Is being Ambidextrous helpful for being a sniper in the Military?
For being a sniper, not directly. It may give you an advantage when it comes to working on things being as with practice you can become proficient at use of either hand. It does make it easier when needing to use a tool at an angle where you have difficulty with the right hand when you can switch to the left. The same goes for handling small parts. You can get to the point where you do not need to switch the part to the right hand to fit it into place. With writing it is handy to be able to use both hands, when I had to fill out and sign stacks of official papers for the military position I held, 100 signatures a day were not uncommon, it can be tiring on the hands so I would just keep switching hands. Being ambidextrous and shooting did have a benefit although due to sighting it is not re dilly recognized in the military. I became half blind in my right eye at the tome of the first Gulf War which was considered my predominant eye. I had no trouble changing to shooting left accurately. For the military, they want you to state whether you are right or left handed. If you state ambidextrous, you may hear an answer as I did; "That just means you can jack off with both hands." It is not the standard and there is little consideration for the benefits it carries such as above mentioned or the ability to throw a hand grenade accurately with either hand. For military considerations, no. For your personal benefit, only if you practice and make use of it. You can practice throwing baseballs to get better control and strength. Learning to play billiards with both hands is also a good practice, I play right hand against left hand. If you can draw or paint, try right hand for the right side and left hand for the left side of the picture, this is a great training method. It goes deeper than just being able to use either hand, it is also a good method of training for your brain and perceptive abilities with hand eye coordination. Keep going for your own benefit even if not for the military.
My friend wants to be a Sniper but has Asthma. Can he still join?
No he cant asthma is a condition that they'll drop you before boot with. Its too dangerous for your health and more importantly the health of other troops who are relying on you being physically able to perform. Asthma wont allow you to perform at the same level as them Next lets get something straight, shooting at a range is not "sniping" even at what you say is 800m. Its the same as folks in the hunting section asking what is a good sniper rifle. Facts are sniper rifles are just rifles with scopes that are highly accurate what makes them sniper rifles are the men holding them are trained snipers. The same applies to your "friend" he is not "gifted at sniping" he is gifted at shooting a gun and if what you say is true he has a good understanding of long range shots. HOWEVER to be sniping he must be a trained sniper shooting at what would be a target (usually the enemy). Sniping is not all about eyesight, its an extremely physical job and requires the sniper to be in tip top shape. Its not all what you play in your video games with a lot of laying around, those guys work hard and do a lot of exercise. It has to do with being smart, strong and physically able to perform the job. Your buddy wanting to serve is commendable however him wanting to slide in with asthma would be endangering others serving with him. He should realize this and anyone with any warrior spirit would rather not endanger men. Him wanting to slide in also show immaturity and a lack of comprehension of what i just said it would endanger others and himself. I tend to think with how you worded this question and your knowledge of his medical condition makes me think your talking about yourself not a friend. I'm not certain but i dont think someone can join with asthma however i could be wrong on that point.
Can you become a sniper in the military if you wear glasses?
Perfect vision is not a requirement. Being an excellent shot, is. Unfortunately, most people who wear glasses are not superior marksmen. Tell your friend to take marksmanship classes at a local rifle range if he wants to improve his chances.
Does becoming a military sniper change you as a person?
I served as a Marine Scout Sniper from 1990 to 1994. I graduated from the Scout Sniper Basic Course at Camp Pendleton in December 1991, and was a team leader and Chief Scout for 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines. I later served another year as a sniper in the Reserves.Your question is valid, but very difficult to answer. I think it’s much more about the specific personality traits of an individual and the life experience that individual gains, and less about a particular school or military occupational specialty one has.I can tell you that some of the best scout snipers I’ve known were more even-tempered and less outgoing. Maybe even a little introverted. They tended to be thoughtful and reflective. Do I know some great scout snipers who talk loud and like to party? Yes! But I think they would be in the minority.As for changing of one’s personality over time, I think any kind of combat experience (which an infantryman and scout sniper would be bound to experience at some point) can change your outward personality. You’re still the same guy, but with a new set of experiences that reset your world view. That will make you seem different to the people around you, even if you don’t realize the change in yourself.As for being less social, I think that would be more as a result of combat experience as well, not resulting just from undergoing scout sniper training. As with most things in the military, the job of a scout sniper depends greatly on the ability to work well with others. It’s called teamwork, and we talk about it a lot in the Marine Corps. Teamwork doesn’t make you a social butterfly, but it certainly requires you to play well with others. The “lone wolf” myth is just that - a myth. The guy who can’t work with whoever the boss puts him with is a danger to himself and others.
Can you join the SWAT team after being in the military with no police experience?
In order to join a SWAT TEAM, first you will need to join the Police Department that has the SWAT TEAM. With the department I was with, two years experience with the department as a sworn officer. Then you can apply for a position. Then you are ‘invited’ for try outs for a particular position open. For me I was with the DVU and a friend (a Detective) ask me to join him and the others on the SWAT TEAM to come out to shoot at our training facility. “SURE!” I went and was introduced to the members and the TEAM Commander. I shot the bad guy targets. Conducted ‘entry’ exercises. My friend was #2 on that exercise [#1 uses the ‘ram’ and # 2, first one in-first one shot… they call him ‘RAMBO’]Well, I was having a blast when the Commander [Lt] ask me if I want to shoot a Sniper rifle? Well, I was a Sniper in the army, spent time in Vietnam and been years since I held one. He said, “I got a sweet .308 Winchester Remington 700 in my trunk!” He got it out. “Sure, why not, Lt!”It was like riding a bike. Once you learn, you NEVER forget!Well, I hit every target from 300 meters to 1600 meters.He came up and said, “Report to my office Monday!”I turned and said, “Why should I???”“Cause, I just found my new SNIPER for 4th Platoon!… Hendricks is retiring, you're my new shooter! …Oh, by the way, I seen your Military jacket-Army Sniper, you fired .308 Winchester. I told Detective Thomas…Rambo, to get you out here today! OH, that Remington is mine, you’ll qualify with a .308 AR-15 Armalite .The like the one I shot that day: .308 Winchester Remington 700/Leopold ScopeThe DVU gave me the nickname; WOLF this was on my SWAT VEST:My SWAT Helmet :Bottom line join, apply and enjoy… I was on the SWAT TEAM for 12 yrs and NEVER regretted that Lt’s look in my Army records!THANKS ‘RAMBO’ [Thomas] and ‘POPS’ [ the Lt.]
Can women be Snipers?
Yes, but there is only one I know of. Senior Airman Jennifer Donaldson from the Illinois Air National Guard has become the first woman to be trained at the only U.S. military sniper school open to females. This is very rare indeed. Senior Airman Donaldson graduated from the National Guard Sniper School's first counter-sniper course for Air Guard security force personnel on April 14, 2001 and served as a role model for the Hollywood movie 'G.I. Jane'. Normally the U.S. Military does not take, or train women for combat roles. The main reason for this is very simple: when a woman is injured on the battlefield, the men get distracted and spend and inordinate amount of time attending to their wounds. This is not a good thing in a combat situation. The Israeli's found this out early on when they used women in many combat roles. And Kojak is right on the money about the Russian's using women in Sniper roles. They used many in WWII and they were exceptionally skillful at completing their missions. Women are extremely proficient with weapons and many third World countries still train them and deploy them in a number of effective combat roles.
What's the easiest way to become a sniper?
Well since you mentioned ARMY I'll give you the requirements to become a US ARMY Sniper.You won't be able to enlist as a Sniper you'll have to serve for a while before you get a chance. * Male. * PFC to SFC (waiverable for MSG and above). * Active duty or ARNG and USAR. * Good performance record. * No history of alcohol or drug abuse. * A volunteer (with commander recommendation). * Vision of 20/20 or correctable to 20/20. * No record of disciplinary action. * Expert marksman with M16A1 or M16A2 rifle. * Minimum of one-year retrainability. (left in the Army) * Career management field 11B, 11M, 18 series. (Infantry) * Pass APFT (70 percent, each event consisting of a 2 mile run, 2 min of pushups and sit-ups) * 110 GT score So you'll have to serve some time as a regular 11x then volunteer for sniper school.
I want to be a sniper in the Army. What do I have to do.?
"Army Sniper" isn't an MOS. It is an ASI (Additional Skill Identifier). You're awarded the B4 (Benning school) ASI if you complete and pass the course. You have to be an E-3 through E-7 and it is a requirement that you have the commanders recommendation. You also have to have a consistent 75% on your APFT and consistent experts in weapons quals, a psych eval and 100 GT score, vision correctable to 20/20 and your nose has to be sqeaky clean (ie, no getting into trouble). It's a volunteer school, but not everyone that wants to go (and meets the qualifications) gets to go. You'll have to have some line time and have proven yourself a capable infantryman/marksman before they'll waste a slot at sniper school on you. You also need to remember that there are a thousand other young guys that have decided sniper school is cool so slots are hard to come by. A lot of getting to go is just being at the right place at the right time, learning your job as an infantryman inside and out and being able to shoot that 40 on the range regularly. Don't hang your hat on getting to go, choose an MOS that you'll enjoy even if you don't, the last thing you want to do is focus on schools because that's a sure way to get disappointed right out of the gate. Besides, when you don't expect it and aren't putting all of your eggs into one basket, it makes it all the more sweeter if/when it actually does happen. Additionally, you'll get better missions with the more experience you get, as they're not going to put you on top secret detail while you're still green, as typically those types of missions require the best of the best and any slip up could not only cost your life, but the lives of many others as well.