USMC Designated Marksman On Target Every Time
 

Ar Ramadi, Iraq - An explosion ignites a fierce firefight at Marine Combat Outpost Horea. In the chaos, Marines grab their weapons and begin neutralizing the advancing enemy. Suddenly, an insurgent is on a distant rooftop aiming a rocket-propelled grenade launcher at them.

They have seconds to react.

A shot is fired.

As dust and smoke settle and the fighting ceases, the Marines see the lifeless RPG gunner, felled by a single round.

“That was probably the one shot I remember the most,” said Lance Cpl. Galen E. Wilson, an infantryman with 2nd Platoon, Company K, 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment. “I took it at 500 meters out during a complex attack.”

Wilson has fired his rifle in 20 engagements where he used “one shot, one kill” accuracy. His proficiency with a rifle has saved countless lives in Ar Ramadi.

“He has a lot of good judgment and doesn’t have an itchy trigger finger,” said 1st. Lt. Carlos M. Goetz, his platoon commander. “He goes through the proper rules of engagement and positively identifies each target.”

“He is doing what he was trained to do, what every Marine is trained to do,” said Goetz, 29, from Miami, Fla.

The 21-year-old Wilson, from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., holds the title of “Designated Marksman” with Company K. Wilson has been conducting counterinsurgency operations with the battalion in the Anbar provincial capital since March.

“I knew he was a good shot, but I didn’t know how good he was until that day he stopped the RPG gunner,” said Cpl. Antonio P. Duquette III, team leader for 2nd Platoon, Company K. “He’s out there to do a job, and he does it better then anyone I have ever seen.”

His teammates have a few nicknames for him, such as “the one shot wonder” and “the second coming of Carlos Hathcock,” the legendary Marine scout sniper of the Vietnam War.

But most call him Whiskey, a nickname adopted from the radio call sign he used during a deployment to Fallujah.

“If there’s a threat, Whiskey will have eyes on it, and if he takes the shot, he’s going to eliminate the threat,” said Duquette, 31, from Manchester, N.H. “He seems to do it on a day-to-day basis, and that is amazing to me.”

Whiskey spent most of his childhood living in the mountains of Colorado, where he honed his shooting skills. His father, a Navy Seal, started teaching him how to fire scoped weapons as soon as he was old enough to hold one.

Growing up, he practiced marksmanship in his backyard by shooting pinecones and tin cans.

After the events of Sept. 11, Wilson decided to join the Marine Corps. With his parent’s encouragement, he enlisted in the Delayed Entry Program at the age 17.

“Even though my dad was in the Navy, he looked fondly on the Marines,” said Wilson. “He told me it was a good branch, and since then I’ve always wanted to become a Marine.”

On Sept. 23, 2003, he planted his shoes on the yellow footprints in Parris Island, S.C. His drill instructors were the first to witness his talent during the rifle range portion of his basic training, where he shot high expert.

After graduating from basic training in 2004, Wilson headed to Fallujah for his first deployment with the battalion. In Fallujah, his skills saved Marines' lives.

He calls his rifle “the hammer.” It is not a typical M16. Specially designed for marksmanship, the M16A2 Squad Advanced Marksmanship Rifle (SAMR) comes fully equipped with a high power optical sight, match-grade heavy free-floating barrel, and an expandable bipod mount.

“The Marine Corps has enabled him with an awesome rifle that allows him to do his job,” Goetz said.

Lance Cpl. Richard M. Mason, an assaultman for 2nd Platoon, Company K, sits on post with Wilson at the Government Center in Ar Ramadi.

One particular situation sticks out in Mason’s mind about his teammate’s situational awareness.

“I was scanning the area and I noticed a group of birds fly out of a section of tall weeds,” Wilson said. “Then I saw an insurgent with a weapon."

“I heard the shot, and the next thing I know I see a guy lying in tall weeds with an AK in his hands,” said Mason, 21, from Medina, Ohio. “His attention to detail is the key factor in his success.”

Since March, Wilson has completed numerous combat patrols and spent more than 1,000 hours on overwatch at the Government Center and Combat Outpost Horea. To date he has accrued more than 20 confirmed kills and located 15 improvised explosive devices before they could be detonated against coalition and Iraqi forces.

“He’s doing a great job, and we are definitely proud of him and all the Marines here,” Goetz said.

Randy

Great to see a positive story coming out out of Iraq. From the Marine Times?

Those boys sure are doing a heck of a job.

Wouldn't want to be on his crap-list. Good post, Randy. I hope he stays safe and alive.

Be sure to keep your head down, Stu! ;)

Randy

Hell yes. Good advice for the Iraqis, too, Randy. Its great to read a story about Marines killing the right people.

Whats the source on that piece, just of curiosity?

Stu,

Here ya go, mate.

The Source.

Randy

Full Metal Jacket... good show.

I bet that guy is great at Counter Strike. Glad he's on our side :)

Wasnt a bad guess was it, Randy?

Its good to know we can rely on the "Marine Corps News" to bring us the good oil from Iraq.

As if we could count on the MSM, eh Stu? :rolleyes:

Randy

Randy, don't you get it?

Everything in Iraq is bad. Nothing good happens there. Any good news must be propaganda pushed on us by the evil Bush.

Geez, get with the program.

I have a funny feeling that if your dad is a Navy Seal, you won't grow up to be a girlie man.

A Marine that can pop insurgents at 500mtrs is really good news.

A Marine that can pop insurgents at 500m with a .223 is freakin superhuman. Give this boy a .50 Barrett or .338 Lapua and he can probably sold the whole Iranian problem.......from the outskirts of Baghdad...lol

He's not using a normal M16. The 5.56 is quite lethal out to 800 yds. if directed properly.

Thanks, Randy...as a Navy puke I understand the challenges these young men and women face.
Godspeed to them all.

This is the first time that I agree with Stu! Maybe we converted him to a supporter of America.:D

That Marine is an outstanding shot and a great asset to our country, David

Not verified, but I read a quote from a marine that had been hit, when his fellow marines came to help him... he said:

"I appreciate the help, but I'd prefer you go kill those mother fkers"

EVERY Marine is first, and foremost a rifleman. We spent a lot of time (weeks) on the range at Perris Island.

The 500 Yd. Line was always my "bread & butter" during Annual Marksmanship Qualification. 10 rounds in a nice tight group, about the size of a softball, right in the chest of a "dog" target.

The secret for me, on either firing line, was always an extremely tight sling. That and a good "natural point of aim." By the end of 'qual week, I would always have an inch wide purple bruise circling my left arm, just above the bicep, and lots of dead paper targets. :D

Randy

Randy, you are right about the "sling palsy" after "snapping in." That sling and BRASS (breathe, relax, aim, stop, and squeeze) are things you never forget. I was just showing my son my 20 year ago boot camp photo. One of my Drill Instructors (Sergeant Payne) still has an a$$kicking coming if I ever lay eyes on him. The good old days....

Back to the initial story. I am going to print up that story and put it in the station on a board. That motivated Marine is outstanding and I would love to recruit him to my Department.

David

One of the most indomitable weapons in America's military arsenal! :D

Randy

"That's "Sergeat Pain" to you recruit! You said "you" do I look like a god damn female sheep (ewe) to you recruit? Maybe you want to eff me you sick little ba$tard! Drop and give me bends and motherfu(kers until I give you permission to stop, you degenerate, pathetic piece of an excuse for dog crap! Lord! what they expect me to work with these days"

That was pretty good Hugh. I was coaching my son's football team last year. I had the habit of saying "eyeballs" when I wanted them to watch what I was demonstrating and "ears" when I wanted them to listen. After a couple of weeks, a couple guys on the team asked where I got those terms. I did not even realize I was using them!

Semper Fi, David

We are blessed to have excellent men and women willing and able to lay down their life to defend the rights of others. The key is to be able to "make the other poor bastard" lay down his first.
Freedom comes at a price. Are you willing to pay it?

Semper Fi

Better get a bucket.

No disrespect to the Marines and the fine marksman in the article but I sincerely hope you blokes don't really think this is "good news" as far as Iraq sitcho is concerned.

That would be comical - even by the standards around here.

A little bit more of the same:

A BRITISH sniper waging war on the Taliban is so deadly he has earned a chilling nickname — The Man Who Never Misses.

The unerring Army sharpshooter has killed 39 rebel fighters single-handedly.

His marksmanship is so lethal that rumours have spread like wildfire through insurgents’ camps, causing panic and confusion.

The sniper — who The Sun is not naming to prevent him becoming a target himself — is a member of elite 3 Para.

Described by sources as “the best shot in the Army” he is responsible for over five per cent of the 700 insurgents killed by Paras since British forces returned to Afghanistan.

He is based in the wild Helmand province, where our troops launched a massive assault on the Taliban this week.

A source said yesterday: “This sniper is truly something else — a silent assassin.

“In the deadly terrain of southern Afghanistan, where guerilla warfare rules, he has been invaluable. The rumours are sweeping enemy camps that he is the man who never misses.”

The sniper’s actual toll is probably higher than 39 but the Taliban’s tendency to reclaim bodies makes deaths difficult to confirm.

His lethal L96A1 rifle has a range of 1,000 yards and is fitted with electronic sights and laser range-finders.

He works with a partner called a spotter, who locates the target and helps judge wind speed and distance so the bullet travels accurately.

Each day the pair risk their lives away from fellow Paras, taking up covert positions and often lying hidden for as long as ten hours at a time. Once the shot has been fired they need nerves of steel to stay concealed while Taliban rebels wielding rocket-propelled grenades and machine-guns desperately try to hunt them down.

The Ministry of Defence would not discuss the crackshot for security reasons.

But he is regarded as one of the most successful British snipers since World War Two.

Earlier this year it was revealed that the Army is creating an elite force of almost 700 snipers, with all 38 infantry battalions required to have an 18-man platoon of sharpshooters by 2008. It will be the first time formal sniper platoons will have existed since the end of the First World War in 1918.

The decision follows the success of British and US sniper teams who have killed dozens of terrorists on recent operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.

In 2003 Royal Marines sniper Corporal Matt Hughes killed an Iraqi gunman from 900 yards with a “wonder shot” in which he aimed 56ft to the left and 35ft high to allow for wind.

The bullet’s trajectory was calculated by his spotter after he studied the movement of dust in the breeze. And Irish Guards Sergeant Eddie Waring lay on a roof for hours to take out three Iraqis who were laying mines in Basra.
credit and story: http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2006350757,00.html

Any Marine popping any insurgent, 5 or 500 metres is a hero in my book.

a sniper or countersniper instills as much if not more FEAR than a nuclear bomb at a substantial cost savings! practice practice practice

When asked 'what do you feel ,when you pull the trigger ? he said..Recoil !
Rika

Snipers have come a long way in history. There was a time that they were not readily accepted, even by the men they fought beside. It wasn't considered "Honorable" to lay in wait and take out a target without exposing oneself. Wasn't it as recent as Viet Nam that we didn't even have snipers? Times have changed indeed.

snipers have been around in the U.S military since the days of the revolution. 1903 springfields were set up with QD scopes, M1-Garands set up the same. reason for QD scope mts. were if caught you could remove scope quickly and appear to be regular grunt. snipers were shot on sight by both sides when caught. read the SNIPERS HANDBOOK bu col. plaster for in depth history of sniping thru out the world.

air guns were used by austrians wayyyyyyyyyyyyy back and if caught with an air gun they too were killed on sight! anybody(w/a brain) respects a SNIPER!

The History Channel had an episode focusing on snipers. IIRC after WW2 the military questioned the need for snipers in what they called "a modern military". It was our involvement in Nam that they re-evaluated the use of snipers(not only as an individual fighting resource but also from the psychological terror standpoint). The military had to rebuild it's recruitment and training programs almost from scratch. Every branch of our military has it's "elite" fighting force. Snipers NO DOUBT are amongst these elite.

snipers are ELITE! try judging distance, wind drift ,concealment, temp., opposing enemy fire, ingress,egress(kinda important), which way target will be moving in the next few seconds, being detected after shot placed, mines booby traps, etc. try shooting a 1000yds with a .308 scoped and find out how good you are not! it is a true art! and it is amazing to watch a palma 1000yd match let alone shoot in a four man team. try shooting a 1000 yds w/only iron sights!!!!!!!!!!

if your really really really good....................camp perry!

Carlos Hathcock was once accredited with hitting a NVA at 2,500 yards with a special scope-adapted .50 caliber machine gun converted to single shot operation.

Randy

When I was in Boot Camp at Camp Pendleton, I our platoon met Hathcock at Edson Range. He was there doing some instruction for the PMI's there. He was a very modest and quiet man as I recall.

One shot, one kill, David

http://www.parts411.com/parts411/images/apo.gif

"Don't run, you'll just die tired"...

This is what I thought when I read the first article. And I sure hope he has a different call sign than "Whiskey" now.:confused:

Unless ofcourse they are on the other side. Then they are very likely gutless cowards who hide and and wont fight like men.