Hunters by Milo Afong (Snipers in GWOT)

If there is one specialty in the Military that earns a unique mystique, it is that of a Sniper.  Snipers strike fear in any enemy force and have oft times been disdained even among friendly forces.  Too often non-snipers are given the title by media and those ignorant of what a Sniper truly is.  But one lesson was learned well from Viet Nam, we need Snipers, regardless of public opinion, in a modern military force.  Unlike after previous wars, Snipers were kept in the inventory of Military Specialties, even if in reduced numbers.  Sometimes, political correctness forces them to take the title Counter-Sniper.

And in the Global War On Terror, Snipers have been key in eliminating the enemy, in striking fear in IED planting terrorists, in protecting the very children used by the enemy as shields against death while they planted the seeds of death.  Bullet for body bag, Snipers are very cost efficient.

Hunters, by Milo S. Afong is a book about Snipers, told by Snipers, about how they came to their deadly skills, about why they did, about what they did with their skills. Readers of Victory Point will find the common character of SSgt Evers and his team.  SSgt Evers is not the only story told, but in Hunters, his story is told from the point of view  of Marines and Colleagues, not officers and journalists.

Not only does the book tell the story of a Marine Sniper, but also of Army Snipers, SOF Snipers, SF Snipers, and SeAL Snipers.  There's no room for interservice rivalry here.  It contrasts

the differences in training and equipment, while sticking to the comparisons and telling the true story.  It points out that learning to put a bullet on target at great distance and high winds is the easy part.  Learning to read the winds, the terrain, the distance, and the patience to get to the place to take the shot is far more important.

This is a must read book for anyone considering the chance to become a Sniper in the Current Conflicts,  though it's by no means an instruction manual on how to become a Sniper.  It's certainly a good book for current Snipers to read, as well as those that would command or control them, those that may find themselves in need of one, those that wish to understand them.

The unknown enemy that strikes with impunity will always strike fear, anger, and frustration, whether that enemy is placing an IED or patiently killing every fighter they shoot at.  The Western Sniper is the best deterrent to the IED burier.  The Western Sniper can and will kill the wolves in the midst of the sheep, without collateral damage.  They're the original smart weapon.

And one of my favorites from the book was the stories of the rise and fall of "Juba."  An enemy sniper whose name I did not know when I first heard of his work in Baghdad.  I read instead of a terrorist taking long single shots, accurately.  It didn't fit the patterns of the enemy.  He was using 7.62 mm at distances an AK couldn't achieve.  Later, I found his videos online.  I studied them as did Snipers in Hunters.  The difference?  They knew how he got his tools and how his tools took his life, while I only had opportunity to study and speculate how he did and how to prevent his work from killing my own.

Yes, this is a must read for those truly interested in National Defense and how to win this war.  It is a glimpse into the minds of Sheepdogs who, without remorse, watch the heads of terrorists explode into a red mist, who know the sound of a bullet penetrating the skull of a bad guy, who willingly go out in small numbers and patiently stalk enemy predators.  It is a book for those that wish to see behind the eyes of what many wrongly characterize as "cold blooded killers."