not thinking about anything other than finding a target and putting it down. Every shot is for the betterment of our cause."
All told, the 10-strong Shadow sniper team, attached to Task Force 2/69, has killed just under 200 in the same period and emerged as the US Army's secret weapon in Ramadi against the threat of the hidden Improvised Explosive Device (IED) or roadside bomb - the insurgency's deadliest tactic.
Above the spot from which Staff Sgt Gilliland took his record shot, in a room at the top of a bombed-out observation post which is code-named Hotel and known jokingly to soldiers as the Ramadi Inn, are daubed "Kill Them All" and "Kill Like you Mean it".
On another wall are scrawled the words of Senator John McCain: "America is great not because of what she has done for herself but because of what she has done for others."
The juxtaposition of macho slogans and noble political rhetoric encapsulates the dirty, dangerous and often callous job the sniper has to carry out as an integral part of a campaign ultimately being waged to help the Iraqi people.
With masterful understatement, Lt Col Robert Roggeman, the Task Force 2/69 commander, conceded: "The romantic in me is disappointed with the reception we've received in Ramadi," a town of 400,000 on the banks of the Euphrates where graffiti boasts, with more than a degree of accuracy: "This is the graveyard of the Americans".
"We're the outsiders, the infidels," he said. "Every time somebody goes out that main gate he might not come back. It's still a running gun battle."
Highly effective though they are, he worries about the burden his snipers have to bear. "It's a very God-like role. They have the power of life and death that, if not held in check, can run out of control. Absolute power corrupts absolutely.
"Every shot has to be measured against the Rules of Engagement [ROE], positive identification and proportionality."
Staff Sgt Gilliland explains that his Shadow team operates at the "borderlines" of the ROE, making snap judgements about whether a figure in the crosshairs is an insurgent or not.
"Hunters give their animals respect," he said, spitting out a mouthful of chewing tobacco. "If you have no respect for what you do you're not going to be very good or you're going to make a mistake. We try to give the benefit of the doubt.
"You've got to live with it. It's on your conscience. It's something you've got to carry away with you. And if you shoot somebody just walking down the street, then that's probably going to haunt you."
Although killing with a single shot carries an enormous cachet within the sniper world, their most successful engagements have involved the shooting a up to 10 members of a single IED team.
"The one-shot-one-kill thing is one of beauty but killing all the bad dudes is even more attractive," said Staff Sgt Gilliland, whose motto is "Move fast, shoot straight and leave the rest to the counsellors in 10 years" and signs off his e-mails with "silent souls make.308 holes".
Whether Shadow team's work will ultimately make a difference in Iraq is open to question. No matter how many insurgents they shoot, there seems no shortage of recruits to plant bombs.
Col John Gronski, the overall United States commander in Ramadi, said there could not be a military solution. "You could spend years putting snipers out and killing IED emplacers and at the political level it would make no difference."
As they prepare to leave Iraq, however, Staff Sgt Gilliland and his men hope that they have bought a little more time for the country's politicians to fix peace and stability in their sights.
Re your #29 - "..., even when velcroed on the front of the vest as this one is."
This strikes me as being a bit odd; that flag patch makes a dandy aiming point for an enemy sniper - almost daring one to take a crack at it.
I don't think I'd do that - at least I'd use a subdued one.
Maybe he just sticks it on for dress up occasions or to get his picture took.
When he's at the office I assume they ditch all that stuff and put on the cammie war paint.
It's important that they see the bad guy before he sees them, obviously.
We've heard that Al Qida (or whoever) has hired a few crack Chechnian Snipers who are really quite proficient with their Dragunov 7.62 X 54Rmm rifles - and that old 1891 vintage round is quite as capable as our 7.62 X 51MM NATO when it comes to dealing death at a distance.
Although they bear a resemblance, the Dragunov (or one of its many derivatives) is NOT an AK-47, nor does it use the same round. The X54R is significantly more powerful than the 7.62 X 39mm used in the Kalisnakov.
If one of those Chechnian boys is tasked to take out some of our best snipers, as well they may be, then I hope our guys keep their heads down and watch their six.
And that we keep 'em in our prayers back here at home.
Maybe they're trying to bait up this "Juba" character.
I say BZ and...
NEXT!
TT
I just had a thought...
You know how they now have game hunting via the Internet? Why doesn't the U.S. Army set up rifles in all the Iraq hot spots and let us taxpayers help them out by picking off insurgents over the Internet every time one of them is dumb enough to get in range? The Army could keep moving the rifles around to keep them guessing.
"Loose lips sink ships."
"ROFL .... I suspect if some rag head turns up in Double Springs, Alabama asking for the Sgt., said rag head is in a world of sh!!. I think the Sgt is safe."
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Al Qaida is busy recruiting European Muslims from the Balkans, so the assassin who shows up to go after not only the Sgt, but perhaps members of his immediate family, need not be a "raghead", and could well speak excellent English as well as visually blending in with the locals.
Of course, the careless disclosure of personal information will continue until something like this happens (or, more likely, several "somethings" almost simultaneously for maximum media impact). Maybe the border will get more attention after that, however, and the security on names and home towns of our troops will tighten up. Maybe.
Well if there is ever a case like that, ping me.
Not completely coincidental IMO. The great generation had hardships most of us can barely imagine much of their lives and wanted to make sure their kids had it easier. But the strategy backfired in many cases, you don't make good steel without a hot fire.
Vietnam sniper slogans
"7.62 - Reach out and touch someone."
".50 Cal. - When you care enough to send the very best."
"Dont try to run. You'll only die tired."
I also would not volunteer to serve under Roggeman. He sounds like he does NOT back up his snipers. He sounds like a total AH. God bless Gilliland and Remington Arms, and Leupold.
You saw a movie in 1937 (68 years ago), and you remembered it, as well as the stars? I was born in 1937 and I can't remember who starred in last nights TV movie. God bless you.
You hang in there, and keep up the practice, and just maybe you can get those patterns down to groups!
"Of course, the careless disclosure of personal information will continue until something like this happens..."
Bingo, and it's not just personal information. There are far too many blabbermouths these days allowing too much information out that people just don't need to know.
Yes I find all the disclosure interesting, but if people keeping their pie holes shut saves a few lives or prolongs the effective lifespan of a multi-gazillion dollar weapon system, I say stop wowing the unwashed and get back to work.
I do have similar perceoptions to you, this all sounds "unreal" or like "hype" , and I am not sure that I believe any of this BS.
"Staff Sgt Gilliland, 28, who hunted squirrels in Double Springs, Alabama from the age of five before progressing to deer - and then people."
Hmm,Alabama?.....first state I heard of that allowed hunting of people. Is that just for residents? Or do they sell out-of state licenses?
I agree absolutely, and apparently so do the US military. The 308 Win. round (7.62 mm Nato) is a very effective round out to posibly 1000 yards.
This absolutely does not pass the "smell test". A miss is a miss. "Inches" are not a problem.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.