Inside the Crosshairs (34 page)

“ ‘Eleven o’clock, four hundred and fifty meters, person running!’ reported my observer. I knew it was hard for him not to just scream out the target location to me but he stayed cool. ‘Got it,’ I replied.

“This is it, I thought. This is the end of the road of all my training. I had a great bead on the target’s stomach, and I knew at this range the bullet would strike high.
Crack!
I saw the round bulldoze right into the upper body of the target. It was just like all of the movies with the person falling back, arms flailing, with blood spraying out and behind. Then there was nothing; just the ringing in my ears, the sound of my breathing and my observer whispering, ‘Holy shit, right in the chest … nice shot.’ ”

During the next few minutes two more PDF soldiers ran from the building firing at the advancing platoon. The sergeant fired two more rounds from his rifle. Three shots, three kills; more important, his marksmanship had protected his fellow soldiers. Similar scenes played out at other objectives across Panama to ensure the rapid success of the operation with minimal friendly casualties.

While the Marines were happy with the performance of the M40A1 rifle and the army was satisfied with the M24 system
in Panama and other missions, operations in the late 1980s displayed the need for added range and penetrating power. To meet that requirement, the army, the Marine Corps, and the navy began purchasing a variety of .50-caliber rifles including the Barrett Model 82A1, the McMillan M1987R, and the RAI Model 500.
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These rifles were not intended to replace the M40A1 or the M24 but rather to add a secondary, special-purpose weapon to the sniper’s arsenal. With the .50-caliber weapon, in addition to engaging enemy soldiers at ranges in excess of 1,000 meters, the sniper could also use the .50 calibers to fire through walls or light armor.

American snipers soon had the opportunity to use all of their weapon systems, when they assisted in liberating Kuwait from Iraqi invaders. On February 24, 1991, after forty-three days of air strikes on the Iraqi front lines and rear areas, the U.S.-led Coalition Forces began their ground attack. After only 100 hours of ground combat, Iraq surrendered and evacuated Kuwait.

The Gulf War, or Operation Desert Storm, has been portrayed by many historians as the turning point in modern warfare, where the sophisticated technology of smart bombs, long-range missiles, and fast-moving mechanized ground forces replaced the importance of the individual soldier, including the sniper. Nothing could be further from the truth. The individual foot soldier and Marine in the Gulf War once again proved that no territory is secure without the infantryman’s boots firmly planted upon it. The vast, open spaces of the desert also provided a virtual shooting gallery for American snipers.

Figures for the number of successful engagements by American snipers in the Gulf War, as well as in Grenada and Panama, are extremely difficult to document. The U.S. military, avoiding the controversial “body count” policy of the Vietnam War, does not release specific claims of enemy casualties. The limited information available, however, confirms
that the “one-shot, one-kill” dogma of the Vietnam sniper has found a comfortable place in the ranks of today’s snipers.

The American-led coalition victory in Desert Storm, combined with the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of the Soviet Union, has left the United States as the single world power. No nation, or group of countries, offers a reasonable threat to U.S. national security and America’s place as the world’s dominant economic and military force.

A conflict of the magnitude of World War II is simply not visible in the foreseeable future. There also is no current threat of a guerrilla conflict on the scale of Vietnam or a conventional war to equal Operation Desert Storm. In this environment, the missions of the U.S. military become not fewer but more numerous and complex.

Since Desert Storm, the U.S. armed forces have deployed around the world in a multitude of missions in what have become known as “operations short of war.” Those operations have been defined as “peace building,” “peace keeping,” “democracy reinforcing,” “regional stability,” and “stability.” Some of the deployments were bloodless; others have pushed right up to the edge of “short of war.”

All of the developments escalated the importance of trained long-range marksmen. Modern “operations short of war” call for snipers to neutralize opposing marksmen as well as to provide a deterrent to possible enemies by their presence.

While the United States still possesses large numbers of aircraft, helicopters, and artillery, many of the targets in today’s limited engagements are in the middle of areas populated by noncombatants. The sniper, with his single well-aimed shot, engages only the intended target with minimal or no collateral damage. Instead of leveling a city block, killing innocent civilians, and destroying property, the sniper eliminates a target cleanly and efficiently.

In late 1993 and early 1994, Marine and army snipers provided covering fire to protect U.S. forces securing relief efforts in Somalia. When opposing bandit groups in the Somalian city of Mogadishu began sporadic fire at American troops, snipers became an important factor in restabilizing the
area. Performing mostly in a countersniper role, U.S. marksmen successfully neutralized more than 100 targets during the operation.

The only two Medals of Honor, America’s highest award for combat valor, presented for actions in Somalia went to a two-man sniper team assigned to the U.S. Army Special Operations Command’s Task Force Ranger. On October 3, 1993, Master Sergeant Gary I. Gordon of Lincoln, Maine, and Sergeant First Class Randall D. Shughart of Newville, Pennsylvania, volunteered to be inserted by helicopter to secure the crash site and survivors of another helicopter shot down by enemy fire in the streets of Mogadishu.

Using their sniper rifles and side arms, and later other weapons taken from the downed helicopter, the two snipers secured the crash site while fighting off intensifying attacks from automatic weapons and rocket-propelled grenade fire. Both snipers continued their resistance after suffering fatal wounds and sacrificed themselves to save the helicopter pilot.

American snipers also played an important role in the more recent stabilization efforts in Haiti and Bosnia. Army and Marine marksmen have been in the leading elements of those operations, providing observation and covering fire as needed for the arriving forces, discouraging potential opposition by their mere presence.

For nearly half a century after the end of World War II, nuclear weapons remained the focus of the Cold War between East and West. With the threat of nuclear war greatly diminished and the United States occupying the position of single world power, future military missions will likely continue to fall in the category of “operations short of war.” Just as the nuclear bomb characterized the Cold War, the sniper may very well become the symbol of those future conflicts.

At the end of 1997, snipers in the Marine Corps total approximately 340, and the army has nearly 500. Many of those young men, not born until after the Vietnam War, carry forward the concept honed during that conflict. Their rifles, training, operations—and, indeed, the very existence of their specialty—can be largely attributed to the long conflict in
Southeast Asia. The legacy and the most important accomplishments of the Vietnam snipers are the marksmen behind the crosshairs who today stand as an integral part of the keepers of the peace and the guardians of freedom and democracy around the world.

APPENDIX A
 

U.S. M1903 Springfield

Comments:
Introduced in 1903 as the standard U.S. infantry weapon, its A3 and A4 Models served as sniper rifles in both world wars and in Korea. A few special operations and infantry units in Vietnam used the A4 Model prior to the official establishment of sniper schools and units.

U.S. M1C/D Garand

Comments:
The durable, easy to maintain M1 Garand greatly contributed to the U.S. victory in World War II. Its C and D sniper models, which differ only in the telescope mounts, were also used in Korea and in the early years of the Vietnam War. Although considered obsolete, it remained the only official sniper weapon in the U.S. inventory until the mid-1960s.

Winchester Model 70

Comments:
First manufactured in 1937 as a sporting rifle, the Model 70 gained popularity in competition shooting because of its accuracy. Although never officially adopted by the military, the Winchesters saw service as sniper rifles in World War II and Korea as well as in Vietnam by the first Marine schools and shooters.

M40 Sniper Rifle

Comments:
This military version of the Remington Model 700 commercial rifle replaced the Winchester Model 70 as the basic Marine sniper weapon in 1966.

M40A1 Sniper Rifle

Comments:
The M40A1 combines the Remington 700 receiver group with the Winchester Model 70 floorplate and trigger guard and the McMillan fiberglass, epoxy-bedded stock. It became the primary USMC sniper rifle in 1977.

M21 Sniper Rifle