This Simple Exercise Will Help Determine If You Really Want To Be a Sniper
By Blake Stilwell,We Are the Mighty
Quora is the ultimate resource for crowdsourcing knowledge. If you’re unfamiliar, you ask the Quora world a question and anyone with expertise (and some without it) will respond. One user asked the world what service he should join if he wanted to be a sniper. One Marine veteran gave him some necessary information.
Choosing what branch to join can be tough for anyone. Different branches have different lifestyles, they come with different job opportunities, and they each have their own difficulties. If you’re 100-percent sure you want to be a sniper, that doesn’t narrow your selection. At all.
Yes, the Air Force has snipers.
To be fair, the asker asked, “Which branch is better?” Many users thoughtfully answered his question with answers ranging from the Coast Guard’s HITRON precision marksmen to arguing the finer points about why Army snipers are superior to SEALs and Marine Scout Snipers (go ahead and debate that amongst yourselves).
Many answering users wondered if the original askerreallywanted to be a sniper. Some answers were condescending, some were went as far as accusing him of simply wanting to kill people (this is still the internet, after all). But one Marine veteran gave the young asker an exercise. One that would help him see if it was something he really wanted to do.
Gunny Hathcock approves.(Hathcock Family photo)
That Marine was a trucker, an artilleryman, and a Desert Storm veteran. He “wasn’t a sniper, but I served with them, and listened in awe to how they train.” He then gave the asker a 15-step exercise to see if sniper training was something he really wanted to do:
- Wait until the middle of summer.
- Get a wool blanket and three quart-size ziplock bags.
- Fill the bags with small meals.
- Get two one-quart canteens and plenty of water purification tablets.
- Locate a swamp that is adjacent to a field of tall grass
- Before the sun comes up on day one, wrap yourself in the wool blanket.
- Crawl through the swamp, never raising any part of your body above the one-foot level.
- Lay all day in the field with the sun bearing down on you.
- Eat your food while never moving faster than a sloth.
- If you need water, crawl back to the swamp, fill the canteens, and use your water purification tablets to hopefully not get sick.
- Put any bodily waste in the zip-lock bags as you empty them of food. This includes any vomit if you didn’t decontaminate your water well enough.
- Bees, fire ants, and any predatory animals are not a reason to move faster than a sloth or move any part of your body above the one-foot level.
- Sleep there through the night.
- When the sun rises crawl back through the swamp.
- Just before you stand up and go home, ask yourself if you want to be a sniper.
Always remember: If you use the Quora world for advice, be sure to consider your source.
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Kris Osborncan be reached atKri[email protected]
