Everything I Needed to Know I Learned in Sniper School

Twenty years from now
you will be more disappointed
by the things that you didn't do
than by the ones you did d0
--Mark Twain

"For of all sad words of tongue or pen,
the saddest are these, "It might have been!"
--Maude Muller,
John Greenleaf Whittier

God Woodrow it ain't dying
I'm talking about… it's living
--Lonesome Dove (1989)
_____________________

This may be hard to swallow but it's true. After 40 years of digesting the lessons, the truth has hit my X-ring.

Sniper school is not about killing, but rather about living. The things that you do to stay alive as a sniper are also the [s]kills that will enhance your life in any environment.

[1] Rule #1: Do no harm. Keep your fire within the range markers and only apply your skills to legitimate targets. In war, as in life.

[2] Have empathy even for the target. Army Leadership FM 6-22 states, "All Army team members, Soldiers and civilians alike, must have a basis of . . . Empathy."

Tao Tan's paper, "The Nobility of the Warrior" cites Mencius who said that the quality of empathy made a warrior noble, which led to a sense first of shame, next propriety and ultimately, a sense of right and wrong.

Tan continues, empathy restrains a warrior from mindless violence by appealing to his emotion; eventually, this evolves into a sense of right versus wrong by appealing to his wisdom. By maintaining his nobility and civility even in the backdrop of combat, "a soldier may carry on the search for his own humanity."

Ranger had a friend (a Special Forces Medal of Honor recipient) who would laugh about gut-shooting soldiers, which he did often. This means they suffered before they died, as opposed to receiving a chest shot. This is not soldierly conduct, and it has no place on the battlefield. Compassion must be present even in combat.

[3] Be technically and tactically proficient.

[4] An extension of #3: Fancy gear is not necessary. A simple, well-built bolt gun will do the trick if you know its capability. Many a Vietcong sniper killed with an antiquated 1891/30 rifle. What is important is the maintenance of your equipment. Care and cleaning is necessary, as well as a total familiarity with its performance characteristics. Always have an auxiliary weapon.

[5] Care extends to the maintenance of one's person. A sniper neither consumes stimulants nor depressants. He does not wear products with scents -- soaps, after-shave or insect repellant. He does not smoke.

[6] Technical proficiency also means controlling your fear and adrenaline response, as calmness is required for precision shooting. Stay calm in the pursuit. Surveil your target in depth and detail. Be patient and realistic. Know the situation's -- and your --limitations.

[7] Tactically, never move unless necessary -- movement is your enemy. Stay low and subdued. Move slowly, blend; use cover and concealment. When you move, always approach your target directly. Do not be ambivalent. Do not move laterally, thereby exposing yourself to detection and hostile fires.

[8] Always have an escape route.

[9] Always use worst-case planning. If you plan for the worst, then all else will fall into place. Be prepared for any eventuality.

[10] Travel light. (Our photojournalist friend Zoriah recently wrote a nice piece on this one HERE.)

All points may seem to indicate restraint, but they are all in preparation for the main activity: You will never make the kill unless you take the shot. You must pull the trigger. Every shot is the center of your existence. All shots require equal concentration, even the close shots. Everything comes down to making a successful shot.

Disregarding this last rule leads to failure at every level. It is not the shots that you miss but the shots that you do not take that will lead to mission failure. It's the shots you did not take that will haunt you.

Those are my life lessons and they are equivalent to 28.7 grains of IMR 3031 pushing a 168 gr Sierra out of match-grade barrel. Ranger is thankful he never had to put cross hairs on a man.