On Top Of The World

[Siege]

Today I passed my last exam. As some of you might have noticed in my last few pictures, I have been training to be an sniper for the last 3 months, and I've been in Sniper school since Sunday April 12. Its an MTT. They came from Fort Benning, Georgia, to give us the course here in Fort Lewis because we are deploying soon, to have more time with our families, so we have been going home every day.

It was grueling, specially the first 3 weeks. I have learnt more in this month about how to kill people than in the last 3 years. My combat effective range have been extended from 300m to 1200m. I have consistently engaged targets up to 1440m. This is WAYYYYY beyond my previous capabilities.

More importantly, I have a new set of skills in sniper/counter-sniper operations that I can't wait to deploy and use them on the field. Today, I am far deadlier than I have ever been. Now I truly understand ballistics and the effect of wind, elevation, gravitational pull, humidity, etc, on the trajectory of my bullets, and I can compensate for it by instinct. I have fired a shitload of bullets in these 4 weeks.

Organizationally, I have no longer a 9 man recon squad under my command. Now I lead a highly motivated 3 man sniper team, counting myself, all veterans and combat hardened, eager for the fight. No more babysitting for me, thankfully. I already did my part and then some, training new privates out of basic up to speed with the rest of our platoon.

And the way things are looking, I will probably become the Sniper Section Leader at battalion level, something that I don't want because it will take me out from the front line, not completely, but I wouldn;t be able to just concentrate on my team.

I have to say, the best thing of being an sniper is how much freedom I have in organizing and training my team. Right now I have myself with an M110 7.62mm SASS (Semi-Automatic Sniper System), my shooter, an E-5 SGT, with the M24 7.62mm SWS (Sniper Weapon System) bolt action rifle, 5 round repeater, and my security element, an E-4 SPC, with an M4 with an M203 40mm grenade launcher attached to it. We are all sniper qualified, and we all know how to shoot each other weapons.

I also have a M107 .50 cal Barret semi-automatic sniper rifle. That's a big mothefucker, and incredible fun to shoot, though nowhere as acurate as the M24 or the M110. I decided not to carry it, and instead I keep it in whatever stryker we ride.

Ah yeah, I don;t have my own stryker anymore. I don't have to worry about that bitch anymore. Now I can focus on my team and our weapon systems, and I ride in whatever stryker in our platoon mission dependant. Total operational freedom.

I am on top of the world.

[Caliga]

That's awesome.  Seriously.

[Grey Fox]

I enjoy guns, I'm a canuck.

I feel like I've betrayed something.

Can we get a pic of the M24?

[Darth Wagtaros]

Good man.  Splendid.

[Neil]

You're second rate.  If you want to be a first-rate sniper, you have to join Canadian Forces.

Sorry.

[Siege]

That's awesome.  Seriously.

Dude, I can't even believe it myself.
I am a fucking sniper. I got my B4 skill identifier in my ERB (enlisted record brief).
Out of 40 guys only 19 graduated, including my two boys.

[Siege]

I enjoy guns, I'm a canuck.

I feel like I've betrayed something.

Can we get a pic of the M24?

[/img]

Why I can't see the images?

[Siege]

[Siege]

That's the M24.

[BuddhaRhubarb]

Congrats.

[FunkMonk]

Every sniper I've known was a really cool stand-up guy. Good job Siegy. 

[katmai]

Every sniper I've known was a really cool stand-up guy. Good job Siegy. 

He's the exception to the rule!

[FunkMonk]

Every sniper I've known was a really cool stand-up guy. Good job Siegy. 

He's the exception to the rule!

If he can kill me in a running gun battle* then he will have proven his worth.



* in CoD4

[DontSayBanana]

Congrats. How's the M107? I always understood that bad boy was so loud and had so much muzzle flash that it ONLY works as a distance weapon.

[jimmy olsen]

Awesome Siege, congratulations.