FORT DRUM, N.Y. -- Fort Drum Soldiers will test their mettle against the best sniper teams from across U.S. military, international militaries and local, state and federal law enforcement agencies at the International Sniper Competition, scheduled for Oct. 16-22 at Fort Benning, Ga.
Staff Sgt. John Brady, a marksmanship instructor at the Light Fighters School and a former U.S. Army Sniper Course instructor, is training the Fort Drum Soldiers.
"Commanders want to know how they are going to prepare their troops for combat," Brady said. "This training and this competition are directly related to combat."
The Soldiers return to their units knowing exactly what their capabilities are in any given situation, including firing from suspended platforms, behind barricades and from behind vehicles.
"I can look my commander in the eye and tell him what I can do," said Sgt. Eric Randall, with A Company, 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment. "He will know exactly how he can best employ my sniper team."
What these snipers can do is impressive.
"At the end of last year's training," Brady said, "the snipers were able to hit a man-sized target from a standing position at 1,600 meters."
Setting the stage for maximum performance is what this competition is all about, and it includes improving self-awareness.
Randall takes notes on his phone to document what affects both his and his partner's performance, including the revelation that talking trash to competitors is bad for accuracy.
He also recalled an example of something that helped.
"I got a text message that upset me, and it actually made me shoot better," said Randall, whose team took fourth place in the U.S. Army Forces Command, or FORSCOM, division of the competition.
"Yeah, we learned that yesterday," said Sgt. 1st Class Anthony Haines, a Pre-Ranger Course instructor and the other half of Randall's sniper team, who provides the daily southern rock and country western music at the practice range, which helps his performance.
"The experience and training we will bring back and pass on to our units is a big payoff," said Haines, who will transfer to 1st Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment, after the competition.
Army doctrine tells that military operations are complex human endeavors, and being a sniper is no exception.
"A sniper team's relationship is key," Brady said. "We need to learn who works best together and in what role."
Cpl. Sean Hayes and Spc. Derron Daniels, both with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, are paired up for the competition.
"I'm the better spotter," Hayes said. "(Daniels) is the better shooter."
Some 40 teams will be at the competition, and it is a great opportunity to network and learn from others in the relatively small sniper community, according to Hayes, whose team took third place in the FORSCOM division last year.
The training and techniques go far beyond simply putting rounds down range. It includes weapons maintenance and how to combat the effects of everything from climate to elevation.
"Positions, technique, everything," Daniels said. "This is the best training you'll ever get."
When all is said and done, each of these competitors will have fired some 26,500 rounds among the M110 sniper rifle, the M2010 enhanced sniper rifle, the M4 carbine and the M9 pistol in two months of training, according to Brady.
"For the past two years, (this competition) has received great support from the 1-32 Infantry Battalion," said Brady, noting that three of the teams' members are from the Chosin Battalion, two of whom are returning from last year.
"In return, they are getting some very-well-trained snipers."
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