The Stalk Pt.1

The shooter is expected to stay immoveable for hours waiting for the signal. He is

expected to scope out the enemy, be patient and calm, await the signal from the spotter, not be nervous and hold his breath. When taking the shot he has to use the ballpoint of his finger. By using the ballpoint of his finger this will prevent the gun from tilting sideways at the time of the shot. They can also use a bipod or a sandbag to support the stock for better accuracy. The shooter will at some time stalk the enemy for hours not taking his eye off him for a single second. The sniper can’t leave his spot for any reason except to relocate or abort the mission. If the sniper has to use the bathroom he must do so at the spot. The sniper might even learn something from the enemy from scoping the enemy for so long. How? Simple, he might notice a wedding ring and know that the enemy is married

When the spotter has taken all measures into account and is sure of a hit on the enemy then he will signal the shot to the shooter. By the time the shooter has taken the shot he might be dehydrated, tired his adrenaline rushing and vision is blurry. If the shooter is expected to take out multiple enemies he must relocate after every shot to prevent from getting spotted. The more shots fired the more chances the enemy has to spot them. Relocating isn't the only way to prevent from getting spotted.           

There are several tactics and accessories to perform the stalk. On the next post “The Stalk pt.2” I will go into details of the ghillie suit for camouflage and concealment and hide sites. In the mean time here is a video of stalking in action.

http://military.discovery.com/videos/top-sniper-behind-the-scenes-the-stalk.html

I Got Your Back

A sniper can only be at his best when accompanied by a spotter. Snipers don’t work alone but in pairs. Every sniper has a spotter, someone who will calculate when the sniper can take the shot or if a sniper has to retreat, relocate and try again or simply abort the mission when a shot can’t be taken. The Russians were the first to utilize snipers in two-man teams. If a sniper is working with a spotter, it will always be up to the spotter to signal the shot. If the spotter does not signal the shot then the shot must not be taken or there cover will be blown. So what exactly does a spotter calculate? There are many factors that a spotter has to take into account in order to signal the shot.

 A spotter must measure…

1.      climate

2.      altitude and range of where the shot is being taken and where the target is

3.       wind direction

4.       speed direction

5.      angle shooting

6.       movement of the target

7.        the rotation of the earth for really far shots.

The wind can be moving in one direction but ½ a mile further it can be moving the opposite direction. A spotter is expected to be equipped with a notepad, laptop, and measuring devices for calculations. They must also carry an assault rifle to protect the sniper in case of an ambush or an enemy sneaking behind them.

Graduation

“One kill saves ten comrades.” When and if you graduate as an expert of the rifle this motto will always be with you where ever you go. A final activity given to the snipers can confirm if you graduate or not from school. The activity is to assimilate a real mission. Instructors and walkers are placed in watchtowers while the snipers are in an open field. The instructors and walkers will have a piece of paper attached around their waist with something written on it or they will hold up their fingers. The snipers must get a certain distance close to the instructor of about 150 meters to read the piece of paper or count how many fingers the walker or instructor is holding up without being spotted. If a sniper gets spotted they fail. Too many fails and the student was dropped from the program. This is actually easier in the real world because you will never get that close to your target. Now that you have graduated from sniping school and acquired the skills needed to survive in real life your next step is the mission. 

Now that you have become an expert at handling the rifle and mastered 1.)OBSERVATION 2.)MARKSMANSHIP AND 3.)STALK the army will send you to many different missions. These missions could range from simply just observing the enemy to killing the enemy.

            Here is a sniper game you can try out I found online.

                                        http://www.snipergames.net/games/stingersniper.html

1st Day of School

    I bet your first day of school would never be boring if you attended a school for snipers. Snipers go to school to be are highly trained to move without detection, search areas, estimate ranges, locate and identify sounds, use cover, concealment  and camouflage, and  endure long periods of waiting. They must use maps, sketches, aerial photos, compass, recognize enemy personnel quickly, and notice the difference from the enemy and a civilian.

There are many different activities for a sniper to train in moving without detection, searching areas, and locate and identifying sounds and many final activities that will tell if a sniper is ready or not. One activity used by many sniping schools is to place many small objects in the open air. As a sniper one must use the scope to scope out these objects but one is only given a certain amount of time to do so. After time is called the sniper is to get a piece of paper and list down what he saw. If the sniper saw a paperclip the sniper must write down a gray twisted oval shape piece of aluminum  because that is what the sniper saw and not a paper clip. To improve their skills they repeat this activity every day but are given less time to scope out the objects or they might scope out the objects in the morning and asked to write down what they saw at end of the day.

 Another game used to train snipers is placing small objects in an open grassy field. The sniper must use his scope to find these objects and when they do they must stare at it for several minutes. A sniper is told to always stay calm and have a lot of patience. Calmness and patience are two major keys in surviving on the field. If you have calmness and patience then concealment and camouflaging will not be as hard for you.

Intro of the Ghost Warriors

I have decided to change my blog. My last blog wasn’t working out. “Brandon”s Movie Spoilers” was ruining movies for others. I decided to take you step by step on the hardships of becoming a sniper. Many people don’t seem to realize of the hard work and training that is endured to become an expert rifleman. So what is a sniper? The term was developed during the 19^th century. The term referred to a hunter snipes, a game bird. A sniper is a well trained rifleman who works in pairs and on controlling his body when expected to make a kill. Snipers in today’s media are portrayed as an easy and fun job. Many teenagers these days love to play video games whether it’s on the Wii, Ps3, Xbox 360 etc… Games such as Medal of Honor, Metal Gear Solid 4, Call of Duty Black Ops and many more allows you to play at least once as a sniper whether it’s on a mission or multiplayer. In the games all you have to do is aim and shoot and in just seconds you have made a kill. In movies snipers are portrayed the same way.

 No one ever mentions or shows what snipers have to endure to become experts at handling the rifle. Throughout my posts I will be showing you what movies and games don’t about the lives of snipers. I will talk about the training they must overcome and the requirements to graduate from school if they ever want to become snipers. I will provide examples of experiences of snipers on missions and their thoughts about it. Snipers aren’t snipers the rest of their lives. At one point in life they will TRY go back to their “normal” lives. I will also talk about that, on how sniping takes a toll on a person’s mind and can pose traumatic problems.  Until next time…over and out!