Ive read alot of sniper books over the years and Tom Rutter and Rock have been in several of them. Good to read these sniper experiences from the warriors who lived it! Thanks for your Service Rock Two Five!
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Use your notes from then and what you write now together in the book as separate things. I believe the two contrasted side by side would be very powerful. I look forward to the book.
You've saved what you've written because it has value. At the least to you and I'm just gonna say it, it has value for others like me.
@sandwarrior I'd like to hear more from your experiences too.
One of my occupations is known for ptsd, alcohol abuse etc.
A few things seemed to help, hrt and yoga if you can believe it.
Knew an awesome man named Penido who was there.
Which Bat? 82nd? I don't recall the name. I was watching a documentary that had McGraw (my platoon) and Duffy (2nd). I knew those guys most all of my four years in.
Whats the documentary?
I can't remember which one of about a half a dozen. Google Grenada invasion and include McGraw. I watched it downstairs on the big screen. I'm upstairs on my computer. As far as what McGraw and Duffy said, it's pretty much right on. The producer got some facts out of order, and turned around.
I think it was this one:
Added: This one shows the national perspective. They still get times switched around. They talk about the diversion of the Marines headed to Beirut.
In spite of what you've heard or seen, There were NO Army Cobras or Chinooks there. The double roter helos you see are Marine Ch-46's. Marine Cobras can be differentiated from Army as they have two engines, Army has one.
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A good friend and old shooting buddy, Bill Walter, CmSgt USAF (ret) posted on his FB page about AC-130s in Grenada ... he was on one:
Thirty eight years ago today, Operation Urgent Fury began. Here's a snippet of the opening moments of the operation detailed in "Ghostriders 1976-1995, Invictus.":
About 0525, a three-aircraft drop formation headed for Point Salines, in a single file, spaced thirty seconds apart, five hundred feet above the sea. Commanding the lead aircraft (call sign Foxtrot 35) was Lt Col James Hobson. Though the sun began to illuminate the horizon and the weather was marginal, all was proceeding well until about two miles from the runway when a searchlight locked onto Hobson’s aircraft. Undeterred, he maintained course and airspeed while loadmasters and jumpers readied themselves for an immediate drop. Just past 0530, Foxtrot 35 entered the drop zone and troops began to rapidly exit from both paratroop doors. About halfway across the drop zone, large caliber tracers streaked towards Foxtrot 35. Surprised with the volume of close-range AAA fire, both trailing aircraft broke out of formation before reaching the drop zone. Foxtrot 35, however, could not perform a defensive maneuver since jumpers were still exiting the aircraft. Instead, Lt Col Hobson maintained course, heading and altitude until the last jumper cleared the aircraft, then banked hard right and descended to about one hundred feet altitude over the sea to escape PRA guns.
The sound of gunfire alarmed Grenadians on the southern tip of the island and Radio Free Grenada began broadcasting a call to arms to fight the Americans.
At 05:30 hours on 25 October 1983 listeners to Radio Free Grenada (RFG) heard a male voice and a female voice hysterically announcing the assault. The two announcers at RFG read from a prepared script over and over. Songs played were by Peter Tosh and Swallow and Shortshirt, tunes like 'Stand Up Grenada' and Bob Marley's "Stand Up For Your Rights."
FEMALE VOICE . . . You should report to your militia bases immediately . . . Why? . . . Because we are under attack . . .
MALE VOICE . . . Defend our homeland! We shall win! We shall beat them back! We shall bury them in the sea! They have to get a beating!
FEMALE VOICE . . . At 5:30 this morning, foreign troops began landing in our country! Our armed forces are engaging them in fierce battle . . . All doctors, nurses, medics, report to the hospital immediately.
MALE VOICE . . . We shall beat them back . . . Militia come out now! Together with the People's Revolutionary Army, we will save our country . . .
FEMALE VOICE . . . The Revolutionary Military Council is calling on all friendly countries to condemn this act of aggression, and immediately come to Grenada's aid.
Since the airfield seizure operation was truncated by unexpected AAA fire, Foxtrot 35 had dropped Taylor’s lightly-armed Headquarters Company (TOC-1), one platoon of Rangers, one Combat Controller, and USAF Air Liaison Officer (ALO) Maj James Roper (call sign Delta 75). While the HQ Company and support personnel scrambled for cover on the open airfield, additional attempts to drop the assault force were driven off by heavy 12.7mm and 23mm AAA located on the airfield and on a ridgeline northeast of the runway. Unable to drop the assault force, the Phase-1 element departed for a hold point over the ocean.
0532 hrs.:
Foxtrot-35. “Drop complete. Took fire, #2 broke off.”
Foxtrot-36 to Viking. “Need help to get in.”
Foxtrot-37. “We need the gunships.”
Foxtrot-33 “We took 23mm fire.”
0537 hrs.:
Lima-58. “On station. Call AAA by clock position.”
At about the same time, Maj Roper was receiving small arms fire but was unable to contact Lima 58. Likewise, Battalion Fire Support Officer (BNFSO) CPT Henry “Ike” Eisenbarth discovered all three radios he intended to use to coordinate AC-130 fire support were damaged on impact and inoperable. He also suffered a broken ankle when he slammed onto the runway.
“The hills 300 meters north of the runway came alive with AAA fire. I counted eight sources of heavy red tracer (.50 caliber) and estimated 80-100 sources of green tracer (AK-47). One 23mm gun was active from behind the hills. The fire was directed at the aircraft and jumpers, and several rounds zinged close overhead as I sprawled in the grass” Col (Ret.) James Roper.
Cleared to suppress the PRA gun sites, Lima 58 sensor operator TSgt Jerry Andersen systematically followed a string of tracers back to point of origin to find a four-barreled 12.7mm gun near the middle of the airfield. Without hesitation, Maj Twiford opened fire with 20mm HEI, silencing the gun and starting a fire on a nearby building. Next, the crew located and engaged four 23mm gun sites on high terrain near the east end of the runway, not far from St. George's University True Blue campus.
“We located the AAA pieces that caused the MC-130 to break off the airdrop. There were four ZU-23/2's located between the east end of the runway and the medical students school. We fired on them with 20MM. After the first burst hit, it was like stepping on a fire ant mound, gunners started coming out of a little shack near the AAA pieces manning the other guns.” CMSgt (Ret.) Jerry Andersen, Lima 58 sensor operator.
While Maj Twiford's crew engaged the 23mm guns, the HQ Company was taking fire from 12.7mm guns near mid-field and north of the runway. When Delta 75 made radio contact with Lima 58, he directed guns near the airfield to be engaged first. Within about five minutes, both gun sites were silenced. Meanwhile, the HQ Company dodged small arms fire as they quickly made their way off the open airfield towards cover.
Caught in the middle of the action were students and faculty of St. Georges Medical College, some of which were dangerously close to combat activity when fighting began. Dr. Robert Jordan lived in a house about three-hundred meters north of the Point Salines control tower. He witnessed not only the airdrop, but had a “front-row seat” view of the duel between Lima 58 and PRA gunners.
“I will never, ever forget the sight and sound of the Spectre circling at 5:30 AM on 25th with antiaircraft bursts around you and behind you and the beautiful sound of your guns responding to and silencing the nearby PRA AA guns. Man, those guys ran by us so fast, dropping their uniforms as they did.” Dr. Robert Jordan.
While Lima 58 located and fired on AAA positions one-by-one, Foxtrot 36 made several more approaches to the drop zone but was driven off again and again by AAA fire. Lima 58 sensor operators found AAA guns fairly easy since poorly-trained PRA crews fired excessively, exposing their positions by both muzzle flash and tracer fire.
Yes, AC-130's were in action there. Funny thing, the first one was trading fire with ground AA guns. This went on for about 15 mins. This was before second C-130 drop of Rangers. Anyhow, they are going back and forth. The AA guns fire up, miss the C-130. It did a lot of slipping to avoid it too. Then the 20's open up down on the AA guns. We're all sitting there on the West hill overlooking the airport watching the light show. Tracers up, tracers down. We look at the Cubans and they're all watching the light show too!
It was after the C-130 left for refuel/resupply that Robert O. shot the guy off one of the guns. About a 930m shot. HERO! After the Cubans on the hill, behind the gun, surrender we start searching them. I was one of them that did, anyways. Several Rangers went over to check out the gun. As some of you may know ZSU-23's fire by this stupid azz rotating pedal type dealio. O. gets on the gun and turns the pedal for about three shots. INSTANT FUCKING GOAT! In his defense though, who knew?? He didn't just wander over there. Several guys were there and no one knew that's how it fired. Fortunately, the gun was aimed out over the south shore and no one was hit.
There was another compound east and down the hill from the airport barracks that was holding out. SPECTRE (AC-130) put a couple 105's right next to it. Then one of our CPL's, who was Cuban, talked them out of there rather than have them get annihilated. IMO, he was a hero who never got the credit he deserved.
SPECTRE was pretty awesome, but I was amazed at how 'not as accurate as they say' it was. As we moved off airport hill to goat hill, SPECTRE opened up with the 40's to clear a little canyon. I thought they were firing at Cubans in there, who were going to light us up. With the weight in my ruck, I sprinted about 80 yds. to the one rock sticking up in that clearing. My Sgt. gets me up and tells me they were just clearing it.
Added: "Ike" Eisenbarth was our over-seer of all things heavy and indirect. A great man. 7' and 300 lbs. he had to get a waiver for both.
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Duuuuuude!
Thanks for what you've done.
You and the Cubans watching the lights show.
Great way to illustrate.
Thank Rock two-five for what he's done. After all he got his picture in magazines and stuff. Now, it's all over the internet. If they gave him a dime for every time...
Well, lets just say you wouldn't worry where the mortgage or rent was comin' from.As I stated in another post, I have no idea why we weren't involved in some way in Beirut. Not sure how Rock feels about it, but sometimes it seems like the U.S. Gov't sends you someplace and forgets about you. Wait!...You need food? Blankets? Well, try to source it there if you can. No, you can't do this, you can't do that... They still like to control. Now, go out and do the mission.
On the other hand, from what I heard, Beirut became the SEAL's training AO. Yes, they had real missions, but it was pretty well suited to bringing people up to a higher level. People got dead serious, or they got dead.
I always have to add this disclaimer. I get asked a lot who is tougher, Rangers or Seals. I know put 'em in a jar and shake 'em up...
right??So, toughness is a mindset that anyone can adopt. I like to use the word 'better'. Rangers are Infantry with Special Ops capability. The training requires toughness and endurance. Most things you learn in the Rangers are pretty much advancements of infantry tactics. You get a LOT of hands on and time doing the tasks. Seals get a lot more vetting to even get to the training. Which also requires a ton of toughness and endurance. Both test you to see at what point you will quit. And when they do 'get there', they spend more time in intensive training on more specific tasks. They do get a higher level of quality training. We typically have too many people to to train to the specifics that they train on.
Better? On an individual basis, a SEAL is better because of that. If you were to talk about mission results quality. Again, SEALs. Because of mission requirements, they're kind of more like a scalpel, we're more like the hammer. Rangers today are a lot more like scalpels than we were.
Now, add to this mix the Marines. The 'composite' way their MEU's are set up has always made sense to me. Still quickly deployable. Infantry supported by artillery in one unit. This is great, except the infantry has no higher capability. If we/unit like us were attached, then the base unit could 'reach out' better. Small enough to be efficient and big enough to be effective. The whole point of being composite was so that you could be 'modular'. Put these guys with those guys for X-mission, put them with dem guys for Y-missions. The Marines struggle for enough money to handle even regular training. All the other 'pigs at the trough' services need to back off. That's politics though.
To the awesome stars of this thread I hope this season finds you well.
I cannot speak for other people, but many people I know and including myself feel the need to hear and read about those experiences. I wish my father would have written about some of the time in the USMC and stuff he did on the Rifle Teams and shooting. I look at his Medals and Distinguished Marksman Badge, team medals, and try to remember the stories he told me. But the years that have gone by, I am saddened that I have probably forgotten more than I remember. It would not be right for me to tell these stories as I was not the one experiencing it.
The response about enjoying our freedoms hits home, much like my father always said. I believe many of us are going to have to live through some hard times in the not-too-distant future. Having the history, the information of others that have experienced this stuff and learned from it is going to be critical in the future. My father met Carlos many times and considered him a friend. I never got to meet him, met plenty of other warriors, and got the hear stories. Going back and watching some of the interviews he gave, you know that there is so much information that man took with him that is now lost to the world. He gave us a lot of it, to learn from, and many of us are grateful to have that.
Thank you for the information that you are able to give us. Yes, many would love to hear your stories, and your experiences, we would be honored to hear them!
I have been on Gun Forums for a very long time. Think this is fitting
As it turns out, I’ve met a Ghost Writer recently that is going to guide me on writing a book. She’s done a lot of books for some high profile folks. So I’m on my way way with some expert assistance.
In trade, she’s asked that I give her some firearm training. Sounded like a sweet deal to me lol!
I call dibs on an autographed first edition!
Very cool- we can't wait for the book. Important question- is she hawt ?!
Awesome, I hope she is hot.
This can be a chapter in the book...
"She took the head....of the bolt....in her hands and pulled it back, than suddenly jerked it forward, sliding the long slender ......cartridge.....into the orifice....of the chamber"
I just finished "Trigger Men" about to start "Kill Shot", thank you for the list of books... I'm looking forward to reading your book!!
DW
That sounds amazing! Please keep us posted for updates. Would love to read it!
@Rock two-five as of 2016 the picture of you that kicked this thread off is hung on the wall of the 2d recon bn training room. Never knew who it was though. Thanks for joining and sharing some of your story.
I didn’t know that before, thanks for the heads up! I’ll be there in October. I’ll see if I can have a look at it. I went to ARS with guys from 2ND Recon BN.
Years ago I was told that a poster of it was hanging in Quantico at the Scout/Sniper Instructor schoolroom.
Thanks again!
SF
Yeah, see if it’s still there. Classroom above the Motor T building.
I went through school at Quantico; don’t remember seeing it there. There were two adjacent classrooms though, foreign weapons/sniper team leader and basic sniper. I stayed on the basic side.
I'm in for one of your books also. This has been a great thread.
Glad to hear you've begun writing a book, brother! I was 3/6 STA myself, but early 90's. My old platoon have a private FB page where we talk a lot and stay in touch. We've been trying to get our platoon sergeant to write a book as well. He was a Force Recon bubba back in the late 70' to early 80's and there's just not a lot known about those years between Nam and the Gulf War. He took our platoon to Mogadishu, which is another conflict we should write more about before we get too old to remember. My platoon racked up a pretty good kill count there.
I even contacted the USMC museum once because they have no account of Somalia anywhere. Never heard back from them.
BLT 3/6, 24th MEU(SOC), 1994.
I even contacted the USMC museum once because they have no account of Somalia anywhere. Never heard back from them.
BLT 3/6, 24th MEU(SOC), 1994.
I just came across this thread that begun 2 years ago. I've been so busy looking through the classifieds every day that I haven't taken the time to do some actual reading....until today. This all is just amazing. To begin with the question "who is in this picture?" to the actual person in the picture responding and reading some small bits of his actual stories. Rock two-five, you have a hell of a story to tell and I, for one, can't wait to hear more. It's great to see you still deal in the profession.
Long time myself not coming back to this thread. It really would be an interesting read to hear of the Marines experiences in Mogadishu. It was well chronicled that the Marines were there in Somalia in the year prior to the Battle of Mogadishu. But, nothing really talked about. Especially not Recon Marines. It's not talked about either that they were very effective, which they were. Then Clinton got it in his head that he'd pull the Marines out and let the badasses take out Farrah Aidid. Little knowing how to be effective militarily, he set us up for a bad outcome.
I'd love to but @velayo_0317 , @CaylenW , or @lowlight would be the more appropriate folks given their backgrounds. They'd kill it.
what are we talking about,
we have like 4 pages here, I am not seeing The Who or what
we have like 4 pages here, I am not seeing The Who or what
@Rock two-five is the sniper in said photo in Beirut and sounds like would be great in the podcast
You need this guy on the podcast Frank. This is an epic thread.
It’s Theis!
A Marine sniper sights through the scope of his 7.62mm M-40A1 sniping rifle from a sand bag rest in the Marine compound near the Beirut International Airport. The Marines have been deployed as part of a multinational peacekeeping force following conf
Download Image of A Marine sniper sights through the scope of his 7.62mm M-40A1 sniping rifle from a sand bag rest in the Marine compound near the Beirut International Airport. The Marines have been deployed as part of a multinational peacekeeping force following confrontation between Israeli...nara.getarchive.net
According to the National Archives, picture was taken Jan 10, 1983 in Beirut.
Is it still your co-worker?
Sirhr
I'm bringing this thread back, it's far to good to let it die...
@Rock two-five do you have any updates on the book?
DW
@Rock two-five do you have any updates on the book?
DW
Just a fact that he has left-handed cuts the field way down
Looking more like a long slow Stalk at the moment…
When you need a copy editor, hit me up!!! I do it for free I exchange for a signed copy, and you can blame all typos on me.
Seriously, I have done several books including Jim Stejskal’s series…
This thread caused me to buy and read all the sniper books mentioned. Good stuff.
Could you do my novel if I ever finish it and figure out how to get it published?
why not. I read everything with a red pen in my hand...
As for getting it published... get an agent NOW. Not when it's finished. The Agent and publisher will want to.... guide it. Finished manuscripts almost never get published. And publishers won't touch books except through agents. Write a 1 - 2 page book proposal... and find books that are similar to yours (that sold well). Then find out what agent represents those books. And send your proposal in. If you get a publisher that wants it, they typically give you an advance and deadlines. Don't miss a deadline or they will hunt you down and kill you. No really. Anyway, it's really hard these days. Book reading is down everywhere. So publishers are really selective.
I am trying to find a video of a talk a couple of us did last month at the Norwich University Residency about getting published. It's short and has good info.
Cheers,
Sirhr
USMC Moving Target Training
Bringing this back from the dead... one of the greatest threads on here!
@Rock two-five any progress on your book?
DW
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