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Dacier
Guest
I never understood the draw of the sniper. I think it would be incredible boring most of the times.
Perhaps it‘s the image of being the lone soldier-sniper and all that, where as if you‘re a soldier you‘re working in a team environment. The concept of being a "lone wolf" is... romantic?
My impression (hopefully correct) is that snipers work in teams... you have an observer who watches your back and also helps you with the target. I don‘t think military snipers by design usually romp around alone with not a soul within a klick...
I‘ll bet if we changed the term to sharpshooters, half the romanticism evapourates...
My impression (hopefully correct) is that snipers work in teams... you have an observer who watches your back and also helps you with the target. I don‘t think military snipers by design usually romp around alone with not a soul within a klick...
I‘ll bet if we changed the term to sharpshooters, half the romanticism evapourates...
- Reaction score
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People see movies like "Enemy at the Gates" or "Saving Private Ryan" and think that being a sniper is all glamour and glory. The thought is that they send you out into the jungle, on your own, and kill whatever crosses your path.
What people don‘t realize is that what snipers are often asked to do is cross an open field, over the course of hours/days, to go without sleep and food so that you can pull the trigger once, get one kill, and crawl back.
I heard a story (previously repeated here) about some US sniper in Vietnam who spent 2 days crossing a field of 300m to get a clear shot at a target. That‘s some serious patience, but think of how much that would also really suck!!
What people don‘t realize is that what snipers are often asked to do is cross an open field, over the course of hours/days, to go without sleep and food so that you can pull the trigger once, get one kill, and crawl back.
I heard a story (previously repeated here) about some US sniper in Vietnam who spent 2 days crossing a field of 300m to get a clear shot at a target. That‘s some serious patience, but think of how much that would also really suck!!
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Duncan2002
Guest
I know perfectly well that life as a sniper is no-where the same as the movies, but i have a very good shot and thought i could use that to my advantage. :sniper:
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Eye chart: 6/6 is 20/20. Except the chart is in metric. Multiply the numbers by 3 and you have the eye chart in feet.
Eye surgery: I recommend it. But then again, it worked out fine for me. No loss of night vision, only see starbursts at night when my eyes are tired, and I can usually force my eyes to focus it off anyway. Doesn‘t affect the rest of my vision, as I don‘t stare at bright lights much at night. I can read licence plates easily at 4-5 car lengths, whereas before surgery, I couldn‘t read a licence plate at all without contacts/glasses.
Snipering: Again, I don‘t see the attraction. I‘d love to do a sniper course, and perhaps a recce course, but have no desire to spend days on end mvoing miniscule distances, ****ting in a plastic bag, not being able to whisk skeeters off my forehead for risk of giving my position away. Too many people saw "Sniper" or "Enemy at the Gates" i think. Having the skills is useful, being alone in the middle of the boonies with a rifle is not very useful. This is not Stalingrad 1942, we are in a whole new concept of war operations.
Christmas: Have a merry one. Or happy holidays. Whatever floats your boat. And happy new year.
Eye surgery: I recommend it. But then again, it worked out fine for me. No loss of night vision, only see starbursts at night when my eyes are tired, and I can usually force my eyes to focus it off anyway. Doesn‘t affect the rest of my vision, as I don‘t stare at bright lights much at night. I can read licence plates easily at 4-5 car lengths, whereas before surgery, I couldn‘t read a licence plate at all without contacts/glasses.
Snipering: Again, I don‘t see the attraction. I‘d love to do a sniper course, and perhaps a recce course, but have no desire to spend days on end mvoing miniscule distances, ****ting in a plastic bag, not being able to whisk skeeters off my forehead for risk of giving my position away. Too many people saw "Sniper" or "Enemy at the Gates" i think. Having the skills is useful, being alone in the middle of the boonies with a rifle is not very useful. This is not Stalingrad 1942, we are in a whole new concept of war operations.
Christmas: Have a merry one. Or happy holidays. Whatever floats your boat. And happy new year.
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Duncan2002
Guest
***T... thanks for putting it in the light..... i guess it‘ll just be regualr infantry for me. :mg: 
J
jubei_yagyu
Guest
well ok i read all your posts am i preety sure my eye sight will be good enough.
i can see thing fine without my glasses moreorless
see anything beond 3 feet becomes blure but i can still see them i wear -125 glasses what ever that mean my eyes are the same.
so if you can uderstand what im trying to say i should be fine right?
i can see thing fine without my glasses moreorless
see anything beond 3 feet becomes blure but i can still see them i wear -125 glasses what ever that mean my eyes are the same.
so if you can uderstand what im trying to say i should be fine right?
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Dacier
Guest
Best way to find out if your eyes are well enough, is to go down to the Recruiters. They don‘t bite, they are their to help, and its free.
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nbk
Guest
I heard that to be a sniper you need 20/20 vision or vision correctable to 20/20 (via glasses, etc, although they may prove a liability if busted, and they give off reflections).
Any truth to this? Any snipers on the board?
And wouldn‘t the lens on the scope correct your vision for you? I always take off my glasses before looking through binoculars for example.
Any truth to this? Any snipers on the board?
And wouldn‘t the lens on the scope correct your vision for you? I always take off my glasses before looking through binoculars for example.
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javelin
Guest
This question is rather specific, so I‘ll understand if none of you are able to answer it... but here goes anyways.
I have an eye movement disorder called Duane Syndrome, which limits my peripheral vision minorly. Otherwise, my vision is 20/15, very good. How will this affect my application for the Reserve Infantry?
I have an eye movement disorder called Duane Syndrome, which limits my peripheral vision minorly. Otherwise, my vision is 20/15, very good. How will this affect my application for the Reserve Infantry?
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javelin
Guest
I suppose I should say a bit more, I forgot to mention this earlier, the main thing about this disorder is that because it is an eye movement disorder, my eyes often mimic concussions symptoms when I am unconcious, so I wear a medicalert bracelet to ensure that no medic ever things I‘ve got a concussion when I am in fact fine except for googly-eyes.
The peripheral vision limitation is minor, but I am still concerned, as Infantry is supposed to have the most strict requirements regarding eyesight.
The peripheral vision limitation is minor, but I am still concerned, as Infantry is supposed to have the most strict requirements regarding eyesight.
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Actually, the infantry is not the most strict. You don‘t need 20/20 OR colour vision the be in the infantry, and laser correction is acceptable.
The most stringent eye standards are the pilots.
As for your medical condition, it shouldn‘t prevent you from getting in, but you would be required to wear your medic alert bracelet at all times. Also, informing your section commander on course, and in your unit might be a good idea.
The most stringent eye standards are the pilots.
As for your medical condition, it shouldn‘t prevent you from getting in, but you would be required to wear your medic alert bracelet at all times. Also, informing your section commander on course, and in your unit might be a good idea.
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javelin
Guest
Right, forgot about pilots, my mistake, I was only thinking of the Army occupations... don‘t want to fly planes or drive ships 
Allright, thanks for answering my question, I feel a lot better about it now, even if i do have to wear that crappy medicalert bracelet. How I hate that thing.
Allright, thanks for answering my question, I feel a lot better about it now, even if i do have to wear that crappy medicalert bracelet. How I hate that thing.
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Illucigen
Guest
As far as army occupations, almost all "front-line" or combatarms have they same med qualifications, as they all require you to jump out and grab a gun at one point or another, should u be required to do so. Arm/Inf/Arty all have the same reqs.
Im colour deficient, which eliminates me from aircrew, military police, etc, but my eyesight is fairly good.
Basically, youll just have to explain all of that on entry, as anything they find out later, you can be fined/jailed for not reporting on entry. (You notice the warnings on the forms you have to fill out and hand in). I know someone who this actually happend too. He failed to report a couple concussions previously, and when he received a third, service limiting concussion and reported the others after a scan, he was fined before release.
Im colour deficient, which eliminates me from aircrew, military police, etc, but my eyesight is fairly good.
Basically, youll just have to explain all of that on entry, as anything they find out later, you can be fined/jailed for not reporting on entry. (You notice the warnings on the forms you have to fill out and hand in). I know someone who this actually happend too. He failed to report a couple concussions previously, and when he received a third, service limiting concussion and reported the others after a scan, he was fined before release.
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Catherine
Guest
how bad do your eyes have to be, to not be aloud into the army? are contacts ok? are glasses ok?
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you‘ll be fitted into a vision cattegory based on your uncorrected eyesight, V1 is 20/20, V5 is almost blind. trades in the combat arms require at least a V3, while combat support trades only require a V4. when i applied i was nearsigthed with a prescription of -6.5 in each eye, and they said i was a V4. so even though my glasses corrected my eyes to 20/20, i couldn‘t be in a trade in the combat arms. on a previous thread about the same subject some people have said that as long as your eyesight is corrected to 20/20, you should be fine but that was not the case for me, nor for a lot of people i know. i think that as long as you don‘t have Coke bottles for glasses, go ahead and apply, and if you end up restricted to combat support consider going with that. even though i had my heart set on being in the infantry, i‘m pretty happy as a medic.
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Hick_schell
Guest
I were glasses so what spots can I get in the army? Vision is not that bad but not that good!
Please post back
:evil:
:evil:
Chris Schell
Please post back
:evil:
:evil: Chris Schell
