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ZHARAY DISTRICT, Afghanistan - Contrary to popular belief, snipers do more than shoot insurgents. They also perform surveillance operations and gather intelligence on the opposition.
“A sniper’s job is not just about killing,” said Bennie R. Mendez, a squad leader of 2nd Platoon, Alpha Company who also serves as a spotter in the sniper squad. “The intelligence part of the job, or relaying what you see in your own words, is the best because it can save lives and prevent conflict before it starts.”
Like Mendez, Sgt. Kyle Matychowiak, a squad designated marksman in 2nd Platoon, Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, has not been to Army sniper school but acts as a sniper to support the unit.
For snipers living in the police station compound in Central Azikazi, their job is gathering vital information like the Army’s SALT report, meaning size, activity, location and time. This report helps establish a quick but informative relay of information, about enemy operations, used to decide the best course of action.
Sgt. Joshua Loper, the only military occupational specialty qualified sniper in 2nd Platoon, Alpha Company, 1-508th PIR, explained that most days are long with no kinetic activity but their job, aside from engaging any enemy threat, is to observe and report insurgent operations which helps prevent possible confrontations.
“It can be boring sometimes and your eyes tire quickly,” said Matychowiak, “but once you accomplish something like engaging the enemy, it makes all the training we did in the states and long hours worth it.”
All three snipers agree their job is crucial because it can deter improvised explosive device threats and firefights.
he snipers often use a “hide," a camouflaged location that allows maximum observation of the enemy with minimal chances of the snipers being seen.
“We built the sniper’s hide in a couple of hours,” said Matychowiak. “Just two days after it was built we engaged some insurgents and our compound hasn’t been attacked since.”
The engagement was confirmation the snipers chose a good location for the hide because they saw the enemy without being detected. Their well-placed shots resulted in enemy casualties and also prevented insurgents from placing the IED components they were carrying.
“The sniper hide allows us to have more eyes on the enemy,” Mendez said. “That helps us prevent attacks and IED placements before they happen,”
Of the three soldiers in the sniper hide, Loper is the only one that can bring Army sniper school knowledge to the fight. The school is a five-week long course where students learn long-range rifle marksmanship and field craft skills. Students learn to work with a spotter to find, stalk, and engage the target to ensure maximum engagements with minimum risk.
| Date Taken: | 07.09.2012 |
| Date Posted: | 07.25.2012 04:07 |
| Story ID: | 92106 |
| Location: | ZHARAY DISTRICT, AF |
| Web Views: | 287 |
| Downloads: | 2 |
This work, Squad designated marksmen gather intel as snipers, by TSgt Tyler Meister, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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