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.
Now this guy can shoot.
L
I spotted one of my troops in Kuwait City using our teams barrett. His shot was beyond 1000 with a raufaus HEI round, roof top high to a rooftop low target.....it was ugly. Middle of the day, fairly cool , no mirage, zero wind, cloudy, lots of humdity.......one of those kodak moments that stays with ya.....
I carried the M1A that we were issued there vs the M4/203 combo that was available if we wanted it just due the range of the potential targets and the number of mines we rendered safe with a process called small munitions disruption aka SMUD...... The M1A is still my choice of carry as a truck gun to this day. I have a TRW flavored tack driver that I love due it's accuracy then and now.
Hope yer well, may the new year be nice to ya !
http://www.google.com/search?num=30&complete=1&hl=en&lr=&safe=off&q=define%3Aemplace&btnG=Search
I was really disturbed to see names in this article; and I am not really sure this should have been written at all. I am impressed at the job these men do; and understand the need for them- just think this will be twisted around against the military. I also think the men named in this article and possibly their families are now in danger of terrorists hunting them as some point. I can only hope these are not real names.
Check this site out: http://www.snipercentral.com/308.htm It only goes out to 1,000 yds (915 m) but is good enough. True the .308 could do it but look at the drop 230" for military match. Would like to see a follow up to see if it was a 7.62 x 51 or a .300 WM.
The Army usually zeros there's out to 300 m while the Marines zero there's out to 700 m. This guys is a country boy from Alabama and probably has worked it up for a long range zero, say 500-700 m plus.
Heeeey man, niiiice goooin'.... Nice shot, man!
LOL! I remember when the Israelis got a terrorist Imam a year or so ago with a rocket from a helicopter. The news reports said there was nothing left of him but his head.
I called the local radio station where the station owner was discussing it on his weekly Saturday morning program and asked the young board operator if he ever heard of that song from Filter. He played it when they cut off for the commercial break.
I know....
that was a gaming reference :)
Imagine using a .50 and shooting into a hospital, assuming the building was being used as such. How many walls would a .50 caliber round have passed through before stopping?
Post 29.
Thanks. I'll keep an eye out for one.
That sucker was wicked accurate out to 800 meters. It's 'official' effective range was 900 meters IIRC but on a good calm day you could make hits out to 1000 meters with it.
It sounds like our rifles have a lot in common. I've got an NM M1A that according to Springfield was made around October of 1985. It's TRW flavored, too.
I've got mine topped with the Springfield 1st Gen rangefinder glass. If I can see it, most likely I can hit it.
Just about all I feed it is the Sierra Match bullet over 42 grains of Re 12. Leaves the muzzle just a hair over 2650 fps so the chrono says. One thing about the M1A is you don't want the bullet going much faster than that. It plays hell with the gas operated system, so I keep 'em under 2700 fps.
I've handrolled a few of the Barnes Coppers in the same weight and profile (BTHP) but I haven't had much of a chance to really wring them out. They weigh the same but they're a bit longer than the Sierra bullet, so consequently they seat just a bit deeper.
I'm giving them a try because I they should penetrate deeper than the Sierra brand. There's nothing wrong the the Sierra, it's just that being a HP, it opens up pretty quick. Believe it or not, Sierra doesn't recommend that bullet for hunting apps. That's why they make the Game King.
I'm going to try the two loads (Barnes vs. Sierra) side by side before I go hog hunting up north. I'll let you know what the 'on paper' results are. Fortunately I've got a pile of a thousand or so LC cases laying around just ready to go.
If I've done my homework correctly, these loads should pretty much duplicate the old M118 match load, and using the Barnes solid should give me plenty of penetration when I go after them feral piggies up in WI. I've got clearance from the Tower to bring home as many of them as I can get and as long as they don't have a face when they get to the Lurker Compound, Mrs L will work her magic on 'em.
I know I'm not in Texas, but I do make a pretty mean BBQ rib and Mrs. Ls pulled pork BBQ is a thing of beauty. Made from wild hog it should be fantastic. We'll do our best to tempt you up north when the time comes.
You take care now. Have a happy, healthy, safe, and prosperous New Year my friend.
L
Thanks for the link. My .308 is a DSA arms SA58 however. I've recently been looking at the Springfield Armory "M-14s" though. I remember traiing with them when I was in the Army. BTW, I was in Bien Hoa at Tet
This is the kind of story that could have waited until our troops were home.
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