Once again, Let's hear it for the USMC ! !

[Specter 0]

Trial by fire: Marine snipers beat the odds to win at AFSAM

Submitted by: MCB Quantico

Story Identification Number: 2004116101227

Story by Lance Cpl. J. Agg

MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, Va.(Jan. 15, 2004) -- For one Marine Corps sniper, the easy part of sweeping the 2003 Armed Forces Skill-at-Arms Meeting sniper competition was picking off the most highly trained and best-equipped marksmen from the United States armed services and those of our closest military allies. The real challenge was just getting there.

With more than a decade of experience and training as a Marine sniper, Marine Corps Rifle Team assistant head coach and competitor, Gunnery Sgt. Rodney L. Abbott, was looking forward to a strong showing at the AFSAM sniper competition held Oct. 11 to 17 at the Army National Guard Marksmanship Training Center at Camp Robinson, Ark., when an unexpected twist of fate cast serious doubt on whether the Corps' two-man sniper team would even appear at all. With a week of training left before the competition, Abbott's aspirations for success were shaken as his teammate suddenly became unavailable for the match.

Determined to find a last minute replacement, Abbott paid a visit to the Quantico Sniper Instructor School, the Corps' lead sniper school where the curriculum is developed for the sniper programs at Camp Pendleton, Calif., Camp Lejeune, N.C., and Marine Corps Base Hawaii; and is also host of the only Marine Corps Advanced Sniper Course. As chance would have it, an advanced course was about to graduate and it was there that Abbott would find his best chance for a win at AFSAM, Sgt. Anthony E. Mauro.

"I piggybacked at the Advanced Sniper Course," said Abbott, who quickly picked out his new partner from among the crowd. "[Mauro] was awesome, so I asked him if he wanted to do it. It was all voluntary."

During his five years in the Marine sniper community, Mauro had never been offered a chance to test his skills in competition, and jumped at the opportunity to represent the Marine Corps at the 2003 AFSAM.

"To come to Weapons Training Battalion and to get picked to do something this big, you don't get that opportunity often; I was really excited," said Mauro, who also considered Abbott's offer to be the highest form of compliment. "[Abbott] has a lot more years of experience. For him to trust me was a confidence booster."

In less than a week, Mauro, a West Coast sniper trained at Camp Pendleton, Calif., and Abbott, an East Coast sniper who learned the ropes at Camp Lejeune, N.C., would prove the interoperability of the two Marine sniper communities by joining forces to defeat the most lethal marksmanship teams from the U.S., Australia, Belgium, Denmark, Italy, Norway and the United Kingdom at Camp Robinson.

"We trained together during the final week of the Sniper Advanced Course," said Mauro. "We worked on our sniper/observer dialogue, that's the meat of sniper team marksmanship. I graduated on Wednesday and we left for AFSAM on Friday. I find it amazing in the [Marine] sniper community that we could come from opposite coasts, not knowing how each other works and still be able to come together and perform well."

For Abbott, the duo's compatibility was as much about Esprit de Corps as it was training.

"For two people who have never worked together, it was amazing," said Abbott. "It goes back to having the will, the passion to be a Marine Corps sniper. I could tell he had the same passion for the sniper community that I did."

Gunnery Sgt. Robert Reidsma, Sniper Instructor School staff noncommissioned officer in charge, knows both Abbott and Mauro well, and was not at all surprised by their dominating performance at the Armed Forces Skill-at-Arms Meeting where the duo posted the high aggregate scores in every sniper competition catgory: Sniper Team Marksmanship, Sniper Team Field Craft and the Sniper Team Championship.

"Sgt. Mauro is a phenomenal shooter, a great leader, just awesome," said Reidsma. "Both those guys are phenomenal, like mini Gunny Hathcocks. They're just laid-back, modest, the definition of a Marine sniper. I knew they would place well, but to have them go down and clean house was just awesome."

Reidsma said the few days Abbott and Mauro spent training together and getting to know one another before the competition was critical to their success as a team.

"As a sniper team, it is absolutely essential that they click and understand each other," said Reidsma. "They have to be like two twin brothers who know what the other is thinking. They have to communicate and out think the enemy while being stealthy and quick. It's not every day you can make something like that happen."

Reidsma also said the team's performance reflects not only their training, but their character as well.

"The training they get at the schools is essentially the same," said Reidsma. "It says something about the schools, but also says something about the individuals: maturity, professionalism, willingness to get the job done and to give it all they've got."

Once at AFSAM, Abbott and Mauro's training and experience took over as the two excelled in each event, ultimately outperforming all 26 competing teams.

The AFSAM Sniper Competition tested every aspect of the craft including known distance marksmanship during both day and evening operations, target range estimation, observation and concealment, stalking, land navigation and even endurance with a six mile hike while carrying upwards of 65 pounds of gear in addition to the M40-A3 sniper rifle which the Marines completed in 1 hour and 10 minutes. For many of the events, the Marines were awarded the maximum allowable points, and complimented each other's performance in marksmanship with Abbott clearing the day course while Mauro received a perfect score his night firing.

After capping his two-year Marine Corps Rifle Team tour with a championship performance at the AFSAM, Abbott hopes to share his knowledge with other Marines as an instructor next.

"I would like to go to Camp Lejeune or stay at Quantico as a sniper school instructor," said Abbott. "I want to go back to the schools to pass on my stuff, teach what I've learned."

Mauro has declined an offer from the team to continue competing, opting instead to further develop his Marine Corps career by moving on to the reconnaissance community.

"I had the opportunity to stay [on the Rifle Team] but I declined. It's not me; I'd rather be out operating," said Mauro. "I will spend about one year with Raids and Reconnaissance [at Marine Corps Systems Command at Quantico] before returning to the fleet. I'm going to get some schooling opportunities and get my foot in the door of the reconnaissance community."

While further competitions may not be in Mauro's immediate future, his experience with Abbott will always follow him.

"We learned a lot from each other, and relearned a lot of the small things that you forget," said Mauro. "You can take that East Coast and West Coast stuff and throw it right out the window. We really came together as a team."

-30-

Photos included with story: Marine Corps Rifle Team assistant Head coach and competitor Gunnery Sgt. Rodney L. Abbott snaps-in for the camera at Quantico's Weapons Battalion as teammate Sgt. Anthony E. Mauro observes over his right shoulders. With only one week to train, the two snipers represented the Marine Corps at the 2003 Armed Forces Skill-at-Arms Meeting held Oct. 11 to 17 at the Army National Guard Marksmanship Training Center at Camp Robinson, Ark., and dominated the sniper competition. Photo by: Mark Turney

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Link to story.

[deathmonger338 0]

OOH RAH!!!

Note to all Marines: lets please not start ANOTHER argument on how to spell the above.

[Havok 30]

No Canadians there in the competition ? I know our boys excel at that and have won a few competitions themselves if I am not mistaken.

That is some rigorous 'events' they had to compete in and to see they were awarded max points for most of them...

Who came second..couldn't find info in the link ya posted Phantom.

[ReconSnake 0]

Semper Fi!

[Xian Saint 0]

Good read...just remember the Marines are part of the Navy...

[WhiteKnight77 1]

[ReconSnake 0]

Good read...just remember the Marines are part of the Navy...

The part that knows how to shoot a rifle.

[Specter 0]

They are part of the Navy, like RS says, the part that knows how to shoot, and they are also the most used US Snipers. There is a reason for this. Somewhere here in RWM, there is a post with a link to Sniper Stats that proves this.

THe USMC has the best trained snipers in the world. THe USMC Scout Sniper training is the best, most grueling in the world. It is no surprise that they won.

HOOYAH ! !

Semper Fi ! !

[F'n New Guy 0]

HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAH

GO ARMY GUARD GO

[Havok 30]

Guess you don't know what the other teams placed then ?

[Harrm 0]

Pfft! Shooting targets is easy. What they gotta do, is put seven tanks out there on the field. Yeah. Rocket tanks. Now, they dont shoot rockets, they have rocket booster on the back. And those rocket tanks have wings. Flying Rocket tanks. With Hellfire missiles and a Formula-1 racing fin on the back. And they should be shooting at the sniper, and the sniper has to blow up every single one of those tanks. With a pistol. While facing backwards.

Good job for those men. Semper fi.

--Harrm

[MillerEP 0]

Actually the real answer we give people is: Yeah, we're a "department" of the Navy, The Men's Department.

[ReconSnake 0]

Yeah, it's a little worn out, but so true.

[Lancer 1]

Jarheads!