Modern American Snipers: From The Legend to The Reaper—on the Battlefield with Special Operations Snipers

Snipers have existed throughout human history, but more so after the Revolutionary War, with the modern conception of the sniper becoming fully blown only after Vietnam. This book seeks to correct widely held misconceptions around what it is that snipers actually do.

Modern American Snipers: From The Legend to The Reaper—on the Battlefield with Special Operations Snipers by Chris Martin describes what goes into the making a sniper—the amount of training they receive, the mindset, the intelligence, how “they are given perversely difficult tasks and granted considerable autonomy with the expectation that they will complete them.”

It’s obvious that the author writes from a place of respect for special ops—for the work they perform, their training, their dedication—tempered with a realistic conception of their abilities. He captures the intelligence, poise, and utter bad-ass-ery of these fighting elites and the shadowy, often highly classified, world they move in. The book is written in a fast-paced rat-a-tat-tat style that makes it a snappy read, but also highly informative, with enough technological information to interest aficionados, and enough story to keep a novice reading and following along with all the jargon. A fascinating exploration into the world of elite military operatives.