- Reaction score
- 63
- Points
- 530
November 14, 2005
Shooting skills on display
Snipers share tips, technique at competition
By Matthew Cox
Times staff writer
FORT BENNING, Ga. - They don't fit the Hollywood image of a group of lone assassins waiting for their next mission, their next confirmed kill.
They serve different armed services, wear different camouflage patterns and seldom choose the same sniper weapon.
All are highly competitive, yet most here gladly share their sniping secrets with fellow brethren of the precision-shooting world.
"We are all about shooting and helping each other out," said Sgt. Nicholas Howard of the 25th Infantry Division on Day 4 of the 5th Annual International Sniper Competition.
"I don't care; I'll help you even though you are competing against me."
Howard and his sniper teammate, Spc. Sean Clark of 1st Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, are among the 31 sniper teams that traveled to Benning from all over the world to make new contacts, share information and learn how they measure up against the best of the best.
"We swap thumb drives with information from after-action reviews to classes," said one Marine Corps sergeant, whose team preferred to remain anonymous, while representing the Scout Sniper Instructor Course at Quantico Marine Base, Va. "I still don't know everything I have, but I know I will be able to pull bits and pieces of it for the classes I teach."
International appeal
This year's competition had the the largest participant turnout so far, said Staff Sgt. Larry Davis, assistant competition coordinator and instructor at the Army Sniper School.
Besides the Marine Corps team, there were three teams from the Air Force, 21 from the Army and five teams from Britain, Canada, Israel, Ireland and Scotland. There's also one team from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency.
"Our events are from scenarios based on combat in Afghanistan and Iraq," Davis said.
Teams are run through the events in groups of five and are briefed right before each event so they don't have time to plan strategy.
"It forces the teams to have to respond to different situations," Davis said.
Air Force Tech. Sgt. Todd Reed and his identical twin brother, Master Sgt. Tim Reed, competed as one of the Air Force teams.
Todd became a sniper in 1997 after graduating from the Army National Guard Sniper Course in Little Rock, Ark.
But the Air Force refers to them as sharpshooters instead of snipers because they are in more of a defensive role.
They primarily stick to airfields and do mostly counter-sniper work compared to the offensive work of snipers.
Now Todd is an instructor at the Air Force Close Precision Engagement Course.
Tim went through the course in 2001.
"I brought him over to the dark side," Todd said with a grin.
The two brothers came to Benning to compete, but mainly to learn from others in this small brotherhood.
"When we get together with people like us, we share information, Todd said. "This is our second time here; we have learned a great deal here."
The competition began Oct. 31 with an urban sniping event.
Teams were inserted near their first firing range, riding in the back of a Bradley fighting vehicle.
Each team had to run to a house. A squad was positioned inside and shooting from the windows. Simulated explosions added to the realism, Howard said.
A sergeant led each team upstairs to the roof and handed them off to another sergeant who pointed out targets.
"It was quick-quick - no time to think about it, which is the way combat is," Clark said.
Davis said it was clear that many of the competitors' combat experiences helped them in the urban shoot.
"A lot of the U.S. teams, who have been to Iraq and Afghanistan - their times were quicker than we expected," he said.
'A learning experience'
Despite the strengths of many competitors, a skill that most teams lacked was clear communication between the spotter and the shooter, Davis said.
This became clear when teams had to shoot at multiple targets on the third day of the competition using what are known as "hold-off" techniques: aiming above or below targets to compensate for different ranges since snipers had to go from target to target without making adjustments to their optics.
Many struggled with the event.
"The communication was bad. A team has to be able to talk to one another," Davis said. "For one, a spotter has to be able to let the shooter know where the target is. You want to make sure the shooter understands what you are looking at - at least distance and direction and a brief description."
Sgt. Joseph Fernandez and his teammate Spc. Kevin French, of the 82nd Airborne Division's 3rd Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, found the competition frustrating at times since they had very little time to train at their unit.
"We are taking it more as a learning experience," Fernandez said. "We want to go back and say, 'This is where other units are and this is where we are.'
"It's a great competition. They have definitely got the right tests out here. You can't just be good at one thing here; you've got to be well-rounded. We may come out of here in last place, but some of the knowledge we get will definitely prepare us for next time."
Sgts. James Brown and Colin Handy of the 2nd Infantry Division's 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, liked that all the events were combat-focused rather than the way they normally train, which is mostly on known distance ranges.
"Everything we have done is stuff we could use to train people up for deployments," Brown said.
A tip from Team Canada
Both Brown and Howard said the gathering is also a good chance to see what type of gear other countries employ.
"You come down here to see what gear and tactics other snipers are using," Howard said. "The Canadians have loops on the backs of their jackets with rubber bands on them, so you can attach jute or strips of burlap for camouflage."
Brown added that this technique would be easier than carrying along the traditional, heavy Ghillie suits - the leaf- and brush-covered garb worn as camouflage uniforms to most American sniper teams.
Other events in the competition included a three-phase pistol shoot, consisting of multiple targets that required shooters to engage targets with both right and left hands.
A new event scheduled for Nov. 4 called for shooting at targets from a hovering Black Hawk helicopter.
"I've never fired from a helicopter before, and I don't think many people here have fired from a helicopter - when do you get a chance to do that?" Howard said. "I was excited to come here."
Shooting skills on display
Snipers share tips, technique at competition
By Matthew Cox
Times staff writer
FORT BENNING, Ga. - They don't fit the Hollywood image of a group of lone assassins waiting for their next mission, their next confirmed kill.
They serve different armed services, wear different camouflage patterns and seldom choose the same sniper weapon.
All are highly competitive, yet most here gladly share their sniping secrets with fellow brethren of the precision-shooting world.
"We are all about shooting and helping each other out," said Sgt. Nicholas Howard of the 25th Infantry Division on Day 4 of the 5th Annual International Sniper Competition.
"I don't care; I'll help you even though you are competing against me."
Howard and his sniper teammate, Spc. Sean Clark of 1st Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, are among the 31 sniper teams that traveled to Benning from all over the world to make new contacts, share information and learn how they measure up against the best of the best.
"We swap thumb drives with information from after-action reviews to classes," said one Marine Corps sergeant, whose team preferred to remain anonymous, while representing the Scout Sniper Instructor Course at Quantico Marine Base, Va. "I still don't know everything I have, but I know I will be able to pull bits and pieces of it for the classes I teach."
International appeal
This year's competition had the the largest participant turnout so far, said Staff Sgt. Larry Davis, assistant competition coordinator and instructor at the Army Sniper School.
Besides the Marine Corps team, there were three teams from the Air Force, 21 from the Army and five teams from Britain, Canada, Israel, Ireland and Scotland. There's also one team from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency.
"Our events are from scenarios based on combat in Afghanistan and Iraq," Davis said.
Teams are run through the events in groups of five and are briefed right before each event so they don't have time to plan strategy.
"It forces the teams to have to respond to different situations," Davis said.
Air Force Tech. Sgt. Todd Reed and his identical twin brother, Master Sgt. Tim Reed, competed as one of the Air Force teams.
Todd became a sniper in 1997 after graduating from the Army National Guard Sniper Course in Little Rock, Ark.
But the Air Force refers to them as sharpshooters instead of snipers because they are in more of a defensive role.
They primarily stick to airfields and do mostly counter-sniper work compared to the offensive work of snipers.
Now Todd is an instructor at the Air Force Close Precision Engagement Course.
Tim went through the course in 2001.
"I brought him over to the dark side," Todd said with a grin.
The two brothers came to Benning to compete, but mainly to learn from others in this small brotherhood.
"When we get together with people like us, we share information, Todd said. "This is our second time here; we have learned a great deal here."
The competition began Oct. 31 with an urban sniping event.
Teams were inserted near their first firing range, riding in the back of a Bradley fighting vehicle.
Each team had to run to a house. A squad was positioned inside and shooting from the windows. Simulated explosions added to the realism, Howard said.
A sergeant led each team upstairs to the roof and handed them off to another sergeant who pointed out targets.
"It was quick-quick - no time to think about it, which is the way combat is," Clark said.
Davis said it was clear that many of the competitors' combat experiences helped them in the urban shoot.
"A lot of the U.S. teams, who have been to Iraq and Afghanistan - their times were quicker than we expected," he said.
'A learning experience'
Despite the strengths of many competitors, a skill that most teams lacked was clear communication between the spotter and the shooter, Davis said.
This became clear when teams had to shoot at multiple targets on the third day of the competition using what are known as "hold-off" techniques: aiming above or below targets to compensate for different ranges since snipers had to go from target to target without making adjustments to their optics.
Many struggled with the event.
"The communication was bad. A team has to be able to talk to one another," Davis said. "For one, a spotter has to be able to let the shooter know where the target is. You want to make sure the shooter understands what you are looking at - at least distance and direction and a brief description."
Sgt. Joseph Fernandez and his teammate Spc. Kevin French, of the 82nd Airborne Division's 3rd Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, found the competition frustrating at times since they had very little time to train at their unit.
"We are taking it more as a learning experience," Fernandez said. "We want to go back and say, 'This is where other units are and this is where we are.'
"It's a great competition. They have definitely got the right tests out here. You can't just be good at one thing here; you've got to be well-rounded. We may come out of here in last place, but some of the knowledge we get will definitely prepare us for next time."
Sgts. James Brown and Colin Handy of the 2nd Infantry Division's 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, liked that all the events were combat-focused rather than the way they normally train, which is mostly on known distance ranges.
"Everything we have done is stuff we could use to train people up for deployments," Brown said.
A tip from Team Canada
Both Brown and Howard said the gathering is also a good chance to see what type of gear other countries employ.
"You come down here to see what gear and tactics other snipers are using," Howard said. "The Canadians have loops on the backs of their jackets with rubber bands on them, so you can attach jute or strips of burlap for camouflage."
Brown added that this technique would be easier than carrying along the traditional, heavy Ghillie suits - the leaf- and brush-covered garb worn as camouflage uniforms to most American sniper teams.
Other events in the competition included a three-phase pistol shoot, consisting of multiple targets that required shooters to engage targets with both right and left hands.
A new event scheduled for Nov. 4 called for shooting at targets from a hovering Black Hawk helicopter.
"I've never fired from a helicopter before, and I don't think many people here have fired from a helicopter - when do you get a chance to do that?" Howard said. "I was excited to come here."
