.USMC sniper metes out swift death in Iraq
RAMADI, Iraq - He was 5 when he first fired an M-16, his father holding him to brace against the recoil. At 17 he enlisted in the Marine Corps, spurred by the memory of 9/11. Now, 21-year-old Galen Wilson has 20 confirmed kills in four months in Iraq — and another 40 shots that probably killed insurgents. One afternoon the lance corporal downed a man hauling a grenade launcher five-and-a-half football fields away.
Here, Sunni Arab insurgents are intent on toppling the local government protected by Marines.
After two tours in Iraq, his commanders in the 3rd Battalion, 8th Regiment call him a particularly mature Marine, always collected and given to an occasional wry grin.
During a large-scale attack on Easter Sunday, Wilson says, he spotted six gunmen on a rooftop about 400 yards away. In about 8 seconds he squeezed off five rounds — hitting five gunmen in the head. The sixth man dived off a 3-story building just as Wilson got him in his sights, and counts as a probable death.
Wilson says his skill helps save American troops and Iraqi civilians.
He was raised in a desolate part of the Rocky Mountains outside Colorado Springs, "surrounded by national parks on three sides," he says. He regularly hunted before moving to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., as a teenager. His brother also serves in the military.
"My father owned a weapons dealership, so I‘ve been around exotic firearms all my life," said Wilson, who remembers practicing on pine cones and cans. "My dad would help me hold (an M-16), with the butt on his shoulder, and walk me through the steps of shooting."
Sometimes individual gunmen attack, other times dozens. Once Wilson shot an insurgent who was "turkey peeking" — Marine slang for stealing glances at U.S. positions from behind a corner. Later, the distance was measured at 514 meters — 557 yards.
The key to accuracy is composure and experience, Wilson says. "The hardest part is looking, quickly adjusting the distance (on a scope), and then getting a steady position for a shot before he gets a shot off. For me, it‘s toning everything out in my head. It‘s like hearing classical music playing in my head."
"At first you definitely double-guess telling your wife, mom, and your friends that you‘ve killed 20 people," Wilson said. "But over time you realize that if they support you ... maybe it‘ll make them feel that much safer at home."
He acknowledges that brutal acts of war linger in the mind.
"Some people, before they‘re about to kill someone, they think that — ‘Hey, I‘m about to kill someone.‘ That thought doesn‘t occur to me. It may sound cold, but they‘re just a target. Afterward, it‘s real. You think, ‘Hey, I just killed someone,‘" says Wilson.
Insurgents "have killed good Marines I‘ve served with. That‘s how I sleep at night," he says. "Though I‘ve killed over 20 people, how many lives would those 20 people have taken?"
Wilson plans to leave the Marines after his contract expires next year, and is thinking of joining a SWAT Team in Florida — possibly as a sniper.
NewsOne
Is everyone in Iraq either Hispanic or from Florida? I may start a special section that highlights all those that serve from here.
Here, Sunni Arab insurgents are intent on toppling the local government protected by Marines.
After two tours in Iraq, his commanders in the 3rd Battalion, 8th Regiment call him a particularly mature Marine, always collected and given to an occasional wry grin.
During a large-scale attack on Easter Sunday, Wilson says, he spotted six gunmen on a rooftop about 400 yards away. In about 8 seconds he squeezed off five rounds — hitting five gunmen in the head. The sixth man dived off a 3-story building just as Wilson got him in his sights, and counts as a probable death.
Wilson says his skill helps save American troops and Iraqi civilians.
He was raised in a desolate part of the Rocky Mountains outside Colorado Springs, "surrounded by national parks on three sides," he says. He regularly hunted before moving to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., as a teenager. His brother also serves in the military.
"My father owned a weapons dealership, so I‘ve been around exotic firearms all my life," said Wilson, who remembers practicing on pine cones and cans. "My dad would help me hold (an M-16), with the butt on his shoulder, and walk me through the steps of shooting."
Sometimes individual gunmen attack, other times dozens. Once Wilson shot an insurgent who was "turkey peeking" — Marine slang for stealing glances at U.S. positions from behind a corner. Later, the distance was measured at 514 meters — 557 yards.
The key to accuracy is composure and experience, Wilson says. "The hardest part is looking, quickly adjusting the distance (on a scope), and then getting a steady position for a shot before he gets a shot off. For me, it‘s toning everything out in my head. It‘s like hearing classical music playing in my head."
"At first you definitely double-guess telling your wife, mom, and your friends that you‘ve killed 20 people," Wilson said. "But over time you realize that if they support you ... maybe it‘ll make them feel that much safer at home."
He acknowledges that brutal acts of war linger in the mind.
"Some people, before they‘re about to kill someone, they think that — ‘Hey, I‘m about to kill someone.‘ That thought doesn‘t occur to me. It may sound cold, but they‘re just a target. Afterward, it‘s real. You think, ‘Hey, I just killed someone,‘" says Wilson.
Insurgents "have killed good Marines I‘ve served with. That‘s how I sleep at night," he says. "Though I‘ve killed over 20 people, how many lives would those 20 people have taken?"
Wilson plans to leave the Marines after his contract expires next year, and is thinking of joining a SWAT Team in Florida — possibly as a sniper.
NewsOne
Is everyone in Iraq either Hispanic or from Florida? I may start a special section that highlights all those that serve from here.
posted by madtom at 5:52 PM
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