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Word.

By The Armorer on January 9, 2006 | | Comments (21) | TrackBacks (1)

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Specialist Alex Aguilar a sniper from Alpha Company 1-155 2nd Platoon 2nd Squad watches over a part of the Euphrates River that insurgents use to transport mortars and weapons in the hours of darkness, Al Iskandariyah, 9 March 2005. U.S. Air Force photo by: Airman 1st Class Kurt Gibbons III. (RELEASED)

I dunno if this is true, but I hope so.

December 9, 2005 (CNN) While interviewing an anonymous US Special Forces soldier, a Reuters News agent asked the soldier what he felt when sniping members of Al Quaeda in Afghanistan. The soldier shrugged and replied, "Recoil."

Which will *not* make me popular among some of the anti-war types. Many of whom are not really against war, just against any that "their" guy didn't start. Listen to some of the tortured explanations about how Kosovo was noble, Iraq was not, if you are confused.

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21 Comments

By Damian on January 9, 2006 3:36 PM
Funniest line I ever heard from a marksman: "Normally to send a bullet that far, you'd have to put a stamp on it." I read a reasonably good article (considering it was MSM) on the Canadian sniping school in the National Post this weekend (subscription required). They were talking about target selection - who to kill in what situations, and how to draw the person you wanted to kill out - and the thing that seemed to resonate most strongly with the journalist was how matter-of-fact they were about it. In fact, the article mentioned that they psych-test applicants heavily to make sure they get exactly that type of person in the job - no sociopaths and nobody who'll get immobilized by conscience attacks. In short, they're looking for someone who'd respond "Recoil."
 
By Murray on January 9, 2006 4:45 PM
Well that just makes makes me fell all warm and fuzzy. Besides the only difference between us and the anti-war, panty waist, tree hugging, nappy soiling, battle dodging, blouse wearing, I'd rather have a latte' than charge stark naked at terrorists, any fate but common sense liberals is that we're right. Anything that makes them uncomfortable has my vote. ;O)
 
By John of Argghhh! on January 9, 2006 5:03 PM
Um, I *like* latte's - izzat okay?
 
By Masked Menace© on January 9, 2006 5:08 PM
Only so long as you prefer charging at terrorist stark naked more than the latte'. And frankly, who wouldn't since appearently (per Kat's link on above post) Muslems aren't even allowed to look at their spouses naked?
 
By John of Argghhh! on January 9, 2006 5:13 PM
Me charging terrs stark naked would be a slam-dunk win. All would flee before #82!
 
By Neffi on January 9, 2006 5:32 PM
FIX BAYONETS!!! Oh- um, except you Major- yer OK as you are... CHARGE!!!
 
By cw4(ret)billt on January 9, 2006 8:06 PM
"Mahmoud! The infidel crusader Republican myrmidons are charging!" "Why do you say they are Republicans, Akhmet?" "Well--there's this elephant up front..."
 
By MCart on January 9, 2006 8:37 PM
Define Sociopath? Thats kind of a squishy word. For instance, I would have no trouble sleeping at night if I ever had to kill in self defense, or on the orders and authority of another person. Does that make me a sociopath? Anything that I can identify as an ENEMY immediately ceases to enjoy the rights and benefits of humanity. Is that wrong? Would a psychotherapist find that troubling in me? I don't understand the use of sociopath in this context.
 
By John of Argghhh! on January 9, 2006 8:52 PM
I'll take a stab at that - and I believe the usage to be correct. I would have no trouble sleeping at night if I ever had to kill in self defense, or on the orders and authority of another person. Does that make me a sociopath? No, not in your first case. In your second case, maybe, maybe not. It depends. If you are acting on proper orders consonant with a perceived social value structure, no, you are not. If you are someone who sees nothing wrong with gunning down villagers at Babi Yar (or My Lai) because you had the social cover of orders, then certainly perhaps yes. This doesn't mean that individuals following those orders are sociopaths - only if they see nothing wrong with those orders in context, simply because they are, orders. If you follow those orders under the passion of the moment and are consumed by guilt afterwards - probably not a sociopath - but you also aren't a Chief Thompson. Anything that I can identify as an ENEMY immediately ceases to enjoy the rights and benefits of humanity. Is that wrong? Would a psychotherapist find that troubling in me? No - though I'm sure we can find some who are squeamish enough to say yes. Next case, and the one they are really screening for - giving sniper skills to someone who sees absolutely nothing wrong with using them to fulfill their own needs, their need being the only constraint on their behavior. The last case, which I don't think qualifies as sociopathic, there being other labels - the guy who *likes* doing it. They are looking for people who can do, will do it as a job, and only when proper in the context of the external situation. As a caveat - I'm not a degreed professional in anything beginning in 'psy' so your mileage may vary.
 
By MCart on January 9, 2006 9:08 PM
Fair enough. That explains a great deal. I guess I see the role as similar to that of someone sitting in an Air Force silo, with the keys, and potential to be called upon to end a city somewhere... It seems like simply another, perhaps distasteful, but required job that must be carried out by someone. Why not someone with a steady hand, and no misplaced guilty feelings. Understood on the reference to My Lai. However I would not presume to draw the line for someone else on whether they 'enjoy' it.. Anyone who does any kind of work should enjoy satisfaction in a job well done. But I suppose if they just want a tag to hunt people, and probably can't tell the diference between our uniforms and the enemy's, or civilians, then yeah, I see the problem.
 
By cw4(ret)billt on January 9, 2006 9:42 PM
MCart - "Anyone who does any kind of work should enjoy satisfaction in a job well done." In this line of work, they're looking for people who take pride in accomplishing the mission in a professional manner. As long as you understand the difference between that and an "I can't wait to go to work and plug somebody" enjoyment of the job, you're not a sociopath. And John's comment that "...giving sniper skills to someone who sees absolutely nothing wrong with using them to fulfill their own needs, their need being the only constraint on their behavior" pretty much has it in a nutshell. A sociopath doesn't see people as *people*--only as animate objects which either help or hinder his gaining his desires. And if they do neither, then they're just background noise. When a sniper remains cognizant that his target is a human being, he takes pains to insure that it is a bona-fide enemy he's going to kill--it reduces the chance of fratricide or other indiscriminate killings. That's why they don't want sociopaths doing the job.
 
By Murray on January 9, 2006 11:04 PM
Sociopaths make crap soldiers. Very few ever get through the recruitment process and those that do tend to not last long as no one will stand next to them let a lone share a hole with them.
 
By Barb on January 10, 2006 12:09 AM
I'm glad to hear that MCart isn't a sociopath, since he works 30 feet from me ... *grin*. Seriously - that was an interesting articulation of something I knew internally, but am not certain I could have conveyed. Snipers are a great asset - and I really enjoyed reading "Marine Sniper" some years ago.
 
By Murray on January 10, 2006 3:21 AM
I think the more disturbing thing we should be considering is why of the numerous options from my origional comment was "charging stark naked" the one that everybody ran with. Is there something about the US miltiary the rest of us should know about?
 
By John of Argghhh! on January 10, 2006 6:05 AM
Murray - no, just the Denizens. Picture Orson Welles, in flagrante but less the money and fame, hung like a horse, charging the enemy. That's a hard image for Denizens to resist serious snarkage...
 
By cw4(ret)billt on January 10, 2006 8:35 AM
"Is there something about the US miltiary the rest of us should know about?" Yup. Some of us know (and like) Victoria Bitters. The Little Texas Tavern, King's Cross, Sydney--1970.
 
By jim b on January 10, 2006 9:11 AM
An old man was being interviewed. He was a Finish sniper in WWII. The question and answer I remember was; Interviewer: Is it easy to kill your fellowman? Old Man; No. They tend to run serpentine, hide behind things, and duck. Or something like that. What it illustrates is the meeting of two completely different mindsets. I think Bill should do his Thesis for his PhD on the mindset alienation.
 
By John of Argghhh! on January 10, 2006 9:29 AM
The Mindset of Alien Nation is that Earth People Are Mean.
 
By cw4(ret)billt on January 10, 2006 9:54 AM
Jim B - Three of us got volunteered to man the phone lines on a telethon back in 1991 or so. During one of the breaks, the host (who knew better than to ask *me* anything on camera) stuck a mic in front of the E-7 who was providing adult oversight of the two warrants... Host: "You were a doorgunner in Vietnam, is that correct?" Joe: "Yes, sir." Host: "Didn't you find it terribly hard to kill other human beings?" Joe: "Initially, yes. But then I figured out the proper lead."
 
By jim b on January 10, 2006 10:15 AM
The newsies will never get it. Speakin of gun stuff. Here is a site I personally like cause it bashes the M-16's et all. It is a post of a letter from a Marine in Iraq to his dad. In my opinion there are two major birth defects with the M-16. One the cartridge itself. Two the magazines --- double stack which require the cartridge to rotate as it moves up the mag. That talc like dust in the sandbox seems to inhibit those E.D.B.D. cartridges from rotating and moving up. The 9mm may have the same problems with that although not to the same extent due to larger diameter. The thing that confirms this to my way of thinking is that the Marine SOCOM pistol is not only .45, but it was specified "single stack" magazine. What say you O Almighty Armor of Aaaaaaarrrrgh? Please wear the eyepatch and have the parrot on your shoulder as you respond. :-)
 
By jim b on January 10, 2006 10:18 AM
Whoops. Sorry the link for that letter is here: http://gmapalumni.org/chapomatic/?p=1325 Not only is my left arm in a sling, so is my brain. Mea Copa
 
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