DMZ_Dragon

Did you go through the month training course for the elite MFR snipers where it's every day you get a target at a random range and have 2 shots max to hit it? I forget the name of the course, but it's bloody hard to actually complete.

Opinions on the M24 and its variations, if any(my favourite rifle, especially the pre-SWS models)?

And I presume not, but how was your experience in ghillie suits, if any? I imagine you Recons don't use them too much, needing to be mobile at all times.

Any adjustments that you made to your rifle that were specific to you? Also, a better picture of said rifle(your picture with buddies is far too small to make anything out)?

The course in question may be TFR, not MFR. It's a program for the top snipers, and the ones who pass tend to end up in the most dangerous missions, last I heard.

And another question, when and if you have time, opinions on Chris Kyle and Carlos Hathcock?

For me, Kyle differs depending on what you read about him.

From his servicebuddies, what you hear is exactly what you describe: calm and collected man, doesn't brag, and generally gives off the impression that he was a cool guy.

Then you have that interview he did for his book, one of several, that reinforces the above statements, but also shows that Kyle was proud of what he did, though not to the extent he supposedly writes in the book.

Then you have the infamous news about him claiming he shot two would be robbers at a gas station, which, if assuming it was actually told by him and the way that most retell it, makes him quite a dangerous man to society (oh, you want to steal? I'll shoot you). But since no recollection of the incident is available in police reports, we only have Kyle's(?) word to go for (a double manslaughter doesn't just vanish). Again, odd incident, more than a little bragging, which doesn't mesh with his personality on TV.

Then you have the infamous American Sniper. First of all, it paints different picture of the man that the book does. It's a good movie about a sniper having issues with his job and the morality of it all. The book, supposedly written by Kyle, portrays him as a merciless, hypereffective sniper who only wishes he'd have killed some more sand people. The movie pictures the character we all expect to see, one struggling with the implications of killing someone.

I am not sure what to believe.

The facts I know to be true are the following:

Kyle was an extremely effective sniper. This is unquestioned.

-end of facts-

The discrepancies start with his book and his behaviour on various TV appearances. If the book was truly written by Kyle, I hate to say it, but I feel a little more at ease that he isn't walking around anymore. The book portrays a monster. But it's the book Kyle supposedly wrote.

While on his few interviews, he seemed like a normal, if tormented guy, whom I respect both as a sniper and as a person, even through I am not a US citizen and never met the man in question.

It's this dichotomy that troubles me with Kyle. The supposedly official information written by himself, outs him as a heartless human being who doesn't care about lives as long as they are the enemy. His wife's stories, the interviews, give a completely different image. And as such, I don't know what to believe.

Questions below, since you like them

Favourite transport vehicle while deployed?

Which, if any, rites of passage did you undergo as an MFR?

Opinion on body armour and its effectiveness if you wore any?

Could you list the little things that made your work in all your projects worthwhile? Like, what made working on Stargate fun? What attracted you to stay in FireFly?

• Basically - What made the work you put into your various projects worth it?

Honest answer: What was the longest time for you to lug around a loaded M40 before you had to fire it?

I remember the SWAT guys and some of the other Iraq war vets faux-complaining that they at some point lugged around rifles of the M24/M40/M700 models, loaded with a single round, for hours (SWAT waiting to take a shot) or even days for the military, and the weapons worked fine even after going through dirt and sand with a loaded round(the faux-complaint being that the rifles were so low maintenance). Hence the question about your own experience with this.