Righteousness of our 'American Snipers'

[Lurks Often]

9. Hardly the first war this had occurred in.

If you ignore Hollywood and the MSM and really dig into the personal stories of those who have seen combat, soldiers in Iraq & Afghanistan have much in common with their predecessors in Vietnam, Korea and WWII.

Read Audie Murphy's book "To Hell and Back" and you can see the progression from eager soldier to combat veteran and the PTSD that came with it. E.B. Sledge's "With The Old Breed" is a similar example, only as a Marine in the Pacific.

As for snipers, it takes a certain mindset to be one. A sniper SEES his target up close and personal in the scope of the rifle and SEES the person die, something most soldiers, even those in combat, don't see very often.

I've been a soldier, although I was fortunate to never see combat. To those who have never been in the military, it's hard to explain what being part of a platoon is like. You spend time with some 25+ people, some that you don't even really like and yet you're going have to depend on them and trust those people with your life if you see combat. The closest examples you generally see in the civilian world are EMT's, firefighters & law enforcement, but even they to get to home after their shift is over, something a combat soldier doesn't get to do.