Sniper Coward or Hero :: essays papers

Sniper Coward or HeroSince the invention of the firearm, skilled individuals withspecialized equipment have influenced the ebb and flowing of thebattlefield. At times this influence has been so great as to influence the tide of history. The long-range sharpshooter orsniper has had a telling perfume on the direction, drive, andscope of battle. The sniper has felled the command structureof his enemies, rendered their equipment useless, and drivenfear into the embrace of the men. Thus, the sniper is one of themost effective weapons on the field of battle. A authoritative sniperis an operative who gathers intelligence for the commandstructure and occasion eithery takes the one, well-aimed shot that,if through with(p) properly, will save lives. In order to betterunderstand just now how snipers are valuable, one needs toconsider their care, training, and equipment. The snipersprimary bursting charge is to deliver long range, precision fire on keytargets and targets of oppor tunity. His unoriginal mission isthe collection and reporting of information. Both missions arevery specialized and dangerous. To carry out these missions, asniper mustiness be highly adroit in marksmanship and field craftskills to ensure maximum effectiveness with lower limit risk(Lanning 88-100). The U. S. Army Sniper School is five workweeksof intense training. Before a student can even be consideredfor attendance to sniper school, he must meet stringentqualifications and pass a mental examination. Classes are usually small, but have a high failure rate. The first weekconsists of physical training and classroom instruction,concentrating on the construction of a gillie Suit, which isa special hand made form of camouflage (Sasser 215). Thesecond, third, and quartern weeks are composed of practicalexercises and tests covering everything taught during weekone. Emphasis is determined on developing stalking skills.Stalking is the term used when a sniper maneuvers into hisfinal firing position (Lanning 159). After the fourth weekand all the field orientated tests have been completed, thestudents that are left, participate in a four day fieldtraining exercise which is run as a real life mission. Thestudents form two-man teams. One is the sniper and the otheris his artificer. The spotters main function is to observe atarget and allow for data to the shooter. The spotter must alsobe fully sniper adequate and trained to carry out themission. The team receives an operation order, which explainsits first mission or objective. The team must then plan its