Velociworld

Here's Glory For You

I've bitched a lot about the media's tendency to sqawk about American casualties without supplying relevant data on enemies killed. That is a bullshit construct, and I resent it. So witness my joy when today's fishwrap carried a story on Marine snipers in Iraq, and the chaos they are wreaking. The L. A. Times even has it on-line, by Jove, although you'll have to register. I'm lazy, and you should read the whole article, but I'll give some tidbits:

Taking a short breather Friday, the 21-year old Marine corporal explained what it was like to practice his lethal skill in the battle for this city [Fallujah].

"It's a sniper's dream," he said in polite, matter-of-fact tones. "You can go anywhere and there are so many ways to fire at the enemy without him knowing where you are."

Sniping - killing an enemy from long distance with a single shot - has become a significant tactic for Marines in this Sunni Triangle city as three battalions skirmish daily with armed insurgents who can find cover among the buildings, walls, and trees.

Oh, yes. I may be in the minority here, but I have no problem with the killing of evil fiends. These fuckers made a choice, and it is a poor one. Fuck them. To Hell. But I interrupt. Let this L.A. Times correspondent, Tony Perry, continue:

Sniping experts - there are several here with the Marines - say there might not have been such a "target-rich" battlefield for such shooters since the World War II battle for Stalingrad, during which German and Russian snipers dueled for months.

As a miltary tactic, sniping is centuries old; the first snipers used bows and arrows. Leonardo da Vinci is said to have been a sniper against the Holy Roman Empire.

Leo, my man. Who'd a thunk it? Killing Huns. How cool. Let me continue:

The Marines believe their snipers have killed hundreds of insurgents, although that figure alone does not accurately portray the significance of sniping. A sign on the wall of sniper school at Camp Pendleton, California, displays a Chinese proverb: "Kill One Man, Terrorize a Thousand."

"Sometimes a guy will go down, and I'll let him scream a bit to destroy the morale of his buddies," said the Marine corporal. "Then I'll use a second shot."

"As a sniper your goal is to completely demoralize the enemy," said the corporal, who played football and ran track in high school and dreams of becoming a high school coach. "I couldn't have asked to be in a better place: I just got lucky. To be here at the right time and with the right training."

Good Lord. I want to meet this kid. I want him to date my daughter. I want to buy him a fucking beer. I have no qualms whatsoever about killing scum. I heartily endorse it. I'd love to be over there, but my third leg medically disqualified me. "Tripping hazard," they said. I'm there in spirit, however.

The corporal hopes to get back home by late fall in time to go deer hunting with his father.

"When I go hunting for whitetail, it's for food and sport," he said. "Here, when I go hunting, it's personal, very personal."

Got-damn. We are winning this war, with heroes like this. Those Arab bastards have to be shitting their pants. Right before they die. Semper Fi.

Posted by Velociman at April 17, 2004 4:44 PM