Expert: MARK A. HOWELL - 4/30/2009

Question
i am going to try to become a navy sniper i know most of the requirments non-corrected 20-20 which i have but im still in highschool and i have a brother in law in 7th fleet navy stationed in japan and mysister who is married to him and is on the naval base but they say  shouldnt be a navy sniper they say that i dont want to be the one to pull the trigger and that it will haunt me forever i have shot guns before and im a pretty good shot i do need some training and ill admit that but what do you recomend i do to become a top navy scout sniper

Answer
Austin,
Nobody can tell you how you will react.  Everybody is different.  Are you a hunter?  If you have no difficulty killing an animal you probably will have no problem being a sniper.  The first time I "pulled the trigger" on a man the only thought that entered my mind was self-preservation.  Me or him.  Afterwards, despite whatever thoughts entered my mind, I remembered my training and realized this guy was just a target and the authorities that designated him a target understand there's just no other way to deal with him.  You're doing a service to your country that somebody else will simply do if you can't.

Being a good shot and accustomed to handling a weapon is very helpful.  Sniper School will help you develop the skills you need to make each shot count.  Breath control, steadiness, patience, etc.  A lot of math is also required to calculate windage, yardage, and trajectory.

Ensure you are in good physical shape as the physical training is very demanding.  You'll be required to do push-ups, pull-ups, sit-ups, continuous swimming and running.

Best of luck,
Colonel H