crowsnest2002
Member
All the snipers i've known, FT Riley KS havent been as proud to mention it as that guy. They dont usually talk about things like that.. I wouldnt either.
Met a sniper today
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Justin
Moderator Emeritus
Uh...
CNYCacher
Member
Here is an excellent story from my hometown about a kid who made up an entire story about a mission he was involved in, where he was shot, and for which he was awarded the purple heart. He went so far as to call his father and tell him that he was in Iraq the day after it supposedly happened, when he was really in Hawaii. He claimed to be a Navy Seal. he WAS in the navy, but not a seal.
The Auburn Citizen (local paper) interviewed him for an article. In the interview he re-counted the entire story, including how he was shot, etc. He even posed for a picture in his uniform with an ebay purple heart medal. The story was published on the front page of the paper and was the big talk around town. . . until the navy got a whiff of it.
The aftermath was covered just as heavily by the local paper, who was no-doubt embarassed about being duped. I linked the article below. The original article, where he is being lauded as a local hero is nowhere to be found
Made-up Mission, Auburn Citizen, Jan 2004
The Auburn Citizen (local paper) interviewed him for an article. In the interview he re-counted the entire story, including how he was shot, etc. He even posed for a picture in his uniform with an ebay purple heart medal. The story was published on the front page of the paper and was the big talk around town. . . until the navy got a whiff of it.
The aftermath was covered just as heavily by the local paper, who was no-doubt embarassed about being duped. I linked the article below. The original article, where he is being lauded as a local hero is nowhere to be found
Made-up Mission, Auburn Citizen, Jan 2004
hankdatank1362
Member
I think I've met one real sniper in my life. He was tagging along with two sales reps from Alexander Arms. As they were going on and on about their new (at the time) .50 Beowulf and 6.5 SPC uppers, he sat quietly in the background. When I went over to strike up a conversation, he knew a s***load about optics and rifle scopes. Other than that he was in good physical shape, but quiet and nerdy looking. He didn't speak unless he had to, but when he did, it was concise and authoritative. His buddies mentioned he served in Afghanistan, but never said anything about sniper. He just had this aura, ya know?
smokemaker
Member
One of my mentors in the 'fitters is a 60 year old gent who was a marine in Viet Nam. I worked day in and day out with him, and he never talked about combat, or much else about the service until his last day at work before he retired. That day he said just about all he needed to, shed a tear, and then hasn't spoken with me about it since.
I find that to be about the norm with most vets.
I find that to be about the norm with most vets.
Heavy Metal Hero
Member
6.5 SPC...that's a new one.
I've run into a lot of bull**** about "military snipers." I've also met quite a few military snipers.
Real snipers talk about tactics, reconaissance, lying in the mud for six days while they creeped up on a position. They can explain to you the limitations of a scope, an objective eyepiece.
I ran into a Marine sniper at the local gun shop. He had his rifles with him. Looking at the gear it was obvious what he had set up. He kept telling is it was his "Varmint rifle." *LMAO*
Sniper is not about being a "sharpshooter." It's about being a sneaky bastard with a lot of patience.
Real snipers talk about tactics, reconaissance, lying in the mud for six days while they creeped up on a position. They can explain to you the limitations of a scope, an objective eyepiece.
I ran into a Marine sniper at the local gun shop. He had his rifles with him. Looking at the gear it was obvious what he had set up. He kept telling is it was his "Varmint rifle." *LMAO*
Sniper is not about being a "sharpshooter." It's about being a sneaky bastard with a lot of patience.
I've met 4 snipers in my life, one was a marine who I know socially, three are/were police SWAT. These are the only real snipers I have ever personally met in 20 years of shooting. I've seen others, but can't claim to know them.
A "sniper" is a job classification. Too bad most people think the title goes along with the ownership of a scoped rifle.
A "sniper" is a job classification. Too bad most people think the title goes along with the ownership of a scoped rifle.
Heavy Metal Hero
Member
But in Halo and Counter Strike when I pick up the sniper rifle I become a sniper!
In all seriousness though I went to the range yesterday and overheard some old guy saying how he was a marine sniper and did it all. It was funny though, he was having a hard time with his $5000 rifle setup.
bogie
Member
Had one gun show commando tell me that the 6PPC wasn't accurate enough for urban sniping...
I couldn't talk him into going to the range to prove it.
I couldn't talk him into going to the range to prove it.
RavenVT100
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Used to know someone who was in the .mil (formerly). He used to ramble on and on about how he would go on "secret" missions to other countries, because he had a "secret" clearance. It became difficult to swallow but since he bragged about it frequently he eventually pulled up his clearance status from some .mil website and show it to a bunch of people, me included. I wondered why, exactly, he talked so much if he was cleared...you know, not to talk.
This guy would always talk about his friends who we never met, but who of course all really liked him and worked in ultra top secret government jobs, (of course). But what really torqued me off is that after he found out I was into guns as a hobby, some stinks-of-BS stories would periodically make their way back to me from other people about this guy's "buddy who is a weapons nut" and other, highly exaggerated or outright BS things.
Moral of the story: Steer well clear of people like this, and don't allow them into your social circle.
This guy would always talk about his friends who we never met, but who of course all really liked him and worked in ultra top secret government jobs, (of course). But what really torqued me off is that after he found out I was into guns as a hobby, some stinks-of-BS stories would periodically make their way back to me from other people about this guy's "buddy who is a weapons nut" and other, highly exaggerated or outright BS things.
Moral of the story: Steer well clear of people like this, and don't allow them into your social circle.
Always wondered about that...if 6PPC is so accurate why is it not used by the military? Poor terminal ballistics?
Pilgrim
Member
I ran into a barber in Hayden, ID who claimed he was a Marine Corps fighter pilot. I asked him some questions and he claimed to have flown F-15s and F-16s.
I thought it strange he flew U.S. Air Force aircraft, so I asked him where he flew and what was his assignment. He said he was an instructor pilot at Davis Monthan AFB.
I asked him some more questions about his service and he told me he was prior Navy enlisted, but because he was such an outstanding pilot the Marine Corps offered him a direct commission. I was intrigued.
I asked him questions about where he went through flight training and what he flew. He said he went to Gulfport MS for flight training, after first saying he didn't need flight training because he was already an excellent pilot from before he enlisted in the Navy.
After a few more questions he asked, "Why are you asking all these questions?"
I said, "Because I was a real naval aviator and I don't believe a thing you say."
He shut up and finished giving me a haircut without saying another word.
Pilgrim
LeonCarr
Member
Most "Been to the circus and seen the elephant" type people don't talk about it, including snipers.
I thought I had met a real life "gen-u-ine" sniper at a gun shop one day. I asked him what rifle he shot, and he said a Remington 7400 in .270. I just said ok.
Just my .02,
LeonCarr
I thought I had met a real life "gen-u-ine" sniper at a gun shop one day. I asked him what rifle he shot, and he said a Remington 7400 in .270. I just said ok
.Just my .02,
LeonCarr
bogie
Member
Heck, I had a Secret clearance... Not that big a deal.
Now I have to kill all of you...
The 6PPC is probably the most intrinsically accurate cartridge out there. However, being that it is a sharp-shouldered-straight-case wildcat, it isn't that well suited to field use. A tapered case (like the .223, 7.62x39, etc.) will feed and eject better in a semi-auto.
Given that I run my 68 grain bullets at about 3400fps (custom action, hand-prepped brass, etc., do not try this at home), I don't think the problem is poor terminal ballistics.
Now I have to kill all of you...
The 6PPC is probably the most intrinsically accurate cartridge out there. However, being that it is a sharp-shouldered-straight-case wildcat, it isn't that well suited to field use. A tapered case (like the .223, 7.62x39, etc.) will feed and eject better in a semi-auto.
Given that I run my 68 grain bullets at about 3400fps (custom action, hand-prepped brass, etc., do not try this at home), I don't think the problem is poor terminal ballistics.
silverlance
Member
I have a LOT of military buddies. I never served (all I did was the asvab, broke my foot, got a girlfriend, and ran away from the recruiter when he came calling back... kinda regret it but I was 18 and the girlfriend was real important) but I taught in community college and wound up having a lot of mil guys as students. so that's how i got to know them.
i send them letters and stuff like that when i can, and when they get back we go out to dinner and stuff. but invariably about a week or two after they get back they all just kinda hole up and don't come out anymore. I don't know why, they all just do. they seem normal enough when they come back but then after a bit I don't see them again until they call up and say that they are about to fly out.
things like that make me wonder if my not completing recruitment was for the best after all.
anyway, several of them had TS. apparently TS isn't that big of a deal, i get a feeling that there are several layers of TS. one did say however that he got a visit from some spooks when he spent several months emailing a girl in china about five years ago.
i'm a pretty conversational guy and I can usually get anyone to open given time. i've heard many stories from them but they NEVER tell me stories like "I shot this guy about a 100 yards from me and blew his head clean off" etc. They only tell me stories about stupid things that other enlisted guys do to screw themselves up, the food, the locals, the guns, the constant "we expect to be home for [insert holiday] speeches, and once in a very rare while they tell me about a hair-raising experience like the unexploded mortar that crushed a guys leg and required my buddy and two other guys to remove, or the time a young marine shot him in the calf with his m16 because he had been twirling it in the air while on guard duty. a .223 scar is really tiny, it's like someone dimpled your skin with a pencil eraser.
I know better than to ask about the kill stories because quite frankly i've had my own share of bad stuff and I've learned that it's no fun to talk about. kind of a mixture of embarassment and internal turmoil.
anyway, one of them is an army sniper. he is currently at warhorse or spartan i believe and his last email to me was really really SAD. he had been issued an m14 and a scope but no mount. so i bought one and sent it over but it wouldn't fit properly. so he traded for an m16 but the scope was broken. currently he is an army sniper with no scoped rifle. oh well. i'm currently saving up some money to send him a better mount. the worst part is that each time he calls he tells me not to bother because "they may be coming back soon".
i send them letters and stuff like that when i can, and when they get back we go out to dinner and stuff. but invariably about a week or two after they get back they all just kinda hole up and don't come out anymore. I don't know why, they all just do. they seem normal enough when they come back but then after a bit I don't see them again until they call up and say that they are about to fly out.
things like that make me wonder if my not completing recruitment was for the best after all.
anyway, several of them had TS. apparently TS isn't that big of a deal, i get a feeling that there are several layers of TS. one did say however that he got a visit from some spooks when he spent several months emailing a girl in china about five years ago.
i'm a pretty conversational guy and I can usually get anyone to open given time. i've heard many stories from them but they NEVER tell me stories like "I shot this guy about a 100 yards from me and blew his head clean off" etc. They only tell me stories about stupid things that other enlisted guys do to screw themselves up, the food, the locals, the guns, the constant "we expect to be home for [insert holiday] speeches, and once in a very rare while they tell me about a hair-raising experience like the unexploded mortar that crushed a guys leg and required my buddy and two other guys to remove, or the time a young marine shot him in the calf with his m16 because he had been twirling it in the air while on guard duty. a .223 scar is really tiny, it's like someone dimpled your skin with a pencil eraser.
I know better than to ask about the kill stories because quite frankly i've had my own share of bad stuff and I've learned that it's no fun to talk about. kind of a mixture of embarassment and internal turmoil.
anyway, one of them is an army sniper. he is currently at warhorse or spartan i believe and his last email to me was really really SAD. he had been issued an m14 and a scope but no mount. so i bought one and sent it over but it wouldn't fit properly. so he traded for an m16 but the scope was broken. currently he is an army sniper with no scoped rifle. oh well. i'm currently saving up some money to send him a better mount. the worst part is that each time he calls he tells me not to bother because "they may be coming back soon".
MikePGS
Member
Its a shame that persons who would inflate their own ego at the expense of truth leech off of the valor of people who have sacrificed so much for their countrymen. Its awful that due to some liars you even have to question the stories of true american heroes, such as Gecko45
simulatedjim
Member
I met one and I started talking guns and not once did he mention what he did. Maybe not all but I think most won't even discuss it.
hrgrisso
Member
Not A Sniper
But my dad was one of the flying tigers during WW2. He only had a few friends that hung out together. Non had served together. But I always thought (as a kid of course) that war was like summer camp, you know, cool!
They talked about beer runs in B-25's from Kunming China to Australia.
Poker games where they wagered tigers (long stories... I'll send pictes someday)
And figuring out ways to pass the time and not get syphillis or some other "natural" ailment.
They all saw bad stuff. They all fought.
I never knew it, until we buried one of my dads friends, I helped his son clean his house. At the bottom of a box in the closet we found a Letter of Commendation and I think a bronze star (this friend was not a pilot but an infantryman). Anyways the picture stuffed into the box was Roger recieving this medal along with a commendation for bravery under fire.
I didn't know it before then, and his son looked equally suprised. So yeah, imho real vets don't usually talk about it.
I wish I had served but recieved a medical exemption (stupid bones) and have to email and support friends that are.
But my dad was one of the flying tigers during WW2. He only had a few friends that hung out together. Non had served together. But I always thought (as a kid of course) that war was like summer camp, you know, cool!
They talked about beer runs in B-25's from Kunming China to Australia.
Poker games where they wagered tigers (long stories... I'll send pictes someday)
And figuring out ways to pass the time and not get syphillis or some other "natural" ailment.
They all saw bad stuff. They all fought.
I never knew it, until we buried one of my dads friends, I helped his son clean his house. At the bottom of a box in the closet we found a Letter of Commendation and I think a bronze star (this friend was not a pilot but an infantryman). Anyways the picture stuffed into the box was Roger recieving this medal along with a commendation for bravery under fire.
I didn't know it before then, and his son looked equally suprised. So yeah, imho real vets don't usually talk about it.
I wish I had served but recieved a medical exemption (stupid bones) and have to email and support friends that are.
U.S.SFC_RET
Member
Stolen Valor and the lies told to get it will do nothing but serve to discredit the teller. Fools who looks for glory from the blood of servicemen.
Funny you should mention CIA...one of my former Univ. professors really was a spook in Southeast Asia. Apart form the screaming rabid leftists on campus who used to protest his very existence, with their little parades seeking to "Oust the Spook", it didn't take much for the curious to figure out he was 'different' than the other profs. I've seen one lone pic of him in a well known book about the fall of Cambodia (he was VERY interested to see the pic too...!). I've seen some of his EXTENSIVE kodak slide collection of anthropological 'stuff' from the area (all places you cannot go to now). And perhaps the kicker, was dropping by his office one afternoon to find Stansfield Turner (former Dir. CIA) sitting in his office having a friendly chat. Turner was in town for a lecture, and thought he'd drop in on his old friend.
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