Shock Factor

August 18, 2014
Coughlin, known for his autobiography, Shooter, and the military thriller series Sniper, delivers an sharp view of the current Iraq conflict, focusing on the period between the initial invasion in March 2003 and early 2007. There’s some sniper history, but Coughlin’s main goal is to show how basic logistics have changed over the years. Snipers now work primarily in two-man teams consisting of a shooter and a spotter; the days of the lone gun crawling through a field are now mostly in the past. A primary purpose of these two-man teams is to move in advance of regular patrol units and set up hides where they can provide cover. Their goal on these missions is to save American lives as much as it is to take enemy lives. Coughlin’s war stories move at a steady clip, aside from a long detour where a frustrated sniper team can do little more than watch as a group of Iraqi police torture scores of prisoners. Though perhaps not on the level of quality as the many books about Carlos Hathcock or the excellent One Shot, One Kill by Charles Sasser and Craig Roberts, this solid update of the snipers’ art is still a worthwhile read on the subject.

October 15, 2014
Grim account of combat tours in Iraq, where Marine and National Guard snipers made a crucial difference.Retired USMC Gunnery Sgt. Coughlin (co-author: Time to Kill, 2013, etc.), who co-authored this book with prolific military writer Bruning (Level Zero Heroes, need date here, etc.), writes of his fellow snipers, "[b]eing called a murderer comes with the territory....we have been the most misunderstood and marginalized community in the American military." Whether despite or because of this fearsome reputation, the author argues that snipers are the key to force protection and battlefield superiority in America's recent conflicts: "[P]recision marksmanship can destroy a numerically superior foe's will to fight." The narrative focuses on several brutal Iraq War campaigns, including the initial race to Baghdad (in which Coughlin participated) and the 2005 siege of the city of Ramadi. The telling is fast-paced and violent, the tone often bitter: The authors seemingly view most Iraqis as ungrateful, cowardly collaborators (or in one disturbing encounter, vicious torturers) yet portray the Iraq campaign itself as a vital aspect of the global war on terror. They also castigate the military bureaucracy for its restrictive rules of engagement but revere the snipers themselves, capturing their camaraderie and self-reliance. Even in the sectarian bloodbath of Iraq, "they had the opportunity to do what we snipers do best. They located, closed with, and destroyed the enemy with long-range precision fire that minimized civilian casualties." Beyond the realistic depictions of urban combat, the book's strength is its in-depth discussion of the elite snipers' weapons, training and tactics. The authors demystify this arcane military specialty, as when explaining why the snipers worked with spotters in combat: "There are so many factors that need to be kept track of for a long-range shot, you really need two brains working together to be most effective." Will appeal to veteran and aspiring warriors, as well as conservative readers.

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October 1, 2014

Marine veteran Coughlin (On Scope) unites with military historian Bruning (Level Zero Heroes) graphically to recount the combat experiences of several U.S. Army and Marine snipers, as well as their colleagues, in small-unit Iraq combat. Coughlin draws on his years of experience as a sniper to describe not only the heroism but the precision and military skill these snipers and their fellow soldiers display. He provides considerable detail on these individuals including lengthy anecdotes on their training, equipment, and tactics. Coughlin is often contemptuous of American military conventional wisdom, and he argues that the shock value of killing unsuspecting enemies at long distances can often panic, demoralize, and terrorize enemy combat forces. Snipers, he maintains, have been historically underused and misunderstood in the American military. He concludes by stating that precision shooting is "hardwired" into American DNA. VERDICT Coughlin's exciting and gripping narratives will appeal to enthusiasts of dramatic war stories and popular military history.--Mark Jones, Mercantile Lib., Cincinnati

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