Marine sniper metes out swift death in Iraq's most dangerous neighborhood

San Diego Union - Tribune & AP ^ | July 29, 2006 | Antonio Castaneda

[Paige]

Great show on the history channel about the Marine Snipers the other morning. I am very proud of these brave men. They've saved a lot of lives. God Bless our Military !!!

[taxed2death]

I guess I'm just used to stalking whitetails with my bow at a much closer range. You gotta creep up real slow (or get the cramps of a lifetime in a tree) and ya only get one chance.

If this is in fact doable and this article is correct, I'm very impressed.

[Candor7]

Why is this young man, who bears a name indicating his Scottish ancestry, have his photograph smeared all over the internet and by the press so that Islamofascist Operatives can target him and take him out?

Wilson needs to be transferred out of Bagdad or brought home , if he is to live.

Thanks a lot AP, you socialist wacko supporting POSs.

[Riley]

"In about 8 seconds he squeezed off five rounds – hitting five gunmen in the head."

At 400 yards?

In the Marine Corps world- that ain't that long a shot. I qualified in boot at 500 yards, with an M16A1 that rattled when you shook it, with the old 55 grain ammo- and almost never missed. He's using a 16A2-based designated marksman rifle, optics and probably match grade ammo- and he's probably been to an abbreviated USMC scout/sniper school.

It's good shooting- but given the above, I wouldn't expect much less than that. Marksmanship skills are almost a religion in the Corps. It is taken very seriously.

[KellyAdmirer]

He was raised in a desolate part of the Rocky Mountains outside Colorado Springs

Hey, it's not THAT desolate here.

[taxed2death]

Well it's not the distance I was questioning so much as the timing. Several FReepers here have set me straight on that and say it's not that difficult. I learn something every day here on this amazing web site.

[dsc]

"(Slightly off topic, but I wonder why after 4 years and 2 tours in Iraq that this Marine is still only a Lance Corporal. Maybe promotion in infantry MOS's is slower?)"

Maybe he was slow to salute the feminist flag and got busted.

[dsc]

"We have a whole Marine Corps full of these type of Men and Women."

Get real. Women are not, and never will be, warriors, no matter how much PC pretending people do.

[Rembrandt_fan]

You wrote, "Great ghost of Gunnery Sgt. Carlos M. Hathock!"

Glad you brought up him up: a brave, cool, outstanding soldier. As an aside, my former platoon sergeant in the 82nd, Raleigh May, then assigned to the 173rd Airborne, had 120 confirmed kills as a sniper in Vietnam.

Reach out and touch someone long distance.

God Bless 'em all.

[Lazamataz]

"In about 8 seconds he squeezed off five rounds – hitting five gunmen in the head." At 400 yards? Sounds like the reporter got a few figures mixed up. But a good story none the less.

You are right, the reporter got the numbers screwed up.

He really got 400 gunmen in 5 seconds by shooting 8 rounds, and they were 5 yards away.

[GlennLivett]

Praise be to the LORD my Rock,
who trains my hands for war,
my fingers for battle.

[Lazamataz]

Get real. Women are not, and never will be, warriors, no matter how much PC pretending people do.

I think she could wrestle me to bed.

[Loud Mime]

I agree with you; the sniper was of tremendous character.

After being raised in one religion and experiencing many others through professional activities, I have settled on one hard fact of life: evil must be fought and defeated.

Our soldiers are doing good work. Those who want to stop this work are helping evil. They will not receive good judgements; they are fools.

[Riley]

He really got 400 gunmen in 5 seconds by shooting 8 rounds, and they were 5 yards away.

...using two four-gun batteries of Napoleons and double-cannister.

[La Enchiladita]

My hero... to the max.

[Loud Mime]

I am an average shot with a rifle...but take great photos.

I once posted here that anything over 200 meters would have be calling for artillery. Somebody here responded "you rang?" I still laugh about that.

This soldier is the antithesis of today's liberal. He wants to dispatch the enemy, the liberals want to help them.

[Lancey Howard]

During a large-scale attack on Easter Sunday, Wilson says, he spotted six gunmen on a rooftop about 400 yards away. In about 8 seconds he squeezed off five rounds – hitting five gunmen in the head. The sixth man dived off a 3-story building just as Wilson got him in his sights, and counts as a probable death. “You could tell he didn't know where it was coming from. He just wanted to get away,” Wilson said. Later that day, he said, he killed another insurgent.

Wow! Semper fidelis, Marine.

[gorush]

A modern day Sargent York.

[glorgau]

My favorite character in "Saving Private Ryan" was the sniper.

The German? Just kidding ;-)

[cibco]

Ping! See post #18. {;0)