Yes, you can adopt a sniper, and here’s why:
I got the link to Adopt A Sniper from Froggy Ruminations, a blog by a former Navy SEAL who I thought of today, because I figured he’d be very upset about the bad news from Afghanistan.
And, yes, he’s upset, and he’s blogging about the news.
Here are some reasons there’s a site to help out snipers in Iraq:
My name is Sgt. Ben xxxxxx, sniper section leader with xxxxxxx, currently deployed to Iraq …We do have M-24’s, and M-14’s that are not in the best condition but serviceable. Most other mission essential equipment came out of our own pockets. I was wondering if you have any spotting scopes, Bow Flage, spray point, or old BDU’s you could donate to us. I have 3 teams who are all qualified but just don’t have the equipment they need. Any donations would be greatly appreciated sir.
Sir,
Your package arrived at Forward Operating Base XXXXX today and was meet with great fan fair by my Marines. We are tremendously grateful for the equipment that you sent us …
Your package arrived at Forward Operating Base XXXXX today and was meet with great fan fair by my Marines. We are tremendously grateful for the equipment that you sent us …
I had the Marines compile a list of personal use items that they could use. Of course good stateside, Copenhagen was right at the top. Any type of Protein Bars ( We have each lost about 10-20 lbs so far), Gatorade and Poweraid Drink Mix, Dry Weapons Lubricants like Graphite ( the sand is a constant battle), Canned air, and anything else…
I’ve been in country for about 6 months and we have faced allot of problems over here with employment that the schools do not teach so it’s made my job pretty difficult. We have been able to adapt and overcome our challenges but unfortunately, it has been at our own cost because the unit does not see the reason we need different gear than the line platoons. We have had to purchase rappelling harnesses, rope, carabineers, and flack vest’s that allow us to seat the rifles in our shoulders better, along with other comfort items …
A lot of out of pocket expense, but well worth it. The only thing I foresee us needing would be good cleaning/lubricating stuff. I put my hands on as much as I could before we came out, but it goes fast.
We’re trying to get military issue winter over whites in LG and XLG. For some reason we can’t get them through our supply system here. We’re not using ghillie suits over here. We can spray paint the over whites and use them instead. They work really well in the sand and in urban conditions. …
It is true, that most of the USMC S/S teams are continually purchasing thier own equipment that doesnt exist in the military supply systems, and any help thats available is greatly appreciated.
Until now it seems we were misunderstood and under utilized. Now we are in demand and are working hard to do our jobs with half the gear. My partner and I have shelled out thousands on gear and we are still in need….
so now we know it is not only the humvees, it is everything that is needed for them to do their jobs. I think this needs to be reported to your congressman or senator.
When I read that these guys have spent THOUSANDS of their own money, and that police snipers here in the U.S. are banding together to get supplies, etc. to these guys in Iraq, it makes me nuts.
Did you catch the “due to cutbacks by past administrations,” snipers don’t have all of the equipment they need . . . (bf mine).
It’s Clinton’s fault.
Actually, it is, at least sort of. The Clinton administration made enormous cuts in the military. I remember, because I was cheering him on.
I was in favor of those cuts for two reasons. Firstly, there was no reason to maintain a military designed to take on the USSR when the USSR didn’t exist any more. And secondly, I figured that if we did need to beef up the military again, we’d just spend the money and do it.
Obviously, I was only half right. But there was no way to know, back in 1996 or so, that the next president of the United States would be a chimpanzee.
Charlton Heston in charge of the NRA should have been my first clue… 😉
It makes me nuts too. What the hell is happening to the small fortune I pay in federal taxes every year? Oh right, the IRS is just the middlean between me and Halliburton…
That should be middleman. Must use preview…
well, maybe when one joins up they ought to get a contract signed by the military to assure the person they will get all that is needed for them to do their selected job, ie, sniper. Maybe that would stop some of this shit. And I would say that they want it in writing to assure one to get it no matter what and when they reneg on this, I would sue the ass off them and the pentagon and everyone involved.
PS, and if they refused to sign the contract, then I would refuse to sign on the dotted line for service too.
Froggy has some ways for people to express their condolences to the Navy SEAL families…. use the link to his blog.
our charity.
It’s a scandal that these soldiers are being sent into combat (we can’t really say “into battle” anymore) without the tools they need to do the job.
But then, it’s a scandal that these soldiers are in Iraq killing people in my name. Even if we stipulate that all their kills are combatants.
I suppose the moral tragedy of this whole endeavor is that people with an essentially moral outlook are being placed in a situation where they are compelled to commit immmoral acts as the price of their own survival and/or that of their comrades.
Let me say that there is no ill intent that causes military units to fall short of the gear that they need. It is mainly because the US government is perhaps the most inefficient entity on the face of the earth. Across the board. The budget process that Congress has created and maintained for decades promotes poor planning and prevents rapid access to funds for contingent use.
When I was in the SEAL Teams, we had to buy gear all the time because the supply people would have had to be fortune tellers to guess how much of each widget we would need a year in advance. Gear evolves much faster than that, and most importantly, the supply officers are not operators. This is especially problematic for snipers because their gear is very specialized. There is also widespread disagreement as to what widget is the best widget for what type of operation. It is very subjective.
Anyway, thanks Susan for supporting the Teams and Snipers.