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Becoming USMC Scout Sniper qualified.

17901 Views 44 Replies 9 Participants Last post by  Ballistic_Coefficiency, 
D
Hello gentlemen,

I am facing a point in my life which is giving me a headache. I am being tugged in different directions, due to my own doubts and ignorance. For the last few years, I've struggled with the deep-rooted desire in me to become a Scout Sniper, serving in the military in a vital support role.

To truely make a difference with valuable information which could save the lives of many men thanks to your patience, your devotion, and the training which puts them into action. To make a difference in disabling key components in the forces which are in direct opposition to those whom you are serving alongside in theatres abroad.

The problem is that, over these last few years, I've had this nagging doubt which tells me "It's pointless". I long to join the Marines, and I know I have the patience, the discipline, and the mindset - basically, the potential, which could be honed by the instructors and trainers into a Scout Sniper.

That is my bane. I cannot see myself in an assault level position, running in squads of marines with assault rifles, clearing buildings, moving with support collumns and the like. That is not who I am, that is not something I would be able to do for a long period of time. I do not feel that that is the the role I should be in.

So, I tell myself - the training is hard, and it seems at times the advancement is political. So many join, and so few make it - if I were to sign up and give it my all, would I end up thrown to the wayside and stuck in a position for years which I never believed to be the right one for me?

I am confused as to how I could make this happen in my life. Of all things, I would seek this out.. but of all things, this is giving me by far, the most doubt. I sometimes almost feel sick inside, thinking about it.

Could any of you whom have experience with this role in particular, impart some wisdom on me? I know that you have to be labeled an expert marksman, and the like. However, lets say that I -am- a goodmarksman, with a level head on my shoulders, who learns quickly and is quick-thinking. What are my chances of joining the Marines, and moving my way into Scout Sniper training?

Does it involve putting in requests to be tested for training?

What are the biggest obstacles to achieving this?

What happens if you fail? Are you sent out with a unit on probation per se, for a period of time, and you are allowed to apply again after say, 6-months, or the like?

I would appreciate your thoughts, widsom, and advice. I am sorry if this was long winded.. but it's starting to get a bit late in my life (I just turned 22) to honestly make this decision.

Thanks guys!
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Designated Marksmen are deployed alongside combat infantrymen. A DM has a higher likelyhood of becoming a sniper than an 0311 or 11-Bravo, working from the logic that:

If a Marine is a good rifleman, then his DM is a better rifleman. If one wanted to make a straight-shooting scout sniper, it would be more beneficial to "Mother Corps" in terms of resource allocation to take the DM.
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We (my unit) did very little work with the Canadians in the Stan.... but i saw them from time to time.
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Goddamn right you saw us in the A-Stan. Only guys wearing fucking dark-green. Liberals. :x

I think we (Canadians) hold the record for the long-distance kill in Afghanistan, 1.2 klicks I think, with a McMillian tactical-fifty.

Little bit (Pretty damn far) off topic, sorry.
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Wow, I'm a f*cking idiot. 2.4! Damn me to Hell! (Ottowa.)

Yeah, people still keep talking about it like it was yesterday. Not since the Medak Pocket have Canadian Forces troops taken shots at "Enemy" troops.

Okay, now I'm going to shut up before this goes completely off topic.
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That's because the Liberals don't want them to know. If we let the public and the world know that our soldiers are actually fighting and killing people in accordance with their orders... well then that would ruin our reputation, wouldn't it?
"As what?"
As peacekeepers. We're not supposed to kill anything. That's why we have no Main Battle Tanks. That's why we have a limited fleet of lightly armoured vehicles. That's why we're infantry-heavy, more so than the US Army, but we have less strength than any two Balkan nation's militaries combined.

Ah, CADPAT-AR. They had a little problem with the colouration and polarity (Distance between colour elements on the digital pattern.) the first time. The IR-suppressent worked so well in A-Stan that our gunners first believed a returning recce patrol to be "Optics malfuction." A check without the thermal imaging proved that the CADPAT-AR mix was too light.

The colourization and polarity was changed, and the block-elements made larger since longer-range engagements are the norm in the areas that CADPAT-AR was designed for.

I'm told that all troops currently deployed in 'Stan have two sets of CADPAT-TW and three of CADPAT-AR. We don't really wear CADPAT-AR because then the locals think we're Americans and we get a much less warm reception.

I'm not bashing the Americans. It's what happens.
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Good ****. Send the Ranger my thanks, storm troopers like the Rangers save reg-force troops lives with their bravado and on-target shooting every Goddamn day.

Not saying that your Army Infanteer is a sack o' crap, but they're not held to the same standard that the Ranger shock-troops are. If you were to give your army infanteer that Ranger mission, take more casualties.

Hell, I may not like Bush, I may not like the current level of corruption in the American government, but I respect the fighting men and women who get their orders from "F*ckstick: The Magnificent."
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Mlammers, tell the lad I think what he is doing is great, and I appreciate the efforts of both our nations.
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Do what he said. What I say usually isn't politically correct.
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Ah, but we don't use the Carl-G anymore my man. We've got a little French thing called an ERYX and it works so much better than the old Carl.

When I look to my right I wanna see a bunch of guys with a GPMG set up
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Seconded. The C-6 with a sustained fire mount does 1.8 kilometers easily. That's some good gear right there.
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Might be able to trap small game while stalking to and from the firing position, but I don't think that shooting down a deer would be encouraged by SOP - still have to get to the deer, clean it, then pack the meat back with you, and you can't really prepare the meat, can't smoke it, no real way of preserving it.
And if an enemy patrol or suchlike finds the carcass of the deer, then it's pretty obvious the coyotes or wolves or bears or whatnot didn't take it down with a 7.62x51 NATO, clean it, and then try to hide the leftovers.

Small-game animals are easier to deal with, but again, I don't think you'd try shooting them. Primarily because a round as large as anything that comes from an issue sniper rifle will obliterate a rabbit, and secondly, because of the noise involved. Trapping them, maybe.
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