Question about the military

[Konigballer]

"he was the best sniper in the world ever"---

thats quite a stretch, but he was first rate. He also left behind more source material to read about his exploits than probably any other sniper in military history. Thas probably why people seem to refer to him as "the best".

As far as "the best sniper" is concerned, how could you really evaluate that? Even if you just go by kills, there are many snipers in history who amassed a staggering amount of kills, much more than Hathcock's tally, durring various wars in the 20th century. I just read a book called "The German Sniper: 1914-1945" and it has a 1967 interview with three very proficient german snipers from WW2. Two of the three interviewed were THE deadliest German snipers of WW2.

1. Matthias Hetzenauer: 345 confirmed kills......fought on the Eastern Front from '43 to the end of the war.

2. Sepp Allerberger: 257 confirmed kills...also fought on the Eastern Front from late '42 to the end of the war.

These kills seem crazy, but these men fought a long, gruelling defensive war of attrition against MASSIVE soviet armies who were on the offensive for years. They simply had no shortage of targets. In a similar war situation, a sniper like Hathcock also probably would have reaped an even greater tally than he did in a much "smaller" guerilla war like Vietnam. Thats why its kind of pointless to say who was "the best" sniper, theres no clinical way to compare them really. They all had different levels of skill, training, combat experience, and fought against a wide range of very different opponents.

[BeaverEater]

Just go to your local recruiting office and start asking questions. I did when i was a freshmen, and now as a senior if i would join, i know exactly what i branch i would do so with.

[WingMan13]

Its great that you are looking at options at a young age. I agree, don't let ANYONE steer you away from what YOU want to do. I would say the Marines would be the way to go. Remember there's nothing that a motivated Marine and his rifle can't do!

[AGDlover]

OK guys thats for the great advice i'm gonna go out today with my dads .223 savage i haven't shot in years so post some more i'll allways take advice

[Glickman]

i would ask to check out some rotc drilling or even ask to take a peek at some marine drilling and excercises. i think thats your best bet

[AGDlover]

YA me and my friend are doing ROTC drill team

[RevBrown]

Just remember there is alot more to being a sniper than what you see in the video games.
All I hear from kids now a-days is "I wanna be a sniper" Alot of people don't make it, no matter what the X-box tells them.
Don't let my negative bitter arse keep you from trying though. No matter what your job in the millitary is you will be the best of the best. The millitary has done more right for people that I know than anything. Guys that I thought would be dead in a gutter turn out to be the most hard-core s.o.b.'s. I for one am proud that you are thinking of serving at such an age so long as you do the best you can at what you do.

[Jonneh]

Save up for your own kit and become a merc.

[psychoreaper_666]

i agree that the marine would be the way to go,
however if you want to fly a helicopter, contrary to popular belief, you don't
have to have 20/20 vision, i am in the AF and know people who fly w/o 20/20

[AGDlover]

Just remember there is alot more to being a sniper than what you see in the video games.
All I hear from kids now a-days is "I wanna be a sniper" Alot of people don't make it, no matter what the X-box tells them.
Don't let my negative bitter arse keep you from trying though. No matter what your job in the millitary is you will be the best of the best. The millitary has done more right for people that I know than anything. Guys that I thought would be dead in a gutter turn out to be the most hard-core s.o.b.'s. I for one am proud that you are thinking of serving at such an age so long as you do the best you can at what you do.

I realy dont play video games w/ guns i play just things like ATV fury and stuff

but i just got in from the first half of 60yard .22cal scope shooting it was fun. just a lil cold out

[Glickman]

i was actually talking to a pilot not too long ago about vision requirements. i believe it has to be 20/30 or 20/20 with the only option of laser surgery. any other corrections would have problems with pressure (insertable retina lenses, contacts ect.)

[HoppysMag]

I realy dont play video games w/ guns i play just things like ATV fury and stuff

but i just got in from the first half of 60yard .22cal scope shooting it was fun. just a lil cold out

100 yard 22's iron sights. in the black 9 outta 10

[Army]

Most snipers get asked to join the teams, as they have been quietly judged on their attitude and demeaner. Simply wanting to be a sniper is far from enough.

Can you crap your pants, and leave it for a couple days? How about just peeing two maybe three times a day in your clothes, while laying on your stomach for three days? Can you subsist on crackers and peanut butter for a week? Do you have the woods skills to skinny hundreds of yards without being seen by man OR beast? After you skinny for a day to get to a position, do you still have the strength and attitude to dig a hide, camouflage it, then sit and observe for many days after that? Do you have the observaton skills to see and note every little detail, of every little nuance of what is in front of you? Finally, can you look into the magnified face and eyes of an unarmed man...and kill him?

Because now you have to get out of there without being detected by a bunch of pissed off bad guys, who know roughly where you are. You have 3 rounds left in the rifle, maybe 50 more in your ruck. They have many full magazines and machine guns and vehicles. You may have a partner that will have an automatic weapon...or not.

It ain't about shooting. A snipers absolute #1 skill....is perfect observation. A sniper observes and reports, and will only fire if the situation will give him an advantage to escape.

Perfect your woods skills, forget about any romance associated with the title of sniper, and hone your military bearing. Those attributes will get you into sniper school...and out with a new MOS.

[AGDlover]

Me and acoupple of my friends were talkin bout goin out into thease woods about 3miles from my house there huge and were talkin about doing a 3day snerieo with some airsoft guns so when we do do that like ARMY said it will give me a chance to test my skills for sitting in 1place for many days. theres gonna be around 20-50people so it should be fun. but as far as military bearing goes i have a great attitude and i'm willing to try something new to fulfil objectives. but still at a young age i still want to look tward future goals.

[reese0351]

There's another thing to consider that I haven't seen brought up to any real extent. Sure there's the shooting, but physical conditioning is a must. The snipers I know can run like the wind and carry heavy loads a long distance. None of them are buff, but there isn't an ounce of fat on them anywhere. If you're really determined to be a sniper, start running 5 miles on a daily basis, swimming is a good way to get in shape from what I hear but I don't know personally.
Something else you should realize is the way warfare is going these days. Reading Carlos Hathcock's exploits will help you to an extent, but the nation's focus is in the middle east right now and will stay there for a while. We fight in wide open desert terrain and in urban environments. As you read Carlos Hathcock's work, also read about the Gulf War and Operation Iraqi Freedom and desert warfare in general.