Sniper Coward or Hero :: essays papers

Sniper Coward or HeroSince the invention of the firearm, skilled individuals withspecialized equipment have influenced the ebb and feed of thebattlefield. At times this influence has been so great as to cycle the tide of history. The long-range sharpshooter orsniper has had a telling make on the direction, drive, andscope of battle. The sniper has felled the command structureof his enemies, rendered their equipment useless, and drivenfear into the tinder of the men. Thus, the sniper is one of themost effective weapons on the field of battle. A on-key sniperis an operative who gathers intelligence for the commandstructure and occasion all(prenominal)y takes the one, well-aimed shot that,if do properly, will save lives. In order to betterunderstand precisely how snipers are valuable, one needs toconsider their flush, training, and equipment. The snipersprimary delegating is to deliver long range, precision fire on keytargets and targets of opportunity. His secondary co il mission isthe collection and reporting of information. Both missions arevery detail and dangerous. To carry out these missions, asniper mustiness be highly skilful in marksmanship and field craftskills to ensure maximum effectiveness with borderline 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 unremarkably small, but have a high failure rate. The first weekconsists of physical training and classroom instruction,concentrating on the construction of a ghillie Suit, which isa special hand made form of camouflage (Sasser 215). Thesecond, third, and one-quarter weeks are composed of practicalexercises and tests covering everything taught during weekone. Emphasis is place on developing stalking skills.Stalking is the term used when a sniper maneuvers into hisfinal firing posi tion (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 lookout station. The spotters main function is to observe atarget and countenance data to the shooter. The spotter must alsobe fully sniper hooked and trained to carry out themission. The team receives an operation order, which explainsits first mission or objective. The team must then plan its