The first U.S. Army Sniper School was initiated in 1955, right after the Korean War cease-fire. L'United States Army Sniper School est une école militaire de l'US Army, située dans la base de Fort Benning en Géorgie [1].Rattachée à la 197 e brigade d'infanterie (en), elle assure la formation des tireurs d'élite et des snipers de l'armée américaine.. La première Sniper School est fondée en 1955 au Camp Perry (en) dans l'Ohio, mais supprimée en 1956. The class culminated with a three day FTX that involved everything we learned through the five week school. The first U.S. Army Sniper School was initiated in 1955, right after the Korean War cease-fire. They lived and breathed the stuff and were always doing what they could to make the training and the school better. We provide a commentary of the US Army Sniper School. We had to covertly move to an objective, stalk, engage a target with live rounds as a team, perform observations with a log and sketch, and many other sniper related tasks. Army Sniper School is part of the United States Army 197th Infantry Brigade based at Fort Benning, Georgia.The first U.S. Army Sniper School was short lived, being established in 1955, but disbanded in 1956 at Camp Perry, Ohio.The U.S. Army's first permanent school was established in 1987 at Fort Benning, Georgia. Did I mention that they try to put pressure on you during the school? By the end, I was just one of the guys and felt accepted, guess I earned it? At the US Army school, the second leading cause of failure is target detection. The known distance ranges were quality competition ranges from 100-1000 yards. You scored a 70+ in each of the three categories, or you went home. Those units really took the benefits of snipers to heart and used them to their full potential. We did unconventional shooting positions and familiarization with night vision and the M107A1 SASR (Barrett .50 BMG), though it was an M82 back then and not yet officially adopted. This consisted of an unknown distance engagement typically from 600-800 meters (655-875 yards). These were things like call for fire, operation orders, and those types of skills. Fort Benning, Georgia: Motto(s) "Follow Me" Commanders; Current commander: BG David Hodne: Insignia; Shoulder sleeve insignia : The United States Army Infantry School is a school located at Fort Benning, Georgia that is dedicated to training infantrymen for service in the United States Army. The classes tended to fill up fast and we had to reserve my slot about a 9 month ahead of time. We wanted to take the opportunity to provide some of our own commentary based on our experiences with the US Army sniper school. The stalking was actually a break for me. But as the need for snipers kept manifesting itself each time the United States found itself in some sort of conflict, the various branches began to change their view on incorporating snipers permanently. Every new student, private first class through staff sergeant, had already met demanding … The present U.S. Army Sniper School was established at Fort Benning, Georgia, in 1987. I believe it is still near the 4th RTB and Harmony Church, but I am not positive. As I understand it, the new facilities are much nicer, though I have not had the opportunity to visit in person as of yet. Now the school is two weeks longer than when I went through and includes some of its own unique aspects including an in depth portion on urban operations, something that we only got a single day of instruction on. As the Army began their incorporation of snipers as a fixed part of their infantry units, they not only had to come up with a new sniper weapon system, the M24, but they had to devise a means of training their new sniper corp. Most students probably averaged about 2 hours of sleep per night that first week until that Friday morning ghillie inspection. Your email address will not be published. Brian Moran, one of the 11 instructors who oversees the training, told the Army News Service. Second round gut shot him. At the U.S. Army’s Sniper School at Fort Benning in Georgia, students undergo some of the most grueling training the force offers. Fort Benning and The Maneuver Centerprovide Agile, Trained, Adaptive, and Ready Soldiers and Leaders for an Army at War, while developing Future requirements for the Individual Soldier and the Maneuver Force, and providing a World Class Quality of Life for our Soldiers and Army Families! You had two shots to hit the target, or you failed the entire school. The light infantry units did it differently, they had a squad of snipers as a part of a Battalion Scout Platoon. KIMS games were a constant smoke session that I would prefer not to remember. The course will test a student on; field craft, marksmanship, mission planning, advanced situational awareness, urban operations, complex engagements and building collective lethality to … It is difficult. This had not yet caught on in the Army when I was in. During the Vietnam War the 9th Infantry Division Sniper School located in Vietnam went a long way to providing a foundation on which the US Army could build their program. Fortunately, there were some true believers in the light infantry concept and the need for flexible infantry battalions that were not mechanized. Note: Students must have a FIRM understanding of TC 3-22.10, Sniper December 2017 prior to attendance of the course. This shot is done without the aid of your spotter and you had to make the range estimation, wind call, weather call… essentially everything. Because the standards are high and the class difficult, there was no gentle indoctrination. I consider the school to be in the upper tier of military sniper schools and it holds its own when compared to the others. The use of USMC snipers proved effective in low intensity conflicts in the 70’s and 80’s, and the US Army finally caught on and in the second half of the 1980s they decided to start their own permanent sniper program. The classroom work began on the first day and carried through the entire week, covering topics such as the M24, different types of ballistics, firing positions, and many more of the basic fieldcraft and marksmanship topics. But it was not just classroom work. NCO Academy. As a whole, they were very good and they knew their material very well. Fort Benning's Sniper School trains soldiers in long-range precision. The problem was, there was NO allotted time for ghillie suit construction. Unfortunately, snipers were once again discarded after the war ended and their M21 sniper rifles were packed away. They have progressed to the point where today, along with the Marines, they are considered to have some of the best snipers in the world. It worked. Fort Benning U.S. Army Fort Benning and The Maneuver Center of Excellence (Yep, I still remember the details, stress will do that). Because the known distance shooting was done on old establish ranges, the movers were in yards. Building a ghillie for the first time meant we were slower than normal as we learned the ins and outs, and sleep deprivation was real. The failure rate was so high that you were never really sure if you were going to pass or not. The US Army school was patterned after the USMC school and much of the same training and testing was conducted. Slightly more than 50% and better than average. Fort Benning est une base de l'US Army située au sud-ouest de la ville de Columbus (Géorgie) dans les comtés de Muscogee et de Chattahoochee en Géorgie et dans le comté de Russell en Alabama. That certainly helps, but stalking can be taught and learned, and often it is. Without questions, the Marines have lead the way for the development of sniping in the United States. I passed. Several of the very elite Special Operations sniper schools are gentleman’s courses, and it is likely a wise choice, especially in the special operations groups as those guys are legit and do not need any more smoking. Some do not hold the US Army school in as high of regard as the USMC school, and I understand why. There were many good instructors, a few horrible instructors, and a few fantastic instructors. The idea is to put as much stress on the students as possible to insure they can perform when the going gets tough, and they made it tough. The graded portion of marksmanship included unknown distance shooting from 300-1000 meters and moving targets from 300-700 yards. But the Army school is patterned after the USMC school and the standards are just as high and it has produced some excellent snipers. They taught you the sniping skills and you were expected to go back and sure up your basic infantry skills to complement what was needed for being an effective sniper team. By Franklin Fisher, Fort Benning Public Affairs June 22, 2020. The Ghost Mountain Boys: Their Epic March and the Terrifying Battle for New Guinea—The Forgotten War of the South Pacific. The class I attended was held in August and September of 1997… and as is the norm for Ft. Benning, it was hot and humid. As mentioned already, the training cadre routinely would go through the USMC Scout Sniper School as well as their Sniper Instructor course to insure standards and techniques were kept current. www.cbsnews.com. The Marines refer to this as a HOG, or Hunter Of Gunmen. It gave us 4 or more hours of quiet time! My first round went over his left shoulder (meaning I was up and right slightly). This is an official U.S. Army Website sponsored by U.S. Army Maneuver Center of Excellence (MCoE), https://www.milsuite.mil/book/groups/us-army-sniper-school. That certainly was not always been the case. All of your paperwork had to be complete and correct when you got there and on Day 0 there was a PT Test. I ranged my target at 680 meters (743 yards) using the mil-dots and dialed in 3 MOA of left wind. It’s continuous existence reflects the longest sniper training course in the history of the US Army and is a testament to the high priority sniper training now enjoys among the Army’s leadership. COVID-19 conditions create sniper school opportunities for new infantry troops. If you were not infantry or SF, you could not attend the school. I do not believe they have changed this philosophy and it is still used today. This time though, the USMC finally took the initiative and started a permanent sniper program after the Vietnam War, and the US Army was watching. The present U.S. Army Sniper School was established at Fort Benning, Georgia, in 1987. The first U.S. Army Sniper School was initiated in 1955, right after the Korean War cease-fire. long rang sniper rifel i need training and join us army, Your email address will not be published. 627 x 352 jpeg 75kB. This proved to be the more effective and flexible way of organizing them. We had eight guys from Ranger Battalions and a RIP instructor as well as guys from 10th Mountain, 25th Light, and other high speed units. hireaveteran.com. Video: Fort Benning's Sniper School - Gun Digest. For me personally, target detection was a challenge, but stalking was quiet fun and I was able to pick it up quickly due to a couple of tidbits some of the instructors gave me on our first practice stalk. Another assumed reason for no allotted time was to introduce more stress in the school. Day One: Welcome to Sniper School. You will not see a lot of photos in this write-up primarily because I did not take any photos while I attended the school for fear I would jinx the course and fail. www.gundigest.com. Fort Benning is the home of the United States Army Maneuver Center of Excellence, the United States Army Armor School, United States Army Infantry School, the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation (formerly known as the School of the Americas), elements of the 75th Ranger Regiment (United States), the 1st Security Force Assistance Brigade, and other tenant units. Before sunrise in early August, 46 Soldiers reported for the first day of sniper school as part of Class 10-17 at Fort Benning. From there, it came naturally and I came from Montana where hunting is a part of life. 378. Army Sniper school candidates discover the key to lethality is 'a high tolerance for discomfort ... 640 x 425 jpeg 50kB. There was just not enough time in those 5 weeks to cover the required instruction AND provide time for ghillie construction. The inspection itself was real fun, or not. An additional two weeks were added again, making the school 7 weeks long now. Basic Officer Leader Course. References ^ Campbell, James (2007). 3.2K likes. The ranges were great. The Infantry Schooltransforms civilians into disciplined INFANTRYMEN that possess the Army Values, fundamental Soldier skills, physical fitness, character, confidence, commitment, and the Warrior Ethos t… The United States Army Sniper Course is a seven week course in which the student undergoes rigorous training to become the most feared weapon on the battlefield. Ft. Benning is known as “The Home of the Infantry” and is where nearly all of the infantry specific schools are located, so it was a natural place for the Sniper School. The instructor cadre, like most every school, was a mixed bag. The school is made up of the following components: 198th Infantry Brigade (Reflagged … The length of the school is for five weeks. With the school now 5 weeks long it allowed them to cover most, if not all, of the same material as what the USMC schools taught and many of the USASS instructors went through the USMC Sniper Instructors course during these years, and likely still do. As the Army began their incorporation of snipers as a fixed part of their infantry units, they not only had to come up with a new sniper weapon system, the M24, but they had to devise a means of training their new sniper corp. It has been well documented by many sources on how snipers were never really considered a permanent, or necessary, part of the US Military in the first half of the 20th century. The Army National Guard Sniper School was established in 1993 at Camp Robinson Arkansas. And you only had 2 minutes. It obviously is not on par with the special operations schools that are out there, as that is not the purpose or goal of the school. Installation. United States Army Sniper Course. To qualify for entrance, a soldier had to have qualified expert with the M16, score a 210 (with a 70 in each of the three events) on the PT test, pass a psyche evaluation, have scored a 110 on the GT portion of the ASVAAB, not be color blind, have correctable 20/20 vision, and be at least an E-3 promotable (typically E-4) or higher rank. The thing that really killed us that first week was the knowledge that we had a ghillie suit inspection on Friday morning. Required fields are marked *. The use of snipers was viewed differently in the Army than it was in the USMC. Additionally, sometime during these early years a new sniper manual was written and published by the US Army. Snapshots from an Army sniper school - … Still to this day, the B4 is awarded only to graduates of the USASS and it is one of the hardest classes to pass in the US Army. There were several different lanes on the unknown distance ranges with targets beyond 1000 meters, even out to nearly 1200. United States Army Sniper Course teaches prospective students how to become a force multiplier. The U.S. military is training and using them in greater numbers than ever before. When it comes to sniping in the US Military, the USMC is usually the first branch of the military that comes to mind, and rightly so. With a team of extremely dedicated and quality lecturers, sniper school fort benning will not only be a place to share knowledge but also to help students get inspired to explore and discover many creative ideas from themselves. “Sniper school is one of the hardest schools in the military, not physically, but mentally,” Staff Sgt. I went through the US Army Sniper School at Ft. Benning in 1997 when the school was five weeks long. The course will test a student on; field craft, marksmanship, mission planning, advanced situational awareness, urban operations, complex engagements and building collective lethality to create an unfair fight in favor of the sniper team in support of offensive, defensive and stability operations for the United States Army. ^ Bunn, Michael J. The US Army Sniper School was established in 1987, at the Infantry Center at Fort Benning, GA, and continues to produce top-notch snipers today. We also did stress fires that included lots of running and exercise as well as lots of smoke, flash bangs and other good stuff. But for the grunt sniper schools, I can see the argument both ways, I just know it wasn’t very fun going through it and they incorporated smoking us into everything! Organization. It was a lot to try and cram the basics of sniping into a three week school, but they did the best they could. They did not teach some of the basic soldiering fundamentals that are taught in other schools and training as you are expected to know them as a standard E-4 infantryman. It worked okay. At that period of time there were only about 6 classes a year with around 24 students per class, so the number of sniper grads, considering the 40% graduation rate, was small. ISBN 978-0307335975. The doors opened on the newly formed United States Army Sniper School in 1987 at Fort Benning Georgia. If a student graduated, they received the coveted B4 identifier on their MOS which signified them as a trained and qualified sniper. As the global War on Terror took over, the need for effective light infantry units and flexible sniper teams became very apparent and where possible, the Mechanized units switched over to the same type of organization of their snipers as the light infantry units. That first week was unbelievably busy. That first week of class set the tone for the rest of the school. Marksmanship, Stalking, Range Estimation and Target Detection. Additionally, the MOS 19D (Cavalry Scout) was now allowed to attend, and yes another new field manual was published, refined even further and with restricted in distribution (finally), and is known as FM 3-22. They were also the ones that you could tell were enthusiasts and master snipers. Most of the instructors provided good feedback during training and testing, but the great ones did even more. The Army National Guard Sniper School was established in 1993 at Camp Robinson Arkansas. More than 300 Soldiers each year begin the seven-week Army Sniper School at Fort Benning … only the best make it to graduation. He’d had the idea for about two years, long before the pandemic. With the effective use of snipers becoming much more common, the Army has advanced their doctrines forward and are now utilizing their snipers properly versus their old way of thinking that originated from the tanker mentality of the Cold War. Elle fait partie de la région métropolitaine de Columbus. The average pass rate for the USASS is about 40% and the school is known to produce excellent snipers. This is near where the 4th Ranger Training Brigade (RTB) is located and the school shared the chow hall with all the Ranger School students. The length of the school is for five weeks. The school consisted of four main skills that were tested and and considered critical skills. Some of the instructors actually told us they believed it should be a gentleman’s course because learning it was so darn difficult. I came down two MOA and left another one. There were two instructors that I would say were some of the best I have ever had in any school. sniper school fort benning provides a comprehensive and comprehensive pathway for students to see progress after the end of each module. These classes included topics such as tracking, E&E, sketches, patrol logs, survival, urban sniper operations and others. They have proved themselves in operations, BUD/S, Q-Course, Ranger School and others. 1280 x 720 jpeg 129kB. Required Read Ahead material and required In-processing forms can be found on: https://www.milsuite.mil/book/groups/us-army-sniper-school If you missed with your first round, the instructor who was spotting would tell you where you missed, and that was it. This manual was FM23-10 (FM = Field Manual) and it greatly expanded on the basics of TC23-14 and included sections on the M24. Functional Training . A large part of this recent excellent reputation is due to the US Army Sniper School located at Ft. Benning Georgia. For previous articles in the series, please see the links below. pp. No re-fires. The present U.S. Army Sniper School was established at Fort Benning, Georgia, in 1987. During the five week school we had many other classes that were taught about various topics and we used all of that training during the FTX. Enrollment was limited to 11 series Military Occupational Specialties (MOS), which was the infantry, and 18 series (Special Forces). The newer sniper ranges were all in meters, as were our scopes. Fort Benning by the Numbers Survey MCoE Event Calendar Smoke and Sound HOMMTA Benning MWR Events Post Services. 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