In the spring of 2001, I enlisted in the Army. I graduated from basic training on September 7th. The next week’s events added special urgency and new purpose to my training.
By November, I had been assigned to a Ranger unit and I was in Afghanistan by December.
After two tours in Afghanistan and the invasion of Iraq, I joined a Stryker battalion’s reconnaissance platoon as a sniper.
I was eventually promoted to recon squad leader and deployed to Iraq for a year.
Upon leaving the Army, I was hired by a private security firm as a “designated defensive marksman” (corporate-speak for “sniper”) and served in that role throughout southern Iraq for nearly three years.
During my eight years in the military and private security, I have had the pleasure of serving with many talented and knowledgeable snipers, learning as much as I could along the way.
I have distilled some of the more interesting aspects of this collected wisdom and present it to you in this handbook.
Introduction
The intent of this guide is to lead you through the phases preparation and execution of a mission while highlighting the important factors you will have to consider at each stage.
This guide cannot hope to be an exhaustive review of every aspect of the sniper’s job; rather it distills the body of knowledge to the most interesting and relevant points.
THIS HANDBOOK WILL SEND YOU DOWN THE PATH TO THINKING LIKE A SNIPER.