"One Shot,
From An Unknown Spot,
One Kill,
Because Of My Skill."
-Sniper Motto
Going in to the Special Forces community is practically a guarantee that you will see combat. That is what makes the job so dangerous and is what initially separates the men from the boys. With that being said you will be trained extensively in the use of firearms and some of the best technology the military has to offer.
As I grew up I rarely was ever around firearms. My stepdad had some at one time but never took me shooting. My dad had a sidearm when I was a baby but got rid of it for that reason exactly. This coupled with growing up in Palm Beach Gardens Florida prevented me from really going shooting like some kids did out in the farms on the weekends.
When I was younger I don’t think I was ever really interested in the hobby either. My only experience with any type of weapon was my Tippmann 98 custom paintball gun which I used quite frequently back in my high school NJROTC days.
It wasn’t until I decided to embark on this path of becoming a PJ that I realized my lack of experience with any sort of actual weapon! I needed to rectify this.
Now I wasn’t expecting to become a marksman, far from it. I just wanted to have some experience and knowledge as to what to expect once I got into basic and an M-16 was thrust in my hands.
Luckily enough for me I just so happened to stop into my parents’ office one afternoon and meet an outstanding individual. My stepmother’s client was a man named “Danny.” Who my dad immediately revealed to me is a Veteran Marine Recon Sniper.
My immediate thoughts: “HOOYAH!”
I was in awe at meeting this man, and didn’t rightly know what to say or what questions to ask. After all, I wasn’t expecting to meet someone like this in my parents’ office. But I shook his hand and we talked briefly and then we said our goodbyes and he wished me luck.
It wasn’t until a few days later that I had the epiphany to ask my stepmom for his contact information to see if I couldn’t get in touch with him again. Eventually, I did so and he told me that about twice a week he goes out shooting with his friends and unloads enough ammo to supply a small army. I made plans to meet up with him one weekend and learn how to shoot.
I mean come on! If you are going to learn how to shoot, you might as well learn from the best!
So one Saturday morning I met up with him and several of his friends at a retreat that was being conducted to promote gun knowledge and experience for Women. “Danny” was an instructor at the retreat along with his friends. One such friend was actually a prior service Air Force Combat Controller!
What luck!
After the women left for the day, I was finally able to shoot. And boy did I shoot. They had every handgun of every single caliber you could list. Everything from a .22 to .357 magnum, they even had black powder guns as well. That day I mainly fired a .357 Colt Python and a .45 Beretta. It was awesome.
My shots weren’t great, but they weren’t terrible. My groupings were inconsistent but I could hit the targets. The hardest part for me was changing the side I fired from. I’m left handed and during my paintball days I played with the stock of my gun resting on my left shoulder and the sights lined up with my left eye. Unfortunately, “Danny” told me that they don’t make special weapons for “leftys” in the service. So I may as well develop my skills with my right side. Therein making each and every shot feel awkward and off, but I started getting used to it… eventually.
Before I knew it the day was over and I was headed home with a sense of euphoria. Shooting is quite exhilarating, at least for the first time. However, it was only going to get better.
The following day, Sunday, I returned to the retreat and met with “Danny” and the other instructors on the firing range but there weren’t any handguns. Not one. But, there were plenty of rifles. There was an AK-47, M-4, AR-15, FAL and several others I can’t recall. Boy was this what I really wanted. Handguns are good and all but standard issue for a PJ is an M-4. So I made it a point to get familiar with the M-4 and AR-15. I fired the others but I must say I did favor the M-4, it felt good. In contrast, I actually shot more accurately with the AK-47. I must note the AK had standard iron sights where as, the M-4 and AR-14 both had red dot sights. How I was more accurate with the AK-47 I do not know.
“Danny” even commented saying that I should go fight for the terrorists instead being that I’m a better shot with their weapons. LOL! I told him, “Not a chance, they don’t have a PJ program!”
“Nowadays, with things being the way they are its hard for the military to recruit. I’m just glad there are still guys like you who are willing to carry on the torch of the United States Special Forces,”
- -"Danny”, Prior Service Marine Recon Sniper and mentor.
***I realize this isn’t a very interesting or insightful post but it was fun and I thoroughly enjoyed it. At this point in time I’m almost caught up to the current events. I have been writing about these events that have already occurred months ago purely from memory. So a reminder that when I quote someone it may or may not be verbatim but it is important to note that the message and events are accurate and embody the original tone.
Today as I’m writing this (12/5/11), I have only two more planned posts. The first is about my most recent PAST and the unfortunate turn of events that followed and the second is about the PAST test I’m about to take this week (12/9/11). I will do my best to get the first of the two up this week and next week I will detail the most recent test with some good news entailed. After those posts you may notice that my posts may lack the substance of previous posts as not many events remain before my ship date (1/3/12), we shall cross that bridge when we get there.
Again thank you for the viewership and if you are reading this I would appreciate it if you actually subscribed! Thanks for the love!
HOOYAH!
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