Cadre at the United States Army Sniper School at Fort Benning, Georgia show exactly what it means to make a lasting effect. Throughout the last 5 years we have seen expansive growth within the Sniper community.
There are many people who’ve served in the Armed Forces. Those that pride themselves on their years of service, those that just get through their service, and those that work hard to make a lasting effect in their time of service.
A new manual was written. New qualification tables were put out. New standards were created to earn the honorable tab. This is all due to dedicated individuals that saw a need for those around them and worked hard to fill that need.
All of these positive changes that have been occurring have been put out to the public through Social Media.
We are dealing with different generations of students and the public. They will learn differently and find information differently than those before them. Social media is a great way to ensure that those who graduated the school or are looking to attend can stay current on weapon techniques and equipment, both of which are changing at an incredible pace.
OSUT Students
One major development that the course is doing is putting One Station Unit Training (OSUT) Soldiers through the course. Many will have their qualms and disagreeances. Yet, these students are hungry to do this job, and the Cadre are hungry to teach. Putting these Soldiers through right away also enables them to bring the RIGHT information and techniques to their team and units right away. Attrition rate has been the same as other normal classes.
The earlier that good information gets pushed, the faster and longer it disseminates throughout commands and through careers.
Pushing New and Improved Equipment
Many of the instructors also work with the acquisition teams on testing and fielding new equipment. This is vital to our Snipers lethality in the ever changing war environments. For example, the Leupold Mark5HD being chosen for the M110.
It is instructors like these who use their knowledge and experience to work hard on improving the force, not just maintaining. Having the ability to work with these systems everyday and not working hard on making them better is a complete waste of being an asset. The soldiers are taking the initiative and being those assets
The Content Put Out Shows the True POI and Numbers
The course puts their money where their mouth is. They don’t hide things from social media, difficulty wise. It isn’t propaganda that they are putting out online to entice recruits, it is true numbers representing. On Facebook you can often see their numbers on the classes going through and where they lost people. This shows incoming snipers what they need to be working on before attending the course.
The page also shows what the students are truly doing during their days at the course. It shows the cross-training with other entities such as the 75th Ranger Regiment. It shows the students mission planning. It shows the students engaging movers. It gives transparency as to how hard the instructors choose to work for their students.
Top Cadre
One of the instructors literally wrote the book on Sniper Doctrine.
Available on Army Publishing Directorate https://armypubs.army.mil/ProductMaps/PubForm/Details.aspx?PUB_ID=1003637
The Cadre have competed in other countries, taking third overall at the 5th annual Israeli Defense Force sniper competition.
Students First
The coolest thing about being able to see what is happening at that course is what happens at the end of it. When the graduation happens, the awards are given out, and the ending post goes on social media there are large numbers of comments from previous and current students giving thanks to certain instructors. They state how much of an impact an instructor had on them. Those comments aren’t made because of how great an instructor shot or how many things they bragged about doing in their time of service, those comments are about the instructor that truly took the time and effort to give to the student and not themselves. Those instructors showed that at the end of the day it is the student that matters, the next generation. Give without expecting anything in return, give without hoping for praise later. That’s what a good instructor does.
Help Snipers Help Other Snipers
The course teaches on how to bring this knowledge back home and work with your individual teams and larger entities to build relationships and “advance the craft”. The Sniper Association Facebook Page showed a team working with aviation entities to develop Standard Operating Procedures and become an asset together.
The content being put out by the course on multiple platforms will only help those who choose to keep up with it. They put out updated NSN’s and instructions on how to order certain equipment. They also put out small videos teaching on certain aspects. This is especially important in our way of life during COVID-19.
“We have always done it this way” will no longer apply. The fact of the matter is that there are better techniques and equipment out there and it is time we that we push ourselves to learn it, practice it, perform it, and then teach it.
Share the Information
Share these platforms with your tabbed snipers and those looking to come to the course. The cadre are active on social media and are there for you.
Below are other write ups from sources that have worked with the course
