Book review - Shooter by Jack Coughlin
The idea of snipers on a battlefield is not a new concept - there are reports of sharpsooting regiments back in the days of the Revolutionary war. During the Civil war, they were referred to as skirmishers, but their job remained the same - one shot, one kill, the ultimate in battlefield efficiency. Snipers really weren't a mainstay in the military, though, until Vietnam. Before then it was seen as a plus to the platoon or squad to have a sharpshooter, but it wasn't a significant part of the battle plan.
Vietnam ushered in a new era of sniper doctrine and training. Shooters were paired with a spotter, often a fellow marksman, and sent in to the jungle with a squad on patrol. The shooter would then find what he considered a good hide and set up camp waiting on enemy troops (or sometimes, an opposing sniper). In short, the tropical jungles made the country an ideal hunting grounds for all marksman.
That was 40 years ago, and times most certainly have changed. Now, instead of dense jungles, rooftops and urban battlefields are the norm. While a good marksman could still remain up to a half mile away and still provide effective cover for advancing troops, it's almost a waste of skill.
Thus the reason for Jack Coughlin, the Marines top ranked sniper during the Iraq war, writing Shooter: The Autobiography of the Top-Ranked Marine Sniper. In this he explains not only his background and training, but also his idea for a mobile sniper squad to roam the field, engaging targets with the front line instead of sitting back and waiting.
This is a raw and uncensored book that gives insight in to Coughlin's mind, everything from how he integrates with his family and fellow Marines as well as his thoughts on the man that he's about to kill. The bulk of the second half of the book is the Iraq war and the action is pretty intense from the moment he crosses the border. He never really gets in to the politics of it all, save a justified swipe at Rumsfield; instead, he concentrates on the task at hand, resolving it down to "people are shooting at us, time to stop'em." There is a somewhat interesting sequence near the end of the book as his squad, one of the first in to Baghdad, comes across some of the "human shield" anti-war protestors - one moment he's biting his tongue to not say anything in reply, the next he's having to actually defend them.
At times, the action is quite riveting, but by the end, it's very repetitive. Even the language used gets very clichéd (it felt like he used the term "smokecheck" a dozen times on some pages) and quite coarse (can't fault it there - they are Marines). The action sequences are a little disjointed - when perched on the back of a humvee, things tend to zip by; setting up on a rooftop, though, not so enthralling. Coughlin's attitude, as well, is a bit tough to swallow, too. You expect a certain degree of confidence in any person's field of expertise; Coughlin treads that line between confidence and downright arrogance like a sumo wrestler on a tightrope.
In the end, it makes for an interesting read. The viewpoint of the soldier on the ground in this war that's half way around the world from us is a bit refreshing (as opposed to the embedded reporters that the writer refers to as jackals). It's not quite high level prose, but it's not really meant to be. While Charles W. Henderson's books on Hatchcock are better, this one's a good read for those interested in the mindset and mentality of the most efficient killing machine in the military. My score: 7 out of 10.
Vietnam ushered in a new era of sniper doctrine and training. Shooters were paired with a spotter, often a fellow marksman, and sent in to the jungle with a squad on patrol. The shooter would then find what he considered a good hide and set up camp waiting on enemy troops (or sometimes, an opposing sniper). In short, the tropical jungles made the country an ideal hunting grounds for all marksman.
That was 40 years ago, and times most certainly have changed. Now, instead of dense jungles, rooftops and urban battlefields are the norm. While a good marksman could still remain up to a half mile away and still provide effective cover for advancing troops, it's almost a waste of skill.
Thus the reason for Jack Coughlin, the Marines top ranked sniper during the Iraq war, writing Shooter: The Autobiography of the Top-Ranked Marine Sniper. In this he explains not only his background and training, but also his idea for a mobile sniper squad to roam the field, engaging targets with the front line instead of sitting back and waiting.
This is a raw and uncensored book that gives insight in to Coughlin's mind, everything from how he integrates with his family and fellow Marines as well as his thoughts on the man that he's about to kill. The bulk of the second half of the book is the Iraq war and the action is pretty intense from the moment he crosses the border. He never really gets in to the politics of it all, save a justified swipe at Rumsfield; instead, he concentrates on the task at hand, resolving it down to "people are shooting at us, time to stop'em." There is a somewhat interesting sequence near the end of the book as his squad, one of the first in to Baghdad, comes across some of the "human shield" anti-war protestors - one moment he's biting his tongue to not say anything in reply, the next he's having to actually defend them.
At times, the action is quite riveting, but by the end, it's very repetitive. Even the language used gets very clichéd (it felt like he used the term "smokecheck" a dozen times on some pages) and quite coarse (can't fault it there - they are Marines). The action sequences are a little disjointed - when perched on the back of a humvee, things tend to zip by; setting up on a rooftop, though, not so enthralling. Coughlin's attitude, as well, is a bit tough to swallow, too. You expect a certain degree of confidence in any person's field of expertise; Coughlin treads that line between confidence and downright arrogance like a sumo wrestler on a tightrope.
In the end, it makes for an interesting read. The viewpoint of the soldier on the ground in this war that's half way around the world from us is a bit refreshing (as opposed to the embedded reporters that the writer refers to as jackals). It's not quite high level prose, but it's not really meant to be. While Charles W. Henderson's books on Hatchcock are better, this one's a good read for those interested in the mindset and mentality of the most efficient killing machine in the military. My score: 7 out of 10.
posted by misawa at 2:08 PM
1 Comments:
Sounds like something I'd enjoy. Snipers are an interesting breed. The best of the best, but more individualist than the military normally breeds, and incredibly important.
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