Sniper Characteristics

Snipers play a critical role in the United States Military. They are excellent scouts, renowned for identifying enemy weaknesses and high value commanders. Often working alone or in small groups, they can strategically pin down enemy patrols, creating fear and ineffectiveness amongst enemy combatants. Since the Snipers work is stealthy, conventional forces perceive it to be of some mystery, therefore treating them differently. While most of the infantry units have a considerable amount of unit cohesion, the interaction with a Sniper unit produces an interesting aspect into the social world of infantry units and how both friendly and enemy forces perceived them. Reinforcing the notion that conventional forces questioned the morality and honor
of these soldiers, who killed from concealed positions. Moreover, there is ample evidence to show how throughout United States history, soldiers caught sniping would face immediate executions instead of capture, as all forces on the battlefield loathed the dreaded Sniper.
The modern sniper can discern his lineage to the days of the primitive sighted firearm, but his name has a special meaning. Throughout the world, there are renowned birds, which challenge fowl hunters. These snipes are part of the Scolopacidae avian family. Snipes are bulky shorebirds with relatively short legs, long bills, and boldly striped heads. They are not dangerous, only hard to locate in their natural surroundings. The bird is somewhat larger than a common sparrow, but has the bravery to lie confident in his natural camouflage in swampy regions. Once spooked, it will fly in an erratic pattern, making it almost impossible to shoot. Hunting these nimble birds with eighteenth century flintlock rifles made for an impossible feat. When hunting these birds, marksmen use a method to calculate for the delay between when the individual pulled the trigger and when the spark and powder actually ignited, firing the weapon. This calculation included leading the bird along its flight path. These expert marksmen were referred as Sharpshooters or Snipers. The term eventually took on meaning with the military.
Much like the hallmark characteristic of the snipe, courage is a key characteristic of a Sniper.
This mental fortitude is essential, especially when physically exhausted, operating alone, or in small teams, and miles from friendly elements, where a mind can pray upon fears and doubts. This courage and self-confidence are important due to the lack of support. Consistently throughout the history, there is an opinion that snipers are cowards, who lack the backbone to fight like conventional forces. Moreover, conventional forces due to their ideology shun these elite individuals. Merriam-Webster defines cowardice as a lack of courage or firmness of purpose. This thought of cowardice derived from social class mindsets of the 18th century, according to Martin Pegler a military historian and author. Early Snipers were enlisted men, who typically aimed for officers, which intensified a feeling of unfairness: killing outside of an individual’s social class. Particularly during the Revolutionary War, these elite riflemen were often given no quarter when overrun or captured, as the methodical shots infuriated regular infantrymen. The British concept of warfare was based on chivalry, and the opponent must not be placed at a disadvantage. This understanding viewed the American expert riflemen who shot from great distances as dishonorable, while artillery was
proper.
Early military commanders understood the applicability of individuals who could deliver precision bullets. Notably, a proficient Sniper could serve as a psychological weapon causing damage completely out of proportion to the number of people actually killed. The trepidation a Sniper can instill in a conventional unit is unimaginable. This psychological impairment can be a formidable foe, as it erodes the confidence of the others in a particular unit. Accordingly, he is the most economical combatant, generally requiring fewer bullets to kill a single adversary. Conventional forces often require thousands of bullets to achieve the same effect. Due to strict mission parameters and carefully selected targets, the kills are often high-value targets, thus greater battlefield importance to mission commanders than that of conventional units.
Unlike the immediate explosions of artillery fire, a Sniper strikes out of nowhere.
The mindset of warfare brings many challenges and acceptances from an ordinary infantryman. Most acknowledge an undeniable acceptance for death or bodily harm, however it occurs, as combat is both unpredictable and impersonal. This allows the individual soldier to realize some factors about combat death are outside their control; however, most believe death will not take them. The presence of a Sniper changes this sensation in an instant. When an unanticipated force such as a Sniper attacks, every single soldier becomes the target, as the war takes a personal approach, creating hatred for the unseen enemy. The soldiers who inhabit the frontlines find the invisible death demoralizing and semi-debilitating. A pair of soldiers could be engaged in a conversation, and a split second later, one of them could be lying dead at the feet of the other. Such events often happened far from the confusion of large-scale battle, where they assumed they were reasonably safe. Consequently, when a sniper eliminates and enemy, it is usually the individual they meant to kill, not just someone standing around in the wrong place and time. The mindfulness of "Collateral damage” or rather the accidental killing and wounding of innocent bystanders is almost nonexistent. When compared to heavy bombardments, a sniper is not just flawless but almost unfathomable. The possibility of unexpected annihilation at any moment,
whether engaged in a fight or not, is an unmistakable morale issue. Commanders value the effectiveness of the Sniper on the enemy psyche, especially when known to be operating in the area. Combatants loose sleep, worrying about the activities of the sniper. This heightened state of fear makes the enemy feel vulnerable on a consistent basis, leading to a lower level of performance. The lack of effectiveness allows the snipers to conduct ancillary missions, such as the sabotage of enemy equipment and supplies that can limit the overall success and mobility.