There
is probably no position in the U.S. military that is more misunderstood than
that of scout sniper. The media like to portray them as kill-happy hot doggers,
but arguably the classic archetypal military sniper is none other than Sergeant
Alvin York. Yet, it was not until the Vietnam era that sniper training was
formally established. The duties, responsibilities, training and gear of
military and police snipers are fully explained in writer-director Ron Meyer’s Legend of the American Sniper (trailer here), which releases today on DVD.
Legend is not the
fanciest documentary you will ever see, but it is stuffed with solid
information and more than its fair share of insights. A number of military and
police snipers, as well as a handful off talking head experts duly explain the
role snipers play in securing our national security and public safety. They dispel
many misconceptions, such as the sniper as a lone wolf or an operative on a
fishing expedition. Anti-social behavior is deliberately weeded out, in favor
of team-player abilities. In nearly every case, snipers operate as part of four
or five-man teams, dispatched with very specific mission objectives.
Ultimately, snipers’ primary duty is to support troops in the field.
The
military snipers are the first to suggest in Legend their police counterparts probably have a harder job. If
they fire an errant shot it is unfortunate, but these things happen in combat.
In contrast, a police sniper would likely face disciplinary hearings and
possible prosecution.
Meyer
and his battery of experts just might change the way many people think about
snipers, if they watch it with an open mind. For instance, we learn the primary
task of police snipers is to observe and report, rather than fire off shots.
For military snipers, it is their secondary task—war still being war.
The
interview subjects are all on-point and totally credible, especially Master
Sergeant Russ Clagett, the senior U.S. Army sniper in Afghanistan. He has some
telling stories from the field, but he also looks like he could have a second
career in action movies if he chose to pursue it. The film further benefits
from the participation of Derrick D. Bartlett, a civilian trainer at
Snipercraft, Inc, which exclusively provides training for military and police
clientele—and he really means exclusively. Plus, you have to give Meyer credit
for making an entire film about service snipers without once mentioning Chris
Kyle, Bradley Cooper, or Clint Eastwood by name. The real life servicemen and
peace officers are sufficiently interesting on their own, without invoking movies
and celebrities.
