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What goes on in the mind of a sniper?
BBC News ^ | 25th January 2012 | Stephanie Hegarty

Posted on 01/25/2012 9:36:58 AM PST by the scotsman

'A young cowboy from Texas who joined the elite US Navy Seals became the most deadly sniper in American history. In a book published this month he provides an unusual insight into the psychology of a soldier who waits, watches and kills.

As US forces surged into Iraq in 2003, Chris Kyle was handed a sniper rifle and told to watch as his marine battalion entered an Iraqi town. A crowd had come out to greet them. Through the scope he saw a woman, with a child close by, approaching his troops. She had a grenade ready to detonate in her hand.

"This was the first time I was going to have to kill someone. I didn't know whether I was going to be able to do it, man, woman or whatever," he says.

"You're running everything through your mind. This is a woman, first of all. Second of all, am I clear to do this, is this right, is it justified? And after I do this, am I going to be fried back home? Are the lawyers going to come after me saying, 'You killed a woman, you're going to prison'?". "She made the decision for me, it was either my fellow Americans die or I take her out.". He pulled the trigger.

Kyle remained in Iraq until 2009. According to official Pentagon figures, he killed 160 people, the most career sniper kills in the history of the US military. His own estimate is much higher, at 255 kills.

According to army intelligence, he was christened "The Devil" by Iraqi insurgents, who put a $20,000 (£13,000) bounty on his head.'

(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.co.uk ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; United Kingdom; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: americansniper; banglist; bradleycooper; chriskyle; clinteastwood; snipers; warnerbros
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1 posted on 01/25/2012 9:36:59 AM PST by the scotsman
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To: the scotsman

What goes through the mind of a snipers’ target?


2 posted on 01/25/2012 9:38:42 AM PST by Grunthor (I don't vote for Democrats, this includes Mitt Romney.)
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To: the scotsman

The story of the woman with the grenade reminded me of the scene in Apocalypse Now, where a Vietnamese woman throws a hat with a grenade in it into am american chopper taking off.

I’m glad to see we are taking precautions in countries where friends and enemies look exactly alike.


3 posted on 01/25/2012 9:40:20 AM PST by cuban leaf (Were doomed! Details at eleven.)
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To: the scotsman
I have been reading Kyle's book American Sniper. It is OK--fun, fast--but not particularly eye opening...so far.
4 posted on 01/25/2012 9:42:10 AM PST by RoosterRedux (Newt: "Why vote for the guy who lost to the guy who lost to Obama?")
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To: Grunthor
What goes through the mind of a snipers’ target?

One of these:


5 posted on 01/25/2012 9:42:35 AM PST by cuban leaf (Were doomed! Details at eleven.)
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To: cuban leaf

;o)


6 posted on 01/25/2012 9:43:31 AM PST by Grunthor (I don't vote for Democrats, this includes Mitt Romney.)
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To: Grunthor

Allahu ak*splat*


7 posted on 01/25/2012 9:44:07 AM PST by rarestia (It's time to water the Tree of Liberty.)
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To: cuban leaf
That beats having your skull split in two with a battle-axe.


8 posted on 01/25/2012 9:44:51 AM PST by Mr Ramsbotham (Laws against sodomy are honored in the breech.)
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To: Grunthor

LOL. Boattails..


9 posted on 01/25/2012 9:44:58 AM PST by Track9 (The revolution IS brewing..)
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To: the scotsman

Thank God there are men like Chris Kyle who will do the work and take the risks necessary to fight the wars of this nation.


10 posted on 01/25/2012 9:48:05 AM PST by PGR88
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To: Mr Ramsbotham

ouch!


11 posted on 01/25/2012 9:48:42 AM PST by Mr. K (Physically unable to profreed <--- oops, see?)
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To: the scotsman
As US forces surged into Iraq in 2003, Chris Kyle was handed a sniper rifle and told to watch as his marine battalion entered an Iraqi town.

Somehow, I think there was a little training involved before Chris was "handed a sniper rifle."

12 posted on 01/25/2012 9:52:27 AM PST by Yo-Yo (Is the /sarc tag really necessary?)
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To: the scotsman

What goes on in the mind of a sniper?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bible Verses?

Parker: [firing machine gun] I’m out of .30 Caliber!
Private Jackson: [lining shots] Bleesed be the Lord my strength, which teaches my hands to the war, and my fingers to fight.
[fires rifle twice]
Private Jackson: My goodness and my fortress... my high tower and my Deliverer.
[fires rifle]
Private Jackson: My shield, and he in whom I trust
Private Jackson: [fires rifle, then to his rifle]
Private Jackson: Here you go baby.
[fires rifle few more times. Notices a tank has spotted them]
Private Jackson: Parker get down!
[the tank fires at the bell tower killing both Parker and Jackson]


[lining up a rifle shot]
Private Jackson: Be not Thou far from me, O Lord.


[lining up a rifle shot]
Private Jackson: Blessed be the Lord my strength, which teaches my hands to war, and my fingers to fight.


[lining up a rifle shot]
Private Jackson: My goodness, and my fortress; my high tower, and my deliverer; my shield, and he in whom I trust.


[lining up a rifle shot]
Private Jackson: O my God, I trust in thee: let me not be ashamed, let not my enemies triumph over me.


13 posted on 01/25/2012 9:52:49 AM PST by Responsibility2nd (NO LIBS! This means liberals AND libertarians (same thing) NO LIBS!)
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To: the scotsman

Take a breath, aim, squeeeeze! It isn’t a time for deep philisophical considerations.


14 posted on 01/25/2012 9:52:49 AM PST by SWAMPSNIPER (The Second Amendment, a Matter of Fact, Not a Matter of Opinion)
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To: the scotsman

Actually, the Special Features section of the DVD “The Shooter” does a pretty good job of depicting what goes through the mind of a sniper. It contains interviews with the t0p-notch military men who train snipers. And it appears to me that what goes through their minds are pretty much technical calculations to make sure the bullet hits the target. Good for them!


15 posted on 01/25/2012 9:54:04 AM PST by hampdenkid
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To: the scotsman

There is a story going around that Kyle decked Jesse Ventura in bar in Coronado. I saw Kyle interviewed on Fox, I think it was on BOR. Kyle would not confirm the identity of the guy whom he decked. Other witnesses say it was Ventura. The bar probably is McP’s pub in Coronado, CA.


16 posted on 01/25/2012 9:55:21 AM PST by forgotten man (forgotten man)
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To: SWAMPSNIPER

Close. Actually, it is:

Breathe
Relax
Aim
Slack (take up trigger pull slack, if any)
Squeeze

B.R.A.S.S.


17 posted on 01/25/2012 9:58:13 AM PST by BwanaNdege (Man has often lost his way, but modern man has lost his address - Gilbert K. Chesterton)
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To: Mr Ramsbotham

I’d rather die by sniper than by aids, cancer, shark bite, you name it.

But I would want the sniper to be really, really good.


18 posted on 01/25/2012 9:59:11 AM PST by cuban leaf (Were doomed! Details at eleven.)
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To: SWAMPSNIPER

Close. Actually, it is:

Breathe
Relax
Aim
Slack (take up trigger pull slack, if any)
Squeeze

B.R.A.S.S.


19 posted on 01/25/2012 9:59:42 AM PST by BwanaNdege (Man has often lost his way, but modern man has lost his address - Gilbert K. Chesterton)
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To: forgotten man

That’s terrible,Jesse is an old man with a mental disability!


20 posted on 01/25/2012 10:00:49 AM PST by Farmer Dean (stop worrying about what they want to do to you,start thinking about what you want to do to them)
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