One shot, one kill

There's a decent argument to be made that Canadian snipers are the best in the world. Rob Furlong's 2430m kill during Op Anaconda in 2002 still stands as the world record, as far as I know. And that wasn't the only kill Canadians made at a distance of over 2km. But being a sniper isn't just about the marksmanship - the observation, fieldcraft, decision-making, etc, all set our snipers apart.

If you haven't seen this CBC segment, where Furlong is interviewed, and the host gets up close and personal with some soldiers at the sniper school in Gagetown, it's worth a watch (Parts 1 & 2).

Part 1:


Part 2:


That piece aired a couple of years ago. So why am I showing it now?

Well, the maternal unit just received this video in her e-mail in-bin. It's circulating under the title "Canadian sniper kicks Taliban ass..." Warning: if you can make out what you're seeing, it's graphic.



Being a sniper is a hell of a job, and my hat's off to those who can do it and still come away whole. As Rick Hillier said: "We are not the Public Service of Canada. We are not just another department. We are the Canadian Forces and our job is to be able to kill people."

Update: From deep inside the Puzzle Palace comes word that the "Canadian sniper kicks Taliban ass" video isn't actually from a Canadian sniper:

These are not CF snipers, of that we are absolutely certain. In fact this video has been posted in various forms as showing US Marines, US Special Forces, etc. All I can say is that this is not of our snipers. It has become a bit of an urban myth.

I welcome the clarification.