In Praise of Snipers

Front Page Magazine ^ | April 20, 2009 | Ben Walters

[TheBlueMax]

For five days, the massed firepower of the US war machine, embodied by the colossal destroyer Bainbridge, seemed helpless -- unable to do anything against three Somali pirates in a lifeboat.

Instead, it was the smallest of powers -- three men, three guns, three shots -- which ended the standoff and rescued American Captain Richard Phillips.

[AnAmericanMother]

"Nobody would have considered using a sniper team 20 years ago," says Richard Venola, editor of Guns and Ammo magazine.

Huh?

What on earth was Carlos Hathcock doing all those years then? Teaching a whole USMC school full of snipers that nobody used?

[Redbob]

"Plaster notes that a well-trained marksman, "without being lucky or exceptional, can hit a cigarette packet two football fields away. In the past, as a commander, you would not have expected someone in your unit to be able to do that with consistency."

Wow!
These guys are really hard-core anti-smokers!!!

[grobdriver]

it might have been the SR-25, a semiautomatic rifle that combines substantial power with fast follow-up capabilities. Barrett .50 caliber ammunition, which could maintain its trajectory after piercing the lifeboat's fiberglass hull

Heh. What a weapons-ignorant idiot.

[LeonardFMason]

One shot. One kill. Very economic. No POW concerns. No “Gitmo” controversy. No torture issue. Bad guys permanently removed. What’s not to like?

[Niuhuru]

That would make a pretty cool antismoking commercial.

[Niuhuru]

That would make a pretty cool antismoking commercial.

[Retired COB]

The following is from the Moby in the Morning website, and relates well to the subject at hand:

http://www.mobyinthemorning.com/blog/

20 April 2009
Small Town Soap Box, Monday, April 20, 2009The real story of Obama’s Decision Making with the hostages
Categories: Small Town Soap Box
Having spoken to some SEAL pals and asking why this thing dragged out for 4 days, I got the following:
1. BHO (Barack Hussein Obama) wouldn’t authorize the SEAL teams to the scene for 36 hours going against the OSC (on scene commander) recommendation.

2. Once they arrived, BHO imposed restrictions on their ROE (Rules Of Engagement) that they couldn’t do anything unless the hostage’s life was in “imminent” danger

3. The first time the hostage jumped, the SEALS had the enemy all sighted in, but could not fire due to the ROE restriction

4. When the navy RIB came under fire as it approached with supplies, no fire was returned due to ROE restrictions. As the enemy were shooting at the RIB, they were exposed and the SEALS had them all dialed in.

5. BHO specifically denied two rescue plans developed by the Bainbridge CPN and SEAL teams. Bainbridge CPN and SEAL team CDR finally decide they have the OpArea and OSC authority to solely determine risk to hostage. 4 hours later, 3 dead enemy

7. BHO immediately claims credit for his “daring and decisive” behavior. As usual with him, it’s B.S.
Here’s the accurate account.
Philip’s first leap into the warm, dark water of the Indian Ocean hadn’t worked out well. With the Bainbridge in range and a rescue by his country’s Navy possible, Philips threw himself off of his lifeboat prison, enabling Navy shooters onboard the destroyer a clear shot at his captors, and none was taken.

The guidance from Barack Obama had been clear: a peaceful solution was the only acceptable outcome to this standoff unless the hostage’s life was in clear, extreme danger.

The next day, a small Navy boat approaching the floating raft was fired on by the Somali pirates and again no fire was returned and no pirates killed. This was again due to the cautious stance assumed by Navy personnel thanks to the combination of a lack of clear guidance from Washington and a mandate from the commander in chief’s staff not to act until Obama, a man with no background of dealing with such issues and no track record of decisiveness, decided that no outcome other than a peaceful solution would be acceptable.

After taking fire from the Somali kidnappers again Saturday night, the on scene commander decided he’d had enough. Having heard nothing from Washington since yet another request to mount a rescue operation had been denied the day before, the Navy officer, unnamed in all media reports to date, decided the AK47 one captor had leveled at Philips’ back was a threat to the hostage’s life and ordered the SEAL team to take their shots.

Three rounds downrange later, all three became enemy KIA and Philips was safe.
Almost immediately following word of the rescue, the Obama administration and its supporters claimed victory against pirates in the Indian Ocean and declared that the dramatic end to the standoff put to rest questions of the inexperienced president’s toughness and decisiveness.
Despite the Obama administration’s attempt to spin the success as a result of bold, decisive leadership by the inexperienced president, the reality is nothing of the sort. What should have been a standoff lasting only as long as it took the USS Bainbridge and its team of NSWC operators to steam to the location, became an embarrassing four day and counting standoff between a ragtag handful of criminals with rifles and a U.S. Navy warship.

Posted by steven at 9:16 AM | Link | 0 comments

[Eagle Eye]

I call this "The Sniper's Song"
By The Drifters

When this old world starts a getting me down
And people are just too much for me to face
I'll climb way up to the top of the stairs
And all my cares just drift right into space
On the roof it's peaceful as can be
And there the world below don't bother me no no

So when i come home feeling tired and beat
I'll go up where the air is fresh and sweet
I'll get far away from the hustling crowd
And all that rat-race noise down in the street

On the roof that's the only place i know
Look at the city baby
Where you just have to wish to make it so
Let's go up on the roof

[ZULU]

“The Navy declines to confirm or deny such speculation. In fact, it declines to discuss any aspect of sniper training or practice.”

GOOD. We DON’T need this on the Military History Channel.

[fightinbluhen51]

ping for later

[Billthedrill]

These guys are really hard-core anti-smokers!

OK, OK, now I believe that smoking is bad for your health.

[MrB]

OK, so what I see interpret is that the osc had to find a way to take the appropriate action by interpreting what he saw (gun in the guy’s back) as satisfying the restrictions put on him.

I’m sure BHO will attempt, in the next such incident, to make it much clearer that no action is to be taken.

[Last Dakotan]

ping

[SunkenCiv]

three men, three guns, three shots

[Retired COB]

That's the way I read it.

I can't believe that this idiot believes that there's an advantage in trying to negotiate from a position of weakness.

[goat granny]

ROTFL Snipers as anti-smoking Nazi’s...(just kidding)

[A.A. Cunningham]

three men, three guns(sic), three shots

three rifles

[USNBandit]

Nothing like writing an article about something the author knows less than nothing about.

I also like the opening about the massive firepower of the Navy being held at bay by three pirates. Hello, we wanted to get the captain back in one piece. The five inch would have made that tough.

[goat granny]

Just kidding love our military. Had 2 sons serve....1 in Air Force, 1 in Navy...