Sniper training at Cobra Gold
provides rare immediate action drills
By Fred Knapp, Stars and
Stripes
Fred Knapp / Stars and Stripes
Cpl. Jonathan Blix practices his sniper skills during Cobra Gold 2001 exercises in
Thailand. |
BAN CHAN KHREM, Thailand — In this lush green bowl near the Cambodian border, two
men walk through a grassy field softly as mist hugs the nearby mountains.
A warning is issued, and the snipers go into action: one unleashes a deadly barrage
from his M-16 A2 rifle while the other peels back to take cover and begin firing so his
partner can escape.
The scene is an "immediate action — break contact drill," part of the
annual Cobra Gold exercises that are now being held in Thailand. But Cpl. Jonathan Blix
has another term for it: "Awesome."
"We’re unable to do this — hardly ever," says Blix, 22, a member of
Scout Sniper Platoon of the 3rd Battalion 7th Marines.
Based in Twenty-Nine Palms, Calif., the unit is currently deployed to Camp Schwab,
Okinawa.
"We do so much practice at Schwab," but no immediate action drills, says
Blix. In this remote Thai Marine base, by comparison, "We don’t have to be
concerned about being one inch off and shooting somebody" while using live
ammunition.
Lt. Col. Kip Haskell, commanding officer of the Marine battalion, acknowledges the
training limitations at Schwab, some simply because of troops competing for time on the
training areas there.
Such concerns were set aside here Tuesday, as pairs of snipers practiced getting away
from an enemy force while shooting at black silhouettes of human targets that were
pre-positioned along the path of their retreat.
"They’ve made contact and now they’re trying to break contact,"
explained Haskell.
"It’s a loser to run into a rifle company," he said of the enemy force
that snipers may encounter. "Their [the snipers’] job is never to be found"
while scouting for the battalion and firing at specific targets.
But if the snipers are spotted, that’s when training can make a huge difference.
"Initially, we try to get a large rate of fire because we’re a two-man
team," said 1st Lt. Stephen Paap, the platoon commander.
The key is coordination.
Rather than both Marines moving at the same time, one man fires while other
re-positions or changes magazines, Paap says.
Whether it goes smoothly or reveals problems, Blix says the training is well worth it.
"It kind of feels like the closest thing to the real thing," he says.
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