[shermacman]

Excellent article about a travesty in the Canadian military. Worth the read:

An elite unit of snipers went from standouts to outcasts -- victims, many say, of a witch hunt driven by jealousy and fear

MICHAEL FRISCOLANTI

Lying low beside the rifle, his stomach touching the ground, Cpl. Rob Furlong concentrated hard on his breathing. In, out. In, out. In, out. Deep, but not too deep. Slow, but not too slow. The tiniest twitch -- a heavy exhale, perhaps, or a breath held one second too long -- could jerk his weapon ever so slightly, turning a sure hit into a narrow miss. In the sniping world, where one shot should always equal one kill, steady breathing is just as crucial as steady aim.

http://www.macleans.ca/topstories/canada/article.jsp?content=20060515_126689_126689

[tenbase]

Good article, except for:

"Stand by," Furlong said again. Another loud pop echoed through the valley, sending a .50-calibre shell -- rocket-shaped, almost as long as a beer bottle -- slicing through the Afghan sky.

:banghead:

[Legionnaire]

Definitely worth the read, despite being pretty sad; thanks.

[hksw]

"Stand by," Furlong said again. Another loud pop echoed through the valley, sending a .50-calibre shell -- rocket-shaped, almost as long as a beer bottle -- slicing through the Afghan sky.

Maybe they're talking about those tiny airline bottles.

[Pilgrim]

It appears the Canadian Army's command structure hasn't gotten used to the idea their job is to kill people and break things.

[Crosshair]

OK, they where probably thinking of the whole shell since they don't see the full size of the bullet.

[azflyman]

A sad article indeed. I hope the upcoming report does justice to those men.

az

[Eleven Mike]

the 3rd Battalion of Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry. Oh man, that is hilarious! Just tell Al-Qaeda their name, they'll die laughing.


The first shot missed. A second round missed too, but not by much. It pierced the man's backpack. "They had no fear," Furlong recalls of his target. "They didn't run. I guess they've just been engaged so many times." I'm guessing they didn't realize they were being fired at, or they had seen the T-shirt saying; "Sniper: If you run, you'll only die tired."

the longest-ever recorded kill by a sniper in combat, surpassing the mark of 2,250 m set by U.S. Marine Gunnery Sgt. Carlos Hathcock during the Vietnam War.Was Hathcock using a fifty?

[El Tejon]

11M, yes, an M2 with a field expedient optical sight. Shot a bicycle messenger, IIRC.

[HiWayMan]

Pretty sure Hathcock was using .308. Or was that the instance with the modified M2.

[Eleven Mike]

Pretty impressive, considering the Canadians had a dedicated sniper arm, and he had a jury-rigged machine gun.

[Q-Lock]

Carlos used an M2 with the help of his Unertyl 10x, and yes, the target was a kid transporting enemy firearms on a bicycle.

[sterling180]

Hathcock either used a Remington 700 or a Winchester 70 rifle,to assasinate his targets with.He also used to crawl on his belly,to avoid making footsteps,that could be heard by the Veitcong and North Veitnamese Army.

He also probably used an M2 as well."One shot,one kill".

He was one brave guy,to have accomplished that and not be killed, in the process.

[SSN Vet]

This article was well worth the read.....and is a stark testimony to what happens when you try to fight a "politically correct" war.

The heroes become little girls who hide on the floor of a humvee and wet their pants while all their mates fight to the death.

The profesional soldiers who actually fight and kill the enemy...well, were embarrassed by them.

I respect and love these Canadians. Unfortunately, they live in a country that has long been overrun by liberals and is IMHO a failed state.

Take note America....this is exactly what Ted Kennedy and Hillary Clinton want the USA to look like.

[bowfin]

Quote:
the 3rd Battalion of Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry.

Oh man, that is hilarious! Just tell Al-Qaeda their name, they'll die laughing.

Ever heard of the Johnny Cash song, "A Boy Named Sue?"

A lot of WWII GIs got the snot beat out of them for making fun of Highland regiments wearing kilts, thinking anyone sissified enough to wear a skirt in public was easy prey, rather than anyone tough enough to wear a skirt in public best be shown some deference. My long ago Scoutmaster was with the 101st Airborne, and he thought they were too tough to cross.

[Eleven Mike]

Shucks, bowfin, don't get all serious about it.

And when I have a boy I'm gonna name him - Bill or Joe or Mack or Buddy, anything but Sue, I still hate that name!

[Detritus]

the 3rd Battalion of Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry.

Oh man, that is hilarious! Just tell Al-Qaeda their name, they'll die laughing.


i am led to beleive that the reputation of the PPCLI is such that it is much more along the lines of "die soiling their drawers".

[Eleven Mike]

i am led to beleive that the reputation of the PPCLI is such that it is much more along the lines of "die soiling their drawers".Let us hope that it is so. I will still get a chuckle out of it, though.

[ajax]

They got a royal screwin. Sorry to see Hathcocks record go tho.

[tellner]

The Princess Patties? They are a superbly trained, highly dangerous regiment with a distinguished history of kicking ass and not bothering to take names. Military units get named after some strange things. The Artists Rifles sound pretty effete, and you're just sure that they're going to limp-wrist whatever they're firing. Then you dig a little deeper and find they were a volunteer regiment founded by an art student to defend Great Britain against invasion. They are now the 21st SAS. The idea that the Artists Rifles were after you is enough to make anyone anywhere in the world go to Code Brown.