As another Lame Cherry exclusive in matter anti matter.
Having nothing to do, I was reviewing the published United States military manuals on sniper training. For the most part, they seemed to me to be manuals on how to get killed.
USAIS Sniper
Army Sniper Training and Deployment
Naval Special Warfare Training Syllabus
Seriously, the above texts basically point out how to clean your gun, clean your gun and clean your gun. I understand that basics are important disciplines, but you can honestly watch a few hours of coyote predator calling hunting and learn more about sniping than the above, and that includes the below which seems to be a layman's instruction manual to have you eating a drone missile and crapping out the shrapnel.
Counter Sniper Guide
There were a few points in the manuals though which were basic, but little of the necessities to keep one alive. There are basics in sniping in getting to location, using cover to allow the squad to move away, and then moving unseen into position, which is the premier point of sniping.
Location and position are vital as without them, the military objective is neutralized. Premier position is not always prudent as counter sniping will always assess where an adversary will be looking for you. This is not sniper counter sniper in most situations, as any base or column is not going to expend hours hunting a sniper team, which will be killing more soldiers, when an effective high explosive shell lobbed into the premier positions in a minutes time will end the sniper problem.
A sniper position, requires withdrawal routes, as in two, backing so the position is not neutralized from it's six. What is factored in, is time, as time is not the factor of time, but in light, changing light. The position is always in the shadows to avoid reflection, but of utmost importance is the sun behind your position.
The sun cooperates in most instances as it angles north or south on most times of the year.
Urban sniping is a completely different protocol than rural sniping. Sound echo from ammunition detonation and sound barrier breaking are all terrain oriented as much as muzzle blast is a visual factor in dust and debris. Sometimes in the field in dusty conditions, a trench scraped out to damp earth and covered with vegetation or a dampened camouflaged cloth from canteen water is the difference between having a position marked by the adversary.
There is even an art to this, as one digs slanted toward you as you lie behind a rise, because having a dark spot in front of your barrel is as eye catching as a flash from a scope.
The above 3 paragraphs are more information than these manuals provided, which were more interested in cleaning rods.
I simple expected more than retard manuals that any duck hunter in Arkansas has a better understanding than what these trillion dollar Pentagon manuals are attempting to convey. Perhaps the Navy using the word SYLLABUS is supposed to make up for all of that, but one can learn more about sniper craft reading Carlos Hathcock's personal story as a Marine Corp sniper, than any of the above manuals. I would dare say if Carlos Hathcock had implemented those manuals, he would have had a clean weapon as he was zipped up in a body bag as he was sent back to America.
Always think of yourself as the hunted and not the hunter, as the decision you just made will be the mistake which has your brains blown out on your spotter. That is the first 10 lessons of a sniper.
- Lame Cherry
agtG
