>> male narrator: HE IS THE
SINGLE MOST FEARED AND HATED MAN
ON THE BATTLEFIELD,
CAN KILL WITH A SINGLE SHOT FROM NEARLY A MILE
OR CREEP WITHIN YARDS
OF AN ENEMY TARGET,
REMAINING VIRTUALLY INVISIBLE. IF DETECTED,
HE IS ALWAYS OUTGUNNED.
IF CAPTURED, HE IS OFTEN KILLED.
HE IS THE ULTIMATE MARKED MAN. MEET THE SNIPER NEXT ON
THESE ARE THE UNITED STATES
MARINE CORPS'
ELITE SCOUT SNIPERS. WITH A SINGLE 30ยข BULLET,
THEY CAN WREAK AS MUCH HAVOC
AS AN ARTILLERY BARRAGE
OR A BOMBING RAID. IN A WORLD
OF CUTTING-EDGE TECHNOLOGY
AND PUSH-BUTTON WAR,
THESE SNIPERS PRESERVE THE ART OF PATIENTLY CREEPING
INTO HOSTILE TERRITORY,
OFTEN WITHIN YARDS
OF A HEAVILY ARMED OPPONENT, TO DELIVER THE SINGLE SHOT
THAT CAN DESTROY AN ENEMY.
THE RISKS ARE ENORMOUS.
TO PERFORM THIS DANGEROUS JOB, THESE MEN MUST TRAIN CONSTANTLY,
READYING THEMSELVES
TO FIGHT ANY ENEMY
AND LEARNING HOW TO BLEND IN TO ANY TERRAIN.
AS SELECT RIGOROUSLY-TRAINED
PROFESSIONALS, THE SNIPERS
ARE REVERED BY THEIR COMRADES AND PRIZED BY THEIR COMMANDERS
FOR THE HAZARDOUS JOB
THEY PERFORM.
BUT IT WASN'T ALWAYS SO. IN THE EARLY 18th CENTURY,
WHEN ACCURATE LONG RIFLES JOINED
MUSKETS AS THE STANDARD ARMAMENT
OF THE FOOT SOLDIER, THERE EMERGED
A SOLITARY WARRIOR.
HE LURKED IN THE SHADOWS
ON HIS OWN, WAITING PATIENTLY TO DELIVER A PRECISE SHOT.
[gunshot]
HE WAS CALLED A SNIPER,
NAMED FOR HIS ABILITY TO HIT THE SNIPE,
A NIMBLE GAME BIRD
HUNTED BY BRITISH SOLDIERS.
THESE EARLY SNIPERS COULD CUT DOWN THE ENEMY
FROM RANGES UP TO 300 YARDS,
TRULY REPRESENTING DEATH
WITHOUT WARNING. FROM THE BEGINNING,
THE PSYCHOLOGICAL IMPACT
OF THE SNIPER
TRIGGERED A FEROCIOUS RESPONSE. >> Milius: THE WORSE THING
THAT CAN HAPPEN TO A SNIPER
IS IF HE'S DETECTED. ALL HELL IS GONNA
COME DOWN ON HIM.
THERE IS GONNA BE NO MERCY.
EVERYTHING THAT CAN BE BROUGHT AGAINST HIM
WILL BE BROUGHT AGAINST HIM. ALL THE HATE THAT POSSIBLY
CAN BE ENGENDERED AGAINST
AN ENEMY WILL BE ENGENDERED
AGAINST THE SNIPER. >> narrator: THIS RAGE
AT THE SNIPER'S ABILITY
TO KILL WITHOUT WARNING
VIRTUALLY DOOMED SHOOTERS WHO FELL INTO ENEMY HANDS. >> IT WAS REVENGE.
IT BECAME VERY PERSONAL.
A SNIPER WAR IS A PERSONAL WAR,
AND BECAUSE OF THAT, IT IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS.
WHEN A SNIPER FIRES,
HE STIRS UP A HORNET'S NEST. >> narrator: AT THE OUTBREAK OF
THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION IN 1775,
THE LIFE EXPECTANCY
OF A SHARPSHOOTER DEPENDED STRONGLY HIS
ABILITY TO SPRINT TO SAFETY.
IN SPITE OF THE RISKS,
THE COVERT MARKSMEN SOON PROVED THEIR ABILITY
TO TWIST THE FATE OF A BATTLE
ON A SINGLE BULLET.
THE SHARPSHOOTERS' UNCONVENTIONAL TACTICS
OUTRAGED THE BRITISH.
>> Roberts: THEY ALSO CONSIDERED
THEM BUSHWHACKERS AND MURDERERS BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T STAND UP
IN THE EUROPEAN MASSED RANKS
ACROSS A FIELD
AND SHOOT POINT-BLANK AT YOU LIKE THEY WANTED TO.
>> narrator: TROOPS IN THE
CONTINENTAL ARMY DID NOT LOOK
UPON THEIR OWN SHARPSHOOTERS WITH MUCH MORE FAVOR.
THEY CRINGED AT THE NOTION
OF ASSASSINS IN THEIR RANKS.
NEVERTHELESS, AT THE OUTBREAK OF THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR,
NEITHER SIDE HESITATED
TO UNLEASH THE LETHAL POTENTIAL
OF THE SNIPER. IN THE NORTH, A FIREBRAND
NAMED COLONEL HIRAM BERDAN
HELD AN OPEN CALL,
URGENTLY SEARCHING FOR THE SHARPEST UNION SHOTS. >> Plaster: HE APPROACHED
THE SECRETARY OF WAR
AND OFFERED TO RAISE
AN ENTIRE REGIMENT OF NOTHING BUT TARGET SHOOTERS--
LONG-RANGE RIFLE SHOOTERS--
WHO COULD BRING
SUCH DEVASTATINGLY ACCURATE MASS FIRES TO BEAR
THAT SURELY THE CIVIL WAR
WOULD BE OVER
IN A MATTER OF MONTHS. >> narrator: WHEN THESE
COMPANIES OF BERDAN
SHARPSHOOTERS BEGAN TAKING AIM
AT CONFEDERATES, IT WAS OFTEN THROUGH SOME OF THE FIRST
OPTICAL SCOPES.
THESE SIMPLE TELESCOPE-LIKE
DEVICES MAGNIFIED THE TARGET TO A POWER OR TWO OR THREE.
ACROSS THE BATTLE LINES,
SOUTHERN SNIPERS WIELDING
PRIZED BRITISH WHITWORTH RIFLES SOON HAD UNION TROOPS
COWERING AS WELL.
AT THE BATTLE OF SPOTSYLVANIA
IN 1864, UNION GENERAL JOHN SEDGWICK WAS DESPERATE
TO DEMYSTIFY THE SNIPER
AS HIS MEN MASSED TO ATTACK.
>> SO HE WENT FORWARD TO THEIR POSITION,
STOOD IN THE OPEN,
AND SAID, "LISTEN, GENTLEMEN.
WHY, THEY COULDN'T HIT AN ELEPHANT AT THIS DIST--"
HE DIDN'T FINISH THE WORD
"DISTANCE."
A LONG-RANGE WHITWORTH SLUG STRUCK HIM BELOW THE LEFT EYE,
AND HE DROPPED DEAD.
ONE SHOT. ONE MAN.
>> narrator: IT WAS A SHOT HEARD 'ROUND THE WORLD.
IN GERMANY, PRUSSIANS DID NOT
LET THE SNIPERS' CONTROVERSIAL
REPUTATION STOP THEM FROM EMBRACING THIS DARK ART OF WAR.
HALF A CENTURY LATER,
WITH THE ADVENT OF WORLD WAR,
THEIR FORESIGHT WAS BRUTALLY APPARENT.
BY THE END OF 1914, THE EARLY
OFFENSES OF WORLD WAR I
HAD BOGGED DOWN, LEAVING BOTH SIDES TO DIG IN
FOR THE BLOODY STALEMATE
OF TRENCH WARFARE.
WITH MOST INFANTRY TACTICS RENDERED USELESS BY THE TERRAIN,
GERMANY UNLEASHED A WEAPON
THAT COULD REACH THE ENEMY DEEP
WITHIN HIS PROTECTIVE TRENCHES. THOUSANDS OF TRAINED SNIPERS
WITH OPTICALLY-SCOPED
MAUSER RIFLES PROWLED SILENTLY
ALONG THE TRENCHES AND INTO THE CRATERS
OF NO-MAN'S- LAND.
SOON THEY WERE TAKING
A MURDEROUS TOLL ON THE UNPREPARED BRITISH.
>> Plaster: IT GOT SO BAD
THAT IT WAS ALMOST SUICIDAL
TO EVEN POKE YOUR HEAD ABOVE A TRENCH.
THE BRITISH DEVELOPED A RIFLE
THAT FIT INTO A SPECIAL FRAME
THAT COULD BE HELD UP OVER THE TOP OF A TRENCH,
AND ATTACHED TO THE REAR
WAS A PERISCOPE.
>> narrator: HOWEVER, BRIT GUNNERS
FOUND LITTLE TO SHOOT AT
THROUGH THEIR PERISCOPES.
THE GERMANS QUICKLY RAISED CAMOUFLAGE TO AN ART FORM.
>> Plaster: THE GERMANS
DEVELOPED HOLLOWED OUT TREES
MADE OF STEEL THAT PERFECTLY MATCHED
A REAL TREE IN NO-MAN'S-LAND.
EXCEPT NOW, IT HAD A HIDDEN
SNIPER POST INSIDE. >> narrator: IN A RARE DEPARTURE
FROM THEIR QUEST FOR STEALTH,
GERMAN SNIPERS AT ONE POINT
BECAME SO BOLD AS TO OPENLY CRAWL
FORWARD BEHIND STEEL PLATES.
BUT WHEN BRITISH ARMOR-PIERCING
ELEPHANT GUNS REACHED THE TRENCHES,
THE EARLY PRACTITIONERS
OF THIS BRAZEN APPROACH
COULD BE FOUND ROTTING BEHIND THEIR PUNCTURED SHIELDS.
BRITISH FORTUNES ALSO IMPROVED
WITH THE ARRIVAL OF THEIR OWN
SNIPER SQUADS, ALLOWING THEM TO FINALLY FIGHT FIRE
WITH FIRE.
AMONG THEIR BEST WERE
A COLLECTION OF RUGGED SCOTSMEN WITH A KNACK FOR CONCEALMENT.
>> Plaster: THEY HAD RECRUITED
SOME OF THE BEST STALKERS
IN THE WORLD OUT OF LOVAT'S SCOUTS.
A LOT OF THEM WERE
SCOTTISH GAMESKEEPERS
WHO'D WORKED FOR LORD LOVAT IN SCOTLAND.
AND FOR CATCHING POACHERS
ON THE LORD'S LAND, THEY
DEVELOPED THIS CAMOUFLAGE SUIT CALLED<i> A GILLY SUIT.</i>
>> Roberts: A GILLY SUIT
WAS A NET THAT YOU
COULD PUT OVER YOURSELF WITH VARIOUS BITS AND PIECES
OF CLOTH HANGING OFF OF IT THAT
WOULD BREAK UP YOUR OUTLINE.
>> narrator: LURKING UNSEEN IN THEIR OWN HIDES,
BRITISH SNIPERS USED
THEIR SCOPED .303-CALIBER
ENFIELD RIFLES TO EXACT A BLOODY REVENGE
ON THE GERMAN TRENCHES.
BY LATE 1917, AMERICAN SNIPERS
HAD ARRIVED AT THE FRONT, BRINGING THEIR SPRINGFIELD MODEL
1903 RIFLES
TO BEAR ON THE GERMANS.
INSPIRED BY HAROLD McBRIDE, A SKILLED U.S. SHOOTER WHO HAD
SERVED WITH THE CANADIANS
FOR MUCH OF THE WAR,
THE AMERICAN SNIPERS QUICKLY ABSORBED
THE DEADLY TRICKS OF THE TRADE
FROM ALLY AND ENEMY ALIKE.
AFTER THE WAR, THEY RETURNED HOME, EXPECTING TO INSTRUCT
FUTURE AMERICAN SNIPERS
BUT WERE SHOCKED
AT THE RECEPTION THEY RECEIVED. >> Roberts: SNIPERS WERE
CONSIDERED NOT THE GARY COOPER,
MARCH DOWN MAIN STREET,
HEADS UP, SHOOT 'EM IN THE FACE TYPE SOLDIER.
THEY WERE THE GUYS
THAT HID IN THE SHADOWS,
THAT HID BEHIND THE RUBBLE, THAT HID IN THE TREES
AND SHOT YOU IN THE BACK
OR BUSHWHACKED YOU, AND SO,
THEREFORE, MOST OF YOUR MAINSTREAM MILITARY OFFICERS
AND POLITICIANS
FROWNED ON THEM.
>> narrator: WITH THE END OF THE WAR TO END ALL WARS,
ALL TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT
OF U.S. SNIPING
WAS FORCIBLY ABANDONED. IT WAS A DECISION
WHICH WOULD COME BACK TO HAUNT
AMERICAN TROOPS. >> narrator: IN EARLY 1943,
AMERICAN TROOPS STRUGGLED
TO GAIN A FOOTHOLD
AGAINST SAVAGE JAPANESE OPPOSITION IN THE PACIFIC.
THE COST OF EACH ISLAND ASSAULT
WAS MEASURED IN THE THOUSANDS
OF DEAD THAT LINED THE BEACHES. BATTLING THEIR WAY INTO
THE JUNGLES, THE GIs CONFRONTED
AN ENEMY UNLIKE ANY
THEY HAD EVER ENCOUNTERED. >> Roberts: THE JAPANESE SNIPER
OFTEN FOUND HIMSELF
ON A SUICIDE JOB.
THEY HAD STEEL HOOKS THAT THEY PUT ON THEIR BOOTS TO CLIMB,
LIKE, COCONUT AND PALM TREES
WITH, AND THEY WOULD CLIMB
IN THESE TREES, AND THEY WOULD TIE THEMSELVES
INTO THE TREES
AND SOMETIMES WAIT UP THERE
FOR DAYS ON END FOR SOME UNFORTUNATE VICTIM
TO WALK BY SOMEPLACE BELOW THEM.
AND BECAUSE OF THAT, THERE WAS
NO ROUTE OF ESCAPE. >> Plaster: IN ONE CASE
DURING THE MUNDA CAMPAIGN,
U.S. MARINE CORPS CHAPLAIN
WAS CALLED TO THE FRONT BECAUSE A WOUNDED MARINE
WAS HOLLERING, "PLEASE,
FOR GOD SAKES, SEND THE PADRE.
SEND THE PADRE." A COUPLE MARINES
TRIED TO WARN HIM,
BUT HE WENT FOR IT ANYHOW.
IT WAS A JAPANESE SNIPER. >> narrator: IN THE EARLY
CAMPAIGNS OF THE WAR,
THESE CUNNING KILLERS HAD
TO BE TAKEN OUT AT GREAT RISK BY NORMAL INFANTRYMEN.
TRAINED AMERICAN SNIPERS
WHO COULD SURGICALLY DISPATCH
THEIR JAPANESE COUNTERPARTS WERE IN CRITICALLY SHORT SUPPLY.
>> Roberts: BY THE BEGINNING
OF WORLD WAR II,
WHAT WE FOUND OUT IS THAT WE HAD DROPPED THE BALL.
WE LET THE WHOLE PROGRAM
FALL THROUGH THE CRACKS FROM
WORLD WAR I, AND THE ONLY WAY THAT WE HAD ANY SNIPERS AT ALL
WAS BECAUSE WE HAD
MARKSMANSHIP PROGRAMS
IN WHICH SCOPED RIFLES HAD BEEN USED.
>> narrator: A SNIPER SCHOOL
WAS HASTILY CREATED
AT GREEN'S FARM NEAR SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA.
THE WEAPON OF CHOICE WAS AGAIN
THE SPRINGFIELD MODEL 1903
BOLT ACTION RIFLE. THE LARGE, NEW UNERTL SCOPE
ON TOP MADE IT MUCH
MORE ACCURATE THAN THE
WORLD WAR I SPRINGFIELD. >> THIS 1903 SPRINGFIELD
WAS AN EXCELLENT RIFLE.
IT WAS EQUIPPED WITH
A TEN-POWER SCOPE ON A SLIDE MOUNT.
IN OTHER WORDS, YOU HAD TO SLIDE
THE SCOPE FORWARD IN ORDER
TO OPERATE THE BOLT. >> narrator: ON THE TRAINING
RANGES AT GREEN'S FARM
AND OTHER SNIPER SCHOOLS,
CANDIDATES QUICKLY LEARNED TO MAKE KILLS
AT 700 YARDS OR MORE.
HOWEVER, IN LIGHT OF THE URGENT
SHORTAGES AT THE FRONT, MANY RIFLE COMPANIES WERE FORCED
TO CREATE THEIR OWN SNIPERS
RIGHT ON THE SPOT.
>> Roberts: WE FOUND OURSELVES IN A SITUATION,
WITHOUT FORMAL SCHOOLS,
OF HAVING SERGEANTS GO OUT
AND PICK MEN AND HAND THEM SNIPER RIFLES AND SAY,
"COME WITH ME, BOY.
YOU'RE GONNA BE A SHOOTER."
AND ALL OF A SUDDEN, THEY FOUND THEMSELVES
WITH A BOLT ACTION RIFLE
IN A MACHINE GUN WAR.
>> narrator: FOR A MARINE RIFLEMAN IN THE PACIFIC,
THE HONOR OF BEING DESIGNATED
AS SNIPER WAS AN OMINOUS ONE.
FOR THE FIRST TIME, THEY WERE ASKED TO VENTURE OUT
IN TEAMS OF TWO
TO SCOUT ENEMY POSITIONS
BEYOND THE FRONT LINES. THE HAZARDOUS NEW JOB
WAS TERMED<i> SCOUT SNIPER.</i>
DANIEL CASS FOUND HIS TRAINING
PUT TO THE TEST AS AN 18-YEAR-OLD MARINE
SCOUT SNIPER
FACING THE JAPANESE AT OKINAWA.
>> THE DANGEROUS PART WOULD BE TO BE CAUGHT OUT THERE ALONE.
AND IF SOMEBODY
WOULD SNEAK UP ON YOU,
AND NOT KNOW THAT THEY'RE THERE, WELL, WITH NO EFFECTIVE
FIREPOWER AT ALL,
WHY, YOU COULD BE IN A DEEP
BUNCH OF TROUBLE IN A HURRY. >> narrator: EXPOSED
AND OUTGUNNED, THE SNIPERS
FOUND THAT A BREAKNECKED RETREAT
WAS OFTEN THE ONLY MEANS OF SURVIVAL.
>> Roberts: THE INHERENT DANGERS
TO THE SNIPER WERE EXHIBITED
WHEN YOU HAD THE 5th ARMY SNIPERS
SUFFERING 80% CASUALTIES
ON THE BATTLEFIELD.
AND THE 24th MARINE DIVISION, OUT OF THE ORIGINAL 24 SNIPERS,
ONLY HAD 9 LEFT
AFTER THE BATTLE OF IWO JIMA. >> narrator: D-DAY,
JUNE 6, 1944.
THE ALLIES STORMED THE BEACHES
AT NORMANDY, FRANCE. ONCE INLAND, THE GREEN SNIPERS
OF THE U.S. ARMY
FACED A LETHAL CHALLENGE.
WITHIN THE THICK HEDGEROWS LURKED HUNDREDS
OF ELITE GERMAN SNIPERS.
>> Roberts: THE GERMANS HAD
VERY CONCERTED SNIPER PROGRAM. THEY HAD A WELL-ESTABLISHED
SNIPER SCHOOL OUTSIDE OF BERLIN
RUN BY A MAJOR KOENINGS,
WHO WAS ONE OF THEIR TOP-RATED SNIPERS.
THEY KEPT ALL OF THEIR TRAINING
AND ALL OF THEIR KNOWLEDGE
FROM WORLD WAR I, AND THEY REEMPLOYED IT
IN WORLD WAR II.
>> narrator: THE SCOPED MAUSER
MODEL 98 COULD SEND AN 8-MILLIMETER SLUG
INTO AN ENEMY HALF A MILE AWAY.
HOWEVER, WITH THE GERMANS'
MASTERY OF CAMOUFLAGE AND DECOYS,
THE NAZI SNIPER
COULD CREEP IN SILENTLY
TO DELIVER SUDDEN DEATH FROM SHORT RANGE.
IN THE ALLIED MARCH
TOWARD BERLIN, THE SHEER MIGHT
OF THE AMERICAN AND BRITISH WAR MACHINE DOOMED
MANY A GERMAN SNIPER
AS THEY BLASTED AWAY
AT THEIR HIDING PLACES. BUT IT WAS ONLY ON
THE FROZEN EASTERN FRONT
IN THE WAR WITH RUSSIA
THAT THE NAZI SNIPER MET HIS EQUAL ONE ON ONE.
IN 1941, IN THE FACE OF
THE BRUTAL GERMAN
MECHANIZED ADVANCE, RUSSIA HAD CALLED ON HER PEASANT WARRIORS
TO SAVE HER FROM EXTINCTION.
PROPAGANDA REELS LOUDLY EXALTED
THE TRIUMPHS OF THE LONELY SOVIET SNIPER WHO FOUGHT
A ONE-MAN OR ONE-WOMAN WAR
AGAINST THE NAZI INVADERS.
STORIES OF SHARPSHOOTERS SUCH AS LUDMILLA PAVLICHENKO,
WITH MORE THAN 300 KILLS
TO HER CREDIT,
THRILLED THE ALLIES AND ENRAGED GERMAN COMMANDERS.
WHEN THE NAZI ADVANCE STALLED
IN THE EPIC SIEGE AT STALINGRAD
IN 1942, THE FIGHTING WAS HOUSE TO HOUSE,
FROM ONE BRICK PILE TO THE NEXT.
>> THINGS HAD SO BOGGED DOWN
THAT ANYBODY ON EITHER SIDE-- ORDINARY INFANTRY
WHO EXPOSED THEMSELVES--
WAS GOING TO BE
SHOT BY A SNIPER. THE GERMANS WERE CONCENTRATING
SNIPERS THERE.
THE RUSSIANS
WERE CONCENTRATING SNIPERS. IT BECAME A SNIPER'S BATTLE.
>> narrator: NEW SOVIET MARKSMEN
LEARNED TO SHOOT
THEIR MOSIN NAGANTS ON RIFLE RANGES
INSIDE BOMBED-OUT FACTORIES
WITHIN EARSHOT OF THE FIGHTING.
>> Roberts: THEY WOULD SET UP A RANGE AND PAINT TARGETS
ON THE WALL.
THESE YOUNG MEN WOULD SHOOT
AT THESE TARGETS, AND WHEN THEY COULD HIT ENOUGH OF THEM, THEY
PUT THEM OUT ON THE STREETS.
>> narrator: HOWEVER, NOT ALL
THE RED ARMY SNIPERS WERE AS UNTESTED.
WITHIN THE RUBBLE,
ONE MAN'S NAME STRUCK TERROR
INTO THE HEARTS OF GERMAN SOLDIERS.
NO SOVIET SNIPER WAS MORE FEARED
THAN VASILY ZAITSEV.
>> Roberts: HE WAS EMPLOYED IN THE BATTLE OF STALINGRAD
ON THE STREET FIGHTING THERE,
AND, WITHIN TEN DAYS,
RACKED UP A BODY COUNT OF 40 GERMANS.
WELL, THE SOVIET PRESS
GOT AHOLD OF THIS,
AND THEY TOUTED IT FAR AND WIDE, AND OF COURSE,
THE GERMANS READ IT.
AND WHEN THEY DID,
THIS INCENSED THEM. THEY, IN TURN, SENT THEIR
PREMIER SNIPER, MAJOR KOENINGS
FROM THE SNIPER SCHOOL
OUTSIDE OF BERLIN TO STALINGRAD FOR THE SOLE PURPOSE
OF KILLING VASILY ZAITSEV
FOR THEIR OWN PROPAGANDA MACHINE
TO SHOW THAT THE GERMANS WERE BETTER.
>> HE PROBABLY WOULD HAVE
GOTTEN AWAY WITH IT,
EXCEPT A GERMAN P.O.W. WAS CAPTURED,
AND HE BOASTED TO THE RUSSIANS
THAT THEY CAN SHOOT
THEIR MOUTHS OFF OF ZAITSEV ALL THEY WANT.
"HE'S A DEAD MAN.
IT'S ONLY A MATTER OF DAYS."
IMMEDIATELY, OF COURSE, THIS WAS RELAYED TO ZAITSEV,
AND THE WORD WAS OUT.
ALL RUSSIAN SNIPERS WATCHED.
THERE'S A SPECIALIZED GERMAN, THE BEST SNIPER
THE GERMANS HAVE,
AND HE'S HUNTING ZAITSEV.
FOR SEVERAL DAYS, THEY DIDN'T KNOW WHERE HE WAS.
AND THEN, IN A SINGLE DAY,
THEY LOST THREE RUSSIAN SNIPERS
IN A PARTICULAR SMALL SECTION OF THE FRONT.
SO ZAITSEV REALIZED
THAT'S WHERE HE WAS.
>> narrator: MOVING DEFTLY, WITH A HUNTER'S CAUTION,
ZAITSEV CLOSED TO THE BLOCK
WHERE KOENINGS HAD CLAIMED
THE THREE SNIPERS. AFTER COUNTLESS KILLS,
THE TWO DEADLIEST SNIPERS ALIVE
WERE WITHIN YARDS OF EACH OTHER,
BUT ONLY ONE WOULD COME OUT ALIVE. >> narrator: IN THE DEAD
OF WINTER, 1942,
THE BATTLE OF STALINGRAD
CAME TO A STANDSTILL AS THE PREMIER SNIPERS
OF THE SOVIET UNION
AND NAZI GERMANY
LOCKED IN AN EPIC DUEL. WITHIN A BOMBED-OUT BLOCK
OF BUILDINGS, VASILY ZAITSEV
AND WALTER KOENINGS
WAITED PATIENTLY FOR THE OTHER TO MAKE THE FIRST MISTAKE.
ON BOTH SIDES, TROOPS WAITED
ANXIOUSLY FOR A VICTOR.
>> Milius: IT'S DISTILLED WAR. IT'S MAN AGAINST MAN,
NOT KNIGHTS SITTING THERE
WITH JOUSTING OR FIGHTER PILOTS
DOING A-- BUT TWO GUYS SNEAKING AROUND,
TRYING TO SHOOT EACH OTHER.
>> ON THE SECOND DAY,
THERE WAS A POLITICAL COMMISSAR THAT WENT OUT WITH ZAITSEV,
BECAUSE HE WANTED TO SEE THIS,
AND HE WANTED TO MAKE
A BIG DEAL OUT OF IT. AND HE SAW SOMETHING MOVE
DOWN THE STREET.
WHEN HE DID, HE STOOD UP,
AND HE POINTED, AND HE SAID, "THAT'S HIM.
I SEE HIM."
>> BUT BEFORE ZAITSEV COULD EVEN
WARN HIM, A SHOT DROPPED HIM. HE WAS EXPOSED
FOR PERHAPS ONE SECOND.
ZAITSEV UNDERSTOOD NOW
THAT HAD TO BE KOENINGS, BECAUSE THE SHOT
WAS TOO WELL-PLACED
AND TOO QUICKLY FIRED.
>> narrator: ZAITSEV PEERED IN THE DIRECTION FROM WHICH
THE SHOT HAD COME
BUT DISMISSED MOST HIDING SPOTS
AS TOO OBVIOUS FOR THE LIKES OF KOENINGS.
FOCUSING HIS SIGHT ON A STEEL
PLATE IN THE RUBBLE,
ZAITSEV PLAYED A HUNCH. >> ZAITSEV TOOK HIS GLOVE OFF.
HE PUT IT ON A STICK,
AND HE RAISED IT UP.
KOENINGS SHOT THE GLOVE, AND WHEN HE DID, THEY SAW WHERE
THE MUZZLE FLASH CAME FROM--
BACK IN THE DARK
UNDER THAT PIECE OF METAL. ZAITSEV IMMEDIATELY PUT A ROUND
RIGHT IN THE CENTER OF THAT
SMALL TRIANGULAR DARK SPOT,
AND IT WENT THROUGH KOENING'S FACE
AND OUT THE BACK OF HIS HEAD.
>> narrator: UNLIKE MANY
SOVIET SNIPERS, ZAITSEV SURVIVED THE WAR
TO RECEIVE A HERO'S ACCLAIM.
HOWEVER, IN THE UNITED STATES,
SNIPING REMAINED STIGMATIZED. IN THE WAKE OF VJ-DAY,
ALL SNIPER TRAINING
WAS ONCE AGAIN PURGED
FROM THE ARMED SERVICES. BUT BY 1950,
AMERICA WAS BACK AT WAR.
WHEN COMBAT IN KOREA
BECAME AN ARDUOUS HILL-TO-HILL CAMPAIGN,
U.S. COMMANDERS ONCE AGAIN
WERE FORCED TO COBBLE TOGETHER
A SNIPER TRAINING PROGRAM FROM SCRATCH.
ORDINARY FOOT SOLDIERS
WERE AGAIN PRESSED INTO SERVICE
AS SNIPERS AND REARMED WITH THE AGELESS SPRINGFIELD MODEL 1903
OR A SCOPED VERSION OF THE
VENERABLE M-1 GERAND RIFLE.
BY THE LATTER HALF OF THE CONFLICT,
U.S. ARMY AND MARINE SNIPERS
ENCOUNTERED CONDITIONS SIMILAR
TO THOSE OF WORLD WAR I, OPERATING AS LONE SHARPSHOOTERS
IN THE MIDDLE
OF A GRIM STALEMATE.
MANY PERFORMED BRAVELY IN THE FACE OF TERRIFYING
HUMAN WAVE ATTACKS
BY NORTH KOREAN
AND CHINESE COMMUNIST TROOPS. ALTHOUGH SUPPORT FOR SNIPERS
AGAIN VANISHED
WITH THE CEASE-FIRE, THEIR EXILE
WOULD BE A SHORT ONE. IN 1965, AMERICA THREW THE FULL
WEIGHT OF HER MODERN ARSENAL
AGAINST NORTH VIETNAM.
DESPITE THE MASSIVE DESTRUCTION DELIVERED BY B-52s
AND HELICOPTER GUNSHIPS,
U.S. FORCES WERE CONFOUNDED
BY AN ENEMY WHO COULD DEFEAT TECHNOLOGY
WITH CUNNING AND STEALTH.
WHEN HIGH-TECH FIREPOWER
PROVED NO SUBSTITUTE FOR LOW-TECH GUILE, SNIPERS WERE
AGAIN RUSHED TO WAR.
HOWEVER, IN THE EARLIEST DAYS
OF THE CONFLICT, SCOPED PRECISION RIFLES
WERE FEW AND FAR BETWEEN.
SOME MARINE SHOOTERS
WENT INTO COMBAT ARMED WITH WINCHESTER MODEL 70
GAME RIFLES.
THE SCOPES FOR MANY OF THESE
HAD BEEN HASTILY PURCHASED IN SPORTING GOODS STORES
IN OKINAWA.
MARINE CAPTAIN EDWARD J. LAND
WAS AMONG THE FIRST SNIPER COMMANDERS TO REACH
SOUTHEAST ASIA IN 1965.
>> CAPTAIN LAND,
WHEN HE GOT TO VIETNAM, KNEW THAT THE BEST WAY
TO FIND OUT HOW TO TRAIN SNIPERS
WAS TO TAKE HIS PEOPLE OUT,
FIND THE ENEMY, AND THEN ENGAGE THEM
WITH SNIPER-TYPE WEAPONS.
>> narrator: FROM HILL 55,
SOUTH OF DA NANG, LAND TRAINED AND ACCOMPANIED
THE YOUNG SCOUT SNIPERS
IN HIS PLATOON INTO COMBAT.
THEIR JOB WAS TO OPERATE IN TEAMS OF TWO.
THE SNIPER WAS NOW PAIRED
WITH A SPOTTER WHO DIRECTED
HIS FIRE TO DELIVER KILLS FROM DISTANCES UP TO A MILE.
FOR MANY, THE FIRST CHALLENGE
WAS TO CONFRONT
THE PERSONAL NATURE OF A WAR WAGED THROUGH A TEN-POWER SCOPE. >> Land: WHEN YOU SEE THE TARGET
THAT YOU'RE GOING TO TAKE,
THE ONE THING
THAT YOU NOTICE FIRST IS THAT THE TARGET HAS EYES. >> YOU KNOW YOU'RE GOING TO KILL
SOME MOTHER'S SON.
AT THAT TIME,
SOME PEOPLE CAN'T DO IT. >> narrator: BY 1966, HUNDREDS
OF MARINE SCOUT SNIPER TEAMS
PATROLLED THE MOUNTAINS
AND RICE PADDIES THAT DOTTED THE NORTHERN REGIONS
OF SOUTH VIETNAM.
FURTHER SOUTH,
THEIR ARMY COUNTERPARTS PROWLED THE FORBIDDING JUNGLES
OF THE CENTRAL HIGHLANDS
IN THE MEKONG DELTA.
BUT WHILE THE ARMY OPTED FOR CONCENTRATED FIREPOWER
AND KEPT ITS SNIPERS CLOSE
AT HAND, THE MARINES SET
THEIR SCOUT SNIPERS LOOSE. CHUCK MAWHINNEY WAS ONLY 19
WHEN HE MADE HIS FIRST KILL
AS A SCOUT SNIPER. >> THE MOST DANGEROUS THING
ANY TIME IS LEAVING THE UNIT.
ANY TIME YOU LEAVE THAT UNIT,
YOU'RE FACING EVERYTHING. YOU'RE FACING NOT JUST
THE ENVIRONMENT,
YOU'RE FACING THE BOOBY TRAPS,
CHARLIE. YOU DON'T KNOW WHO THE ENEMY IS
FOR SURE, SO YOU CAN'T TRUST
THE VILLAGE PEOPLE.
YOU CAN'T TRUST ANYBODY. >> Roberts: BECAUSE OF THAT,
ANY MISTAKE, ANY MISTAKE AT ALL,
AND THAT SNIPER
WOULDN'T COME HOME. YOU'RE OUT IN THE MIDDLE
OF ALL OF THE INDIANS,
AND YOU'RE CUSTER
WITHOUT A REGIMENT. >> I HAD THE FEELING,
AFTER THE FEW FIREFIGHTS,
KNOWING THE LONGEVITY
AND THE TIME I WAS GOING TO BE THERE, THAT I REALLY,
HONESTLY DIDN'T THINK I PROBABLY
WOULD COME BACK ALIVE.
>> narrator: IN THE FACE OF THE LONG ODDS
AND STAGGERING FIREPOWER MASSED
AGAINST THEM, THE SNIPER TEAMS
RACED TO UPDATE THEIR TOOLS AND TACTICS TO SUIT
A GUERRILLA WAR.
TO MAXIMIZE THE PSYCHOLOGICAL
IMPACT, SPECIFIC TARGETS WERE CLEVERLY SELECTED.
WHEN NORTH VIETNAMESE
WHO LUGGED THE CUMBERSOME
MORTAR PLATFORMS BECAME REGULAR VICTIMS OF SNIPER BULLETS,
VOLUNTEERS FOR THE TASK
BECAME IMPOSSIBLE TO FIND.
STARLIGHT SCOPES, SPECIALIZED EARLY NIGHT VISION DEVICES,
ALLOWED THE SCOUT SNIPERS
TO MAKE ACCURATE KILLS
IN PITCH BLACK AS WELL. SOON THE AMERICAN SNIPERS
WERE BEATING THE VIETCONG
GUERRILLAS AT THEIR OWN GAME,
DELIVERING TERROR OUT OF THIN AIR.
CONCEALED IN TALL GRASS
ALONG A RIVER BANK,
CHUCK MAWHINNEY WAITED PATIENTLY UNTIL A HEAVILY ARMED
NORTH VIETNAMESE RIFLE COMPANY
FILLED HIS SCOPE.
>> Mawhinney: AS IT HAPPENED, HERE THEY COME ACROSS THE RIVER,
AND THERE WAS PROBABLY 30
IN THE RIVER AT ONE TIME.
THEY WERE FAIRLY CLOSE TOGETHER, CARRYING THEIR GEAR.
WHEN I PULLED THE TRIGGER,
THE FIRST ONE WAS JUST STARTING
UP THE BANK ON THE OTHER SIDE, AND I PULLED THE TRIGGER
16 TIMES THAT NIGHT,
RAPID SUCCESSION.
SIXTEEN N.V.A. FLOATED DOWN THE RIVER.
>> narrator: WITH THE ESCALATION
OF THE WAR IN VIETNAM,
THE ABILITY OF U.S. SNIPERS TO INFLICT CHAOS ON THE ENEMY
WITH A HANDFUL OF BULLETS
MADE THEM A PRIZED ASSET.
AS WORD OF THEIR PROWESS SPREAD, AN OLD STIGMA
WAS GIVEN NEW LIFE.
>> Land: WHEN I WAS IN VIETNAM,
THE UNIT THAT I EMPLOYED WAS REFERRED TO
AS "MURDER INCORPORATED"
BY THE OTHER MARINES.
>> narrator: RON SZPOND SERVED TWO TOURS IN VIETNAM,
THE SECOND AS A MARINE SNIPER. >> Szpond: THE REPUTATION
PRECEDES YOU.
YOU HEAR, EVENTUALLY,
THAT "THESE GUYS ARE LONERS. THESE GUYS ARE RUTHLESS.
THESE GUYS WILL KILL
THEIR OWN MOTHER."
>> narrator: FEARED BY THEIR OWN TROOPS,
THE SNIPERS WERE DEMONIZED
BY THE ENEMY.
SURRENDER FOR A SNIPER BECAME UNTHINKABLE.
>> Land: A SNIPER WOULD BE
ALMOST IMMEDIATELY KILLED
IF HE WERE CAPTURED. THERE'S VERY LITTLE CHANCE
OF SURVIVAL FOR THE SNIPER
BECAUSE OF THE FEAR
THAT HE INSTILLS IN THE ENEMY. >> Plaster: THE ENEMY
DETESTS YOU.
AND HIS FIRST INSTINCT
IS TO KILL YOU. HIS SECOND INSTINCT IS PERHAPS
TO INTERROGATE YOU,
TORTURE YOU,
DRAIN YOU OF WHATEVER KIND OF INTELLIGENCE HE CAN,
AND THEN KILL YOU.
SURRENDER IS NOT AN OPTION.
>> I ALWAYS THOUGHT IF I GOT CAPTURED--
REMEMBER THAT .45
I TOLD YOU I CARRIED?
THAT LAST ROUND WAS MINE, 'CAUSE I KNEW WHAT WAS GONNA
HAPPEN TO A SNIPER
IF THEY CAUGHT THEM.
>> narrator: BY LATE 1966, THE SCOUT SNIPERS' IMPACT
HAD EARNED THEM A LETHAL HONOR.
VIETCONG BOUNTIES WERE PLACED
ON THE HEADS OF INDIVIDUAL SHOOTERS.
FOR THE REST OF THE WAR,
THE HUNTER WOULD BE THE HUNTED.
THE SUCCESS OF AMERICAN SNIPERS BROUGHT SUDDEN ATTENTION
TO THESE SOLITARY SOLDIERS.
STORIES OF SINGLE-HANDED
EXPLOITS AND IMPOSSIBLE SHOTS CIRCULATED AMONG THE TROOPS.
AT HILL 55, A LEGEND WAS BORN.
CARLOS HATHCOCK HAD BEEN
AN EARLY STUDENT AT THE SNIPER SCHOOL
RUN BY EDWARD LAND.
A COUNTRY BOY FROM ARKANSAS,
HATHCOCK COMBINED CHAMPIONSHIP SHOOTING SKILLS
WITH AN UNCANNY FEEL
FOR THE OUTDOORS.
>> ALL OF US DEVELOPED AN EDGE, A SIXTH SENSE, IF YOU WILL,
IN THE WAY WE OPERATED. BUT CARLOS TOOK IT
A STEP FURTHER AND BECAME TRULY
JUST PART OF THE ENVIRONMENT.
EVERY BREEZE, EVERY INSECT, EVERY BIRD, EVERY SMELL
MEANT SOMETHING TO HIM.
>> narrator: IN 1966,
HATHCOCK'S BULLETS BEGAN WREAKING HAVOC
ON ENEMY TROOPS.
OVER THREE DAYS
IN THE REMOTE ELEPHANT VALLEY, HATHCOCK AND HIS SPOTTER,
ACTING ALONE,
DECIMATED AN ENTIRE
NORTH VIETNAMESE COMPANY. ASSUMING THAT THEY WERE
UNDER ATTACK BY DOZENS
OF U.S. TROOPS, THE N.V.A.
NEVER COUNTERATTACKED. DURING ONE TREACHEROUS
HELICOPTER INSERTION
DEEP INTO ENEMY TERRITORY,
HATHCOCK INCHED HIS WAY ACROSS A SNAKE-INFESTED MEADOW
BEFORE TERMINATING
A NORTH VIETNAMESE GENERAL
WITHIN HIS OWN BASE CAMP. AS TALES SPREAD
OF HATHCOCK'S DEADLY PROWESS,
AN AMERICAN NEWSPAPER ARTICLE
EXPOSED HIM AS THE ENEMY NEVER COULD.
>> Land: WHAT HAPPENED WAS, ONE
OF OUR PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICERS
GAVE A MEDIA GROUP A STORY ABOUT CARLOS,
AND IT WAS PUBLISHED,
AND THEN THEY BECAME AWARE
OF WHO CARLOS AND MYSELF WERE AND SOME OF THE OTHER
MEMBERS OF THE TEAM.
IT WAS AT THAT POINT
THAT CARLOS AND I BOTH HAD A BOUNTY PUT ON OUR HEAD,
AND A NORTH VIETNAMESE SNIPER
WAS SENT DOWN TO KILL CARLOS.
>> Roberts: THE BEST SNIPER THAT THEY HAD WAS SENT SOUTH
TO KILL HIM AND WAS OUT THERE.
NOW, THIS SNIPER, BY THIS TIME,
HAD KILLED SOME MARINES ON HILL 55.
HE HAD SHOT--
HE HAD MADE HIS PRESENCE KNOWN.
IT WAS A CHALLENGE. >> narrator: RISING TO
THE THREAT, CARLOS
AND HIS SPOTTER
WERE SOON IN THE BUSH, SHADOWING THEIR WOULD-BE ASSASSIN.
>> AND FOR TWO DAYS,
THEY TRACKED THIS GUY.
NOW, BY THIS TIME, THEY CALLED HIM
"THE SNAKE EATER"
OR "THE COBRA SNIPER."
>> narrator: WHEN A SHOT PIERCED HIS SPOTTER'S CANTEEN,
CARLOS REALIZED THAT THE COBRA
WAS WITHIN RANGE.
LIKE VASILY ZAITSEV DECADES BEFORE,
HATHCOCK PATIENTLY MANEUVERED,
WAITING FOR THE SLIGHTEST
MISTAKE BY HIS NEMESIS. LATE THAT AFTERNOON,
CARLOS' RESTRAINT WAS REWARDED.
>> Hathcock: THE SUN GLANCED OFF
HIS LENS OF HIS SCOPE, I GUESS. I SAW THE GLINT.
I SHOT AT WHERE THE GLINT WAS.
IT JUST HAPPENED TO BE
THE RIGHT TIME. AND BY THE LOOKS OF THINGS,
I WAS JUST THE QUICKEST
ON THE TRIGGER; OTHERWISE,
HE WOULD HAVE KILLED ME. HOW DO I KNOW
HE WOULD HAVE KILLED ME?
BECAUSE I SHOT RIGHT THROUGH
HIS SCOPE, RIGHT STRAIGHT THROUGH THE SCOPE--
DIDN'T TOUCH THE SIDES.
>> narrator: IRONICALLY,
IT WAS NOT A BULLET THAT ENDED HATHCOCK'S WAR.
ON SEPTEMBER 16, 1969,
THE AMTRAC PERSONNEL CARRIER
ON WHICH HE WAS RIDING STRUCK A MINE.
THE INITIAL BLAST
THREW HIM CLEAR OF THE VEHICLE.
>> FLAMES WERE EVERYWHERE. CARLOS, INSTEAD OF JUST
ABANDONING AND TRYING TO,
YOU KNOW, GET AWAY
FROM THE AMTRAC, INSTEAD GOT INSIDE AND STARTED
THROWING MARINES OUT,
THROWING MARINES OFF THE ROOF.
>> Land: THE AMTRAC USES GASOLINE,
AND SOON AFTER CARLOS
HAD THROWN THE MARINES OFF
AND WAS LOOKING TO SEE IF ANYONE HAD FALLEN
INSIDE THE AMTRAC, IT EXPLODED.
>> narrator: CARLOS
WAS EVACUATED WITH THIRD DEGREE BURNS
OVER NEARLY HALF HIS BODY.
IT WOULD TAKE MANY MONTHS
AND COUNTLESS SKIN GRAFTS TO MAKE EVEN A PARTIAL RECOVERY.
DUE TO A MILITARY OVERSIGHT,
IT WOULD TAKE NEARLY 30 YEARS
FOR HIM TO RECEIVE THE SILVER STAR FOR HIS BRAVERY.
ALTHOUGH HATHCOCK'S RIFLE
WAS SILENCED,
THE NORTH VIETNAMESE FEAR OF THE SNIPER ENDURED.
THROUGHOUT THE WAR,
OTHER U.S. SHOOTERS WOULD FIND
A PRICE ON THEIR OWN HEADS. >> Szpond: I WAS CALLED IN
TO THE COMPANY COMMANDER'S TENT
ONE AFTERNOON,
AND I WAS ADVISED THAT I WAS A MARKED MAN;
THERE WAS A REWARD ON MY HEAD.
AND THE CAPTAIN SAID,
"OBVIOUSLY, YOU GUYS ARE DOING YOUR JOB."
YOU TRIED TO BECOME MORE AWARE
THAT YOU WERE A MARKED TARGET.
SOMEONE HAS A BOUNTY ON YOUR HEAD.
IT WOULDN'T TAKE TOO MUCH,
GOING THROUGH A VILLAGE,
FOR SOMEBODY TO COME UP AND SHOOT YOU,
TAKE YOUR RIFLE, AND TAKE OFF.
THAT ADDED, OBVIOUSLY,
TO THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY OF BEING A SNIPER.
>> narrator: NEAR THE END OF
HIS SECOND COMBAT TOUR IN 1966,
SZPOND SAW ACTION IN THE FIERCE CLASHES
WITH NORTH VIETNAMESE DIVISIONS
AT CHU-LI.
>> Szpond: THOSE WEEK-LONG OPERATIONS
WERE SO INTENSE,
IT CAME TO THE POINT
WHERE MY MIND BLOCKED OUT A LOT OF MY PERSONAL
SHOOTING OF THE ENEMY.
I STILL CANNOT RECOLLECT
TO ANY CERTAINTY WHAT I DID. I CAN ASSUME THERE WERE
YOUNGSTERS, CHILDREN,
OLDER FOLKS PERHAPS MISTAKEN
AS BEING TROOPS. >> narrator: 14 YEARS LATER,
RON WAS A SUCCESSFUL
POLICE OFFICER IN NEW JERSEY
WHEN HE CORNERED A HEAVILY-ARMED SUSPECT.
>> AND I COULDN'T
SHOOT THE FELLOW, AND IT WAS
A LAW ENFORCEMENT DREAM. THERE WAS A CRIME.
THERE WAS A SHOOTING.
THERE WAS A GUN.
IT WAS THE SORT OF PERFECT IMAGE WHERE, IF YOU HAD TO KILL
SOMEBODY IN THE LINE OF DUTY,
THIS IS THE WAY
YOU WANT TO DO IT. AND I JUST COULDN'T
SHOOT THIS FELLOW.
>> narrator: THE STANDOFF ENDED
WHEN THE SUSPECT DROPPED HIS GUN.
BUT A DIAGNOSIS OF
POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER
ENDED RON'S CAREER IN LAW ENFORCEMENT.
AS PART OF HIS RECOVERY,
HE RETURNED TO VIETNAM
TO MAKE PEACE WITH HIS PAST. CHUCK MAWHINNEY SURVIVED
HIS 16 MONTHS AS A SCOUT SNIPER
AND RETURNED TO A CAREER
WITH THE FOREST SERVICE. ALWAYS MODEST ABOUT HIS SERVICE,
HIS UNSURPASSED TOTAL
OF 108 CONFIRMED KILLS
WAS ONLY RECENTLY RECOGNIZED BY THE MARINE CORPS.
HIS REMINGTON 700 RIFLE
WAS TRACKED DOWN,
STILL IN SERVICE AFTER 30 YEARS. >> THE RIFLE'S BEEN TAKEN
BACK OUT OF SERVICE
AND RETURNED TO
ITS ORIGINAL CONDITION AS THE WAY I CARRIED IT,
WITH THE SAME SCOPE NOW--
THE SAME GREEN THREE-TO-NINE
REDFIELD SCOPE. AND SOMEDAY, THEY'RE GONNA,
I BELIEVE, PLACE IT
IN A MUSEUM--
IN A MARINE CORPS MUSEUM. >> narrator: ANOTHER LEGACY
TO THE SNIPER'S WAR IN VIETNAM
WAS PIONEERED BY EDWARD LAND
AND CARLOS HATHCOCK. BEFORE LEAVING THE MARINE CORPS
IN THE MID-1970s,
THE MEN SUCCESSFULLY SPEARHEADED
THE MOVE TO DESIGNATE SCOUT SNIPER AS A FULL-TIME
MILITARY OCCUPATION.
THEIR INFLUENCE ALSO LED
TO THE BIRTH OF THE FIRST PERMANENT SNIPER SCHOOLS,
TRAINING MARINES
AT CAMP PENDLETON, CALIFORNIA,
AND CAMP LEJEUNE, NORTH CAROLINA.
THIS REVOLUTION IN TRAINING
WOULD PROVE INVALUABLE,
AS TECHNOLOGY AND POLITICS SOON CONSPIRED TO CHALLENGE
THE MODERN SNIPER
AS NEVER BEFORE. >> narrator: THE ART OF WAR
HAS GIVEN WAY
TO THE SCIENCE OF WAR.
TODAY COMBAT IS MARKED BY SMART BOMBS, COMPUTERS,
AND SATELLITES.
IN THE FACE OF SUCH
TECHNICAL ADVANCES, THE LIFE OF THE MODERN SNIPER
STILL RELIES UPON
HIS OLDEST ASSET:
ABSOLUTE INVISIBILITY. ON AN EVER-EVOLVING
BATTLEFIELD, THEIR DANGEROUS
MISSION REMAINS UNCHANGED:
ADVANCE AS CLOSE TO THE ENEMY AS POSSIBLE
WITHOUT BEING DETECTED,
GATHER ALL AVAILABLE
RECONNAISSANCE, THEN DELIVER ONE LETHAL SHOT. >> TYPICAL TARGETS IN COMBAT
REALLY ARE THE LEADERS
OF THE BATTLEFIELD.
BECAUSE IF YOU BREAK UP THE LEADERSHIP OF THE ENEMY,
THEY CAN'T MAKE DECISIONS. >> THIS LITTLE LINE
HERE IN THE SAND REPRESENTS
THE ROAD WE'RE STANDING ON.
>> narrator: TODAY'S SCOUT SNIPERS,
LIKE THESE MARINES IN TRAINING
AT CAMP PENDLETON, CALIFORNIA,
PREPARE FOR THE WAR OF THE FUTURE BY PERFECTING
THE SKILLS OF THE PAST.
>> SO YOU'RE GONNA BE COMING
DOWNHILL ALSO, AND THE VEHICLE
IS SLIGHTLY ELEVATED.
SO MAKE SURE
YOU KEEP THAT IN MIND. >> narrator: WHEN THEY DO THIS
FOR REAL, THEIR LIVES
WILL DEPEND UPON MARKSMANSHIP,
CONCEALMENT, AND STEALTH. >> WE REALLY DON'T HAVE
THAT MUCH FIREPOWER.
SO IF WE GET COMPROMISED
OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT, WE'RE IN, YOU KNOW--WE'LL BE IN
A WORLD OF HURT, PRETTY MUCH.
>> narrator: THE TRAINING
IS RIGOROUS. EACH CANDIDATE IS SCREENED
FOR SPECIFIC TRAITS.
>> Schimeck: HE HAS TO HAVE
THE HEART AND THE DESIRE TO CARRY ON. WHERE MOST PEOPLE WOULD QUIT
OR NOT BE ABLE
TO GO ON ANY FURTHER,
HE NEEDS TO, WHAT WE LIKE TO SAY, REACH DOWN,
GRAB AHOLD, AND KEEP ON GOING.
INTESTINAL FORTITUDE
AND DEDICATION IS REALLY WHAT GETS HIM THROUGH.
HE HAS TO WANT TO DO IT. >> narrator: THE WASHOUT RATE
AT THE DIVISION SNIPER SCHOOL
IS 50%.
THE MEN WHO MAKE IT THROUGH WILL HAVE TO BE ABLE TO COPE
WITH STRESSES UNIQUE
TO THE SNIPER.
>> Schimeck: IT DOES GET MORE PERSONAL, BECAUSE YOU'RE
ALMOST OUT HUNTING.
A LOT OF TIMES, I MEAN,
YOU CAN SEE HIM UP CLOSE. YOU MIGHT BE 400, 500 YARDS
AWAY, BUT YOU CAN SOMETIMES SEE
THE COLOR OF THEIR EYE,
YOU KNOW, FROM A LITTLE BIT CLOSER.
BUT YOU TRY NOT
TO THINK ABOUT IT.
IT'S A JOB. >> narrator: THE M40A1
IS THE MARINE SCOUT SNIPER
WEAPON OF CHOICE.
A DIRECT DESCENDANT OF THE REMINGTON MODEL 700
USED IN VIETNAM,
IT CAN BE USED TO HIT A TARGET
BEYOND 1,000 YARDS. LASER RANGE FINDERS
AND THE LATEST SCOPES
HELP THE SNIPER AND HIS SPOTTER
DIRECT FIRE WITH LITTLE CHANCE OF ERROR.
STATE-OF-THE-ART
NIGHT VISION SCOPES AND GOGGLES
ALLOW THEM TO PENETRATE THE DARKNESS MORE EFFECTIVELY
THAN EVER.
THE ADDITION OF THE BARRETT
.50-CALIBER RIFLE WITH ARMOR-PIERCING BULLETS
ALLOWS THE SNIPERS TO ADD
VEHICLES TO THEIR LIST OF PREY.
IN SPITE OF THESE ADVANCES, THE PERILS OF CRAWLING ALONE
INTO ENEMY TERRITORY REMAIN
UNCHANGED FROM THE EARLIEST DAYS
OF SNIPING. >> MOST DANGEROUS MOMENT
FOR A SCOUT SNIPER TEAM,
I WOULD THINK,
IS AS YOU'RE WORKING NEAR AN ENEMY-HELD POSITION,
AND THEY ARE PATROLLING
ACTIVELY, HAVING ONE OF THEIR
SECURITY PATROLS COME TO WITHIN ARM'S REACH OF YOU SOMETIMES.
YOU KNOW, YOU LITERALLY
CAN FEEL YOUR HEART POUNDING.
IT'S TRYING TO POUND ITS WAY OUT OF YOUR CHEST.
>> narrator: ALTHOUGH THEIR
MISSIONS ARE RARELY REPORTED
ON THE NIGHTLY NEWS, SNIPERS HAVE SERVED WITH
DISTINCTION IN BEIRUT, PANAMA,
AND IN THE DESERT OF KUWAIT.
IN MODERN WAR, TERRORISTS AND WARLORDS OFTEN
CONDUCT BATTLE SURROUNDED
BY INNOCENT CIVILIANS.
THESE CONDITIONS OFTEN MAKE THE SURGICAL SKILLS OF THE SNIPER
THE MOST VIABLE WEAPON
IN A DIFFICULT SITUATION.
IN 1993, IN THE MIDST OF OPERATION<i> RESTORE HOPE</i>
IN SOMALIA, TWO ARMY BLACKHAWK
HELICOPTERS WERE SHOT DOWN
DURING A FAILED ATTEMPT TO APPREHEND LOCAL FACTION
LEADER MOHAMMED ADID.
WHEN THE WOUNDED SURVIVORS
IN ONE OF THE DOWNED HELICOPTERS BEGAN TAKING FIRE
FROM HEAVILY-ARMED GUNMEN,
TWO ARMY DELTA FORCE SNIPERS,
SERGEANT GARY GORDON AND SERGEANT RANDALL SHUGART,
VOLUNTEERED TO ROPE DOWN
FROM THEIR HELICOPTER
TO THE WRECK. DUE TO THE EXTREME RISK,
THEIR FIRST TWO REQUESTS
WERE DENIED
BY THEIR COMMANDING OFFICER. FINALLY, FOLLOWING A THIRD
REQUEST FROM GORDON AND SHUGART,
THE TWO MEN WERE GIVEN
THE GO-AHEAD TO DROP FROM THEIR HELICOPTER,
RISKING THEIR LIVES TO PROTECT
THE WOUNDED SOLDIERS.
DURING TWO HOURS OF INTENSE FIGHTING,
THE SNIPERS HELD OFF
ALL ATTACKERS BEFORE RUNNING OUT
OF AMMUNITION. SHUGART AND GORDON
WERE EVENTUALLY KILLED,
BUT THE PILOT OF THE DOWNED
BLACKHAWK SURVIVED TO RETURN TO HIS FAMILY.
FOR THEIR SELFLESS ACT,
GORDON AND SHUGART
WERE POSTHUMOUSLY AWARDED THE FIRST CONGRESSIONAL MEDALS
OF HONOR BESTOWED SINCE VIETNAM.
THE MEDALS, PRESENTED
TO THEIR WIVES, WERE THE FIRST EVER AWARDED TO SNIPERS.
THEIR SACRIFICE ALSO SOLIDIFIED
THE IMAGE OF THE SNIPER
AS A WARRIOR OF UNSURPASSED COURAGE,
WILLING TO RISK HIS LIFE
AGAINST OVERWHELMING ODDS
TO PROTECT HIS FELLOW SOLDIER. IT HAS BEEN A ROLE UNDERSTOOD
BY SNIPERS FROM THE EARLIEST
DAYS OF WAR AND ON THE BLOODIEST
FIELDS OF BATTLE. THE SNIPER, OUTGUNNED AND ALONE,
WILL FACE AN ENEMY
OBSESSED WITH HIS DESTRUCTION
TO DELIVER THE SINGLE SHOT WHICH CAN CHANGE BATTLES
AND SAVE LIVES.
>> THERE'S NO QUESTION
IN MY MIND THAT SERVING AS A SNIPER IN VIETNAM
AND PERFORMING THE WAY I DID
SAVED LIVES.
>> Land: WE VIEWED OUR ROLE AS PROTECTING THE INFANTRY.
EVERY ENEMY SOLDIER WE TOOK OUT,
EVERY ENEMY SOLDIER
THAT WE KEPT AT BAY SAVED LIVES OF OUR FELLOW MARINES.
>> narrator: AFTER CENTURIES
CLOAKED IN MYSTERY AND FEAR,
THIS LEGACY OF SOLITARY HEROISM HAS FORGED A NEWFOUND RESPECT.
THE SNIPER HAS EARNED HIS PLACE
AS ONE OF THE MOST REVERED MEN
ON THE BATTLEFIELD.
