Posted on 06/23/2020 6:45:29 AM PDT by w1n1
Three Former Marine Corps Scout Snipers Talk About Their Profession - A while back American Sniper movie was a big hit on the silver screen, we checked in with three former Marine Corps snipers for their thoughts on the profession, how it changed them, America's deadliest marksman Chris Kyle, and advice for aspiring snipers.
Caylen Wojcik Former 1st Marine Division Scout Sniper School instructor; deployed as a chief sniper during Operation Iraqi Freedom II; over 100 combat missions; severely wounded by enemy rocket fire during Operation Phantom Fury; founded Central Cascade Precision; now with Magpul Dynamics.
Jason Mann Twenty years in the USMC, 11 in a sniper platoon; retired after 20 years with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department; president of U.S. Marine Corps Scout Sniper Association.
Trey Dominick Joined USMC in 2006; deployed to Afghanistan and twice to Iraq as an infantry assaultman and scout sniper; following honorable discharge, worked for U.S. Embassy in Iraq as a designated defense marksman; currently works for Iron Protection Group in Colorado.
D BRETEAU AmSJ Editor What is your overall insight into the sniper profession, and how did it change you, if at all?
JASON MANN Other than being a proud father to four children, nothing makes me prouder than being able to say I am a Marine and a Marine scout sniper.
CAYLEN WOJCIK My definition of a Marine scout sniper is a Marine highly skilled in fieldcraft and marksmanship who delivers long-range precision fire on selected targets from concealed positions in support of combat operations. Shooting is 10 percent of your purpose, but when you’re called upon to utilize that skill, it becomes 100 percent of your focus. Snipers are a part of a brotherhood, and that brotherhood is a level of selflessness that most will never truly understand. Discipline, self-reliance, teamwork, perseverance and fortitude are just a few things I believe I took with me that have been a great benefit.
TREY DOMINICK It helped me become stronger in stressful situations. I have learned to take a step back in order to make logical decisions. This process can be used in any aspect of your life.
DB Did you ever meet Chris Kyle?
JM I met Chris at SHOT Show several years ago. I just shook his hand and said hello.
CW I did not know Chris Kyle; however, we operated in generally the same area of operations during the same time period. Chris was a SEAL, and he operated primarily in the vicinity of Ramadi, whereas I operated within the vicinity of Fallujah, which was about 45 minutes away. Read the rest of snipers here.
Not a sniper, so this might seem like a naive question:
One of the men talks about going further that others with a heavier pack. What would they be carrying that would make their load that much heavier than an average load out?
The physical and mental hardships I understand. It was the single comment that piqued my curiosity.
One of the men talks about going further that others with a heavier pack. What would they be carrying that would make their load that much heavier than an average load out?
I saw an interview on I think the History Channel with Carlos Hathcock. He mentioned one suicide mission where his target was a North Vietnamese officer and it took him 3 days to crawl across a heavily patrolled field without being detected in order to get in killing range. Of course the only equipment he had was his rifle.........but still, no eating, no peeing and no pooping........
The gun that Chris used in Iraq was his own personal weapon, it was against regs to do that but my friend Monty built it identical to the one issued him. So unless they ran the serial numbers they wouldn't know the difference and no one ever did.
I will say, SOF guys are a unique breed, when a friend said he was sending a former navy SEAL over to go over a job and have me do some design and programming for his business I was skeptical, Stolen Valor being as popular as it is now.
Nicest guy you could ever ask to meet, and turns out he was certainly the real deal. I'll plug his business, CenturianArms.com, if you ever need quality rails, accessories or even a complete hand made rifle, you won't do better than dealing with him.
Radio equipment, ballistics calculator, food, water, the rifle itself, ammo, perhaps a poncho or covering to be used for shade, maybe a laser targeting device.
He developed his own lower and upper out of billet, I programmed both the ar15 and 10 for him. Was sitting here at my desk when he walked in one evening carrying something for me and gave it to me, considering who its from and that he would do that for me says a lot about him
Nice home page.
Stole your graffic.
“One...talks about going further than others with a heavier pack. What would they be carrying that would make their load that much heavier than an average load out?”
More of a boastful catchphrase or unofficial motto than a quantitatively rigorous statement about the logistics of soldiering.
Every branch has coined a number of such phrases or adopted the words of others for their own purposes. Many have been borrowed from recruiting advertising, especially since World War Two. Not all retain their intended meaning; some take on ironic twists and inverted significance. Many hint at darker aspects of military service; some employ jargon to the point where civilian onlookers fail to decipher meanings.
Few such phrases are literal. But there may be some accuracy and authenticity, in the isolated cases of USMC scout-snipers and U S Army long-range snipers. Since the specialty of both is scoring hits at extended ranges, they are typically armed with rifles chambering 7.62mm NATO or larger cartridges; round for round they are heavier than 5.56mm NATO, so a soldier or Marine thus armed must hump a heavier load to obtain an equivalent round count.
The phrase might also hint at elitism. Special forces, recon troops, snipers and the like are drawn from the rank and file and undergo additional lengthier, more-demanding training. More is expected of them in training and in the field.
Thank you for all of that! I have it bookmarked.
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