Re: Weekend Shoot With Aaron Howell, Awsome Time!!
Hey fella's...
I'm the other Jarhead George mentioned in the OP. After talking to Matt earlier, I realized that I hadn't even thought to swing by here yet to see George's awesome post.
For a bit of insight, below are a few words I pecked out following the recent Warrior shoot where we met Aaron. I thought it would provide a bit of context, so you all can see better into how this all came about.
break break...
<span style="font-style: italic">Once again I sit here humbly, pecking at keys with ten serviceable digits, meagerly fumbling for words as I reflect upon what I am now witness too.
Please step into my head for a second, I hope you brought a mouthpiece and ear pro… it’s the only way I can convey, with any shred of honor and accuracy, what I beheld on the eleventh of September, two thousand ten.
One of my closest brothers from the Corps sought me out in the crowd ten feet behind the firing line. “Chad, can we get a bolt gun? We’ve got an 8541 out here…”
Now keep in mind my buddy served 18 months in our Scout Sniper Platoon, one of the last Marine PIGs to OJT and MEU(SOC) qualify to take a shot with the M40 back in the day. The entirety of his time in a S/S Platoon was as a pack mule, humping three radios and a metric fuckload of equipment with his Sniper. This new HOG spotted SwiftScout's S/S Platoon shirt and dangled his Hog’s Tooth when he got SwiftScout's attention. Ten years later, he found a new sniper, once again he was assisting a trigger puller and calling wind.
“Stand by bro…” I replied.
I darted over to SCARSSR (another Jarhead) and gave him the SitRep. He rogered up and called Jim Owens (FN, and Marine 8541) over to our huddle. Once apprised of the situation, he directed the PIG to his truck to retrieve a FN bolt gun from the cab and to “blast away, just keep a round count for the parent agency”.
We were in business.
Longrifle was guns up, Spotter was eyes on target.
I snaked a box of M118LR and presented it to the sniper to insure it was an acceptable vintage. I got a thumb up and a grin that gave me moto-chills. A feeling similar to what I think it would be like to light a smoke off the wing of a SR71 that just landed after a supersonic flight.
Now I want the reader to understand that I’m relating one of many stories that are interrelated by my mere presence and seeing it first hand. There were countless acts of courage, selflessness, servitude, love, honor, and reflection. This one story is something very near to my heart, because it personally effects me, and it greatly effected several of my closest friends from the past and present. Last weekend SwiftSniper visited me for the first time in 10 years, it was like we hadn’t missed a day. One night we stood in my kitchen over COUNTLESS beers talking about our wounded brothers. It became apparent, he had to be at that shoot.
The day of the shoot, Jules, RRTX, K Randomfactor, Smirac, SwiftScout, and myself left my cave and made the drive to the Crucible… amped for the day to come. Unbeknownst to us, a simple T-shirt greatly changed that day for many of us there. SwiftScout had worn his old S/S Plt shirt, which is the only reason we found out that that stud was a Sniper. From then on, the Corps took over and we took care of our own. To say that he did not disappoint would be insulting. He upheld the Highest standards of the Corps, focusing on the task at hand, and worked the solutions to insure that his fundamentals did not disturb his sight picture as he pressed that trigger straight to the rear.
This young Sniper, with some assistance via the “two man buddy carry”, unassed his wheelchair, and took up a rock solid prone position behind the rifle. His first action behind the gun was to check the BDC and spin the dope to zero. With the assistance of his spotter who tore open the fresh box of M118LR, he loaded the internal box magazine of the FN rifle with the use of his only finger, his trigger finger.
I leaned over to him and said “Schmidt and Bender PMII huh? Brings it back a bit, eh?”
“It sure does man…” he replied
As he status checked the bolt, I sat back and said “Aw f-it, you got this s***… this is old hack for you”
He shot me a smile from behind his Oakleys.
This stud proceeded to fire five, load five, fire five, load five, fire five, load five, and fire five then cleared the weapon. When he was finished he had, I s*** you not, shot a hole clean through a Larue target with M118LR. The only way that is possible with 7.62x51 is to stack every shot with sub moa accuracy. He did it cold, with no legs, one thumb, and only his trigger finger to press the switch.
And then…
Once the UberMedic and I got his hand positioning worked out, I dropped the bolt and flipped the switch. From then on, he painted his symphony in 5.56 and dead zombies...
He smoked through at least three relays in the carbine competition to win the Grand Prize with an EOtech equipped LWRCI M6 PDW.
This Young Stud, like every one of those killers, is the epitome of what is right with the American Warfighter. He is a living testament as to why Marine Scout Snipers are the most respected long gunners in the world.
All emotions aside, he was a relatively young sniper. He graduated Scout Sniper School last year, and was hit on his first mission by a plate charge four months ago in A’stan. What he showed us yesterday is that he is one of the greatest Snipers I have ever had the honor of meeting. And I met, served with, and drank alot of beer with a lot of f-n badass Marine Snipers including Booker, Dow, OConnor, Delaney, Healey, Leahy, Maloney, Villareal, Ramsey, Day, Johnson, Pshak, Querrin, Mawhinney... Howell's name is now carved into the granite that constitutes that list in my skull.
Semper Fi.
This weekend was such an awesome time, something that was well worth the stress and efforts taken to insure it was a success. I can only be thankful to take rank amongst so many great people who gladly threw themselves at this event. Not only that, but to be able to put our finest Warriors behind the finest weapons our country produces.
This weekend was a blast and a blow to Jihad on a day which couldn't be more fitting.
It was such an awesome feeling to stand before them, to be the one to inform them that they were standing amongst industry and private citizens, Federal Agents and Active Duty Pipe Hitters; all who were here to insure that they got any and all help they needed to get on the guns and work whatever demons they need to, out.
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When I asked Aaron if he had a "stick" of his own, he had just thanked me for letting him shoot a long gun... REALLY??? like that was a decision that required fasting and introspection... I replied "dude, thanks for not embarrassing us" and slapped him on the shoulder.
Two days later, Matt and I were on different lines; I was in the vault on my cell and he was on the range, talking to George at GAP. Totally unscripted and uncoordinated assault.
That kid lit that target up! Someone asked for an update when he shoots the F-class. Well something was left out. He did shoot the F-class that day! The F-class guys came over and said many a heartfelt thanks, also informing him that those winds were the worst many had seen on Range 4 in 20 years.
It was a friggen vortex. With Matt on the Loopy glass watching flags, Aaron was zeroed out on windage and holding off/on waiting for the flags to favor the shot. Once particular shot I remember, the flags on the target line were slack.
"Send it!" Matt urged.
After a pregnant pause, I heard the sear release. In the next instant, the flag at the 600 stood out at full value L-R right as the shot broke, then it immediately dropped.
"S***...." I thought to myself.
The carriage came back up a few moments later, spotter tight at 3 oclock in the 9ring.
"...I don't know what happened. I called it center of mass...it felt clean" Aaron reflected to Matt.
"I dunno dude, the flags were still at the target line." Matt replied.
I had to tell the team what I saw. It was just one of those tough shooting days.
Aaron is a stud of the highest caliber. I can't wait to get him out and shooting again soon.