What do you think?
Rate this book
Modern American Snipers: From The Legend to The Reaper---on the Battlefield with Special Operations Snipers
Most people think of snipers as shooters perched in urban hides, dealing out death unseen from a considerable distance. But this description barely scratches the surface. Special operations snipers are men with stacked skill sets who have the ability to turn the tide of battles, even when they aren't pulling the trigger. Snipers have played an outsized role in the War on Terror that has earned them the Medal of Honor, Navy Cross, and countless other honors. These are the most experienced warriors on the battlefield, oftentimes the units' best assaulters with years of door-kicking under their belt. These are the men who run ops in small teams across borders, or dress like locals and pull off high-risk vehicle reconnaissance and singleton missions in non-permissive environments.
MODERN AMERICAN SNIPERS tells the inside story of some of the most heroic patriots in recent American history by the friends and colleagues who knew them best, including:
* The Legend – Chris Kyle, SEAL Team 3 Chief and the most lethal sniper in U.S. military history
* The Reaper – Nick Irving, the first African American to serve as a sniper in the 3rd Ranger Battalion, and its deadliest, with 33 confirmed kills
* Robert Horrigan, Delta sniper who played a critical role in Operation Anaconda
* Don Hollenbaugh, Delta Operator who earned the Distinguished Service Cross while embedded with a Marine platoon in the First Battle of Fallujah
* And many more
MODERN AMERICAN SNIPERS tells the inside story of some of the most heroic patriots in recent American history by the friends and colleagues who knew them best, including:
* The Legend – Chris Kyle, SEAL Team 3 Chief and the most lethal sniper in U.S. military history
* The Reaper – Nick Irving, the first African American to serve as a sniper in the 3rd Ranger Battalion, and its deadliest, with 33 confirmed kills
* Robert Horrigan, Delta sniper who played a critical role in Operation Anaconda
* Don Hollenbaugh, Delta Operator who earned the Distinguished Service Cross while embedded with a Marine platoon in the First Battle of Fallujah
* And many more
320 pages, Hardcover
First published December 16, 2014
36 people are currently reading
235 people want to read
About the author
Chris Martin
10 books13 followersJournalist Chris Martin has covered the motorsports world since the late '90s. More recently, he's expanded his focus to include coverage of special operations and writing science fiction.
His latest non-fiction book is Modern American Snipers: From the Legend to the Reaper -- On the Battlefield with Special Operations Snipers (St. Martin's Press, 2014).
The first episode of his new project -- Engines of Extinction, a monthly episodic espionage/military science fiction series created in collaboration with leading concept artist Ben Mauro -- was released on March 10, 2015.
Chris is also the author of Shaping the World from the Shadows: The (Open) Secret History of Delta Force, Post-9/11 and Beyond Neptune Spear: The (Open) Secret History of SEAL Team Six, Post-9/11.
His latest non-fiction book is Modern American Snipers: From the Legend to the Reaper -- On the Battlefield with Special Operations Snipers (St. Martin's Press, 2014).
The first episode of his new project -- Engines of Extinction, a monthly episodic espionage/military science fiction series created in collaboration with leading concept artist Ben Mauro -- was released on March 10, 2015.
Chris is also the author of Shaping the World from the Shadows: The (Open) Secret History of Delta Force, Post-9/11 and Beyond Neptune Spear: The (Open) Secret History of SEAL Team Six, Post-9/11.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
September 12, 2024
Kinda slapdash and dick swingy. 2.5 stars is generous.
December 30, 2015
Chris Martin has firmly established himself in the league of Mark Bowden, Sean Naylor etc. with Modern American Snipers. From an ardent spec ops follower and enthusiast's standpoint, nothing gets as comprehensive when it comes to tales and specifics the way this does. I have read Martin's previous works such as "Shaping the World from the Shadows" and "Beyond Neptune Spear" but I have to say that this book easily surpasses them and is detailed to a level that no one can imagine.
The book's highlight is the coverage of legendary SOF snipers such as Carlos Hathcock, John McPhee, Homer Nearpass, Howard Wasdin, Don Hollenbaugh, Chris Kyle, Nick Irving etc. as well as the science behind delivering that perfect shot.
Moreover, Martin brilliantly covers the history of the SEALs, Delta, Rangers and other American SOF right from Vietnam to the GWOT just by picking up from the tales of the aforementioned heroes as you not just get to read through their heroics but the intensity and psychology of the operators when they are dropping tangos by the second, exasperating inter-service politics and rivalries as well as blow-by-blow accounts of some of the most high-octane operations such as Op Gothic Serpent (Black Hawk Down), Op Anaconda and the bloody-as-hell battles of Fallujah.
This, by far, is the most informative book on spec ops you'll ever come across. The simple title is more than just an absolute euphemism as the information packed into this brilliantly articulate piece of work is nothing short of overwhelming while paced like an edge-of-the-seat, action-packed thriller.
Message to all spec ops buffs out there: Drop whatever you're reading and get a copy of this! Pronto!
The book's highlight is the coverage of legendary SOF snipers such as Carlos Hathcock, John McPhee, Homer Nearpass, Howard Wasdin, Don Hollenbaugh, Chris Kyle, Nick Irving etc. as well as the science behind delivering that perfect shot.
Moreover, Martin brilliantly covers the history of the SEALs, Delta, Rangers and other American SOF right from Vietnam to the GWOT just by picking up from the tales of the aforementioned heroes as you not just get to read through their heroics but the intensity and psychology of the operators when they are dropping tangos by the second, exasperating inter-service politics and rivalries as well as blow-by-blow accounts of some of the most high-octane operations such as Op Gothic Serpent (Black Hawk Down), Op Anaconda and the bloody-as-hell battles of Fallujah.
This, by far, is the most informative book on spec ops you'll ever come across. The simple title is more than just an absolute euphemism as the information packed into this brilliantly articulate piece of work is nothing short of overwhelming while paced like an edge-of-the-seat, action-packed thriller.
Message to all spec ops buffs out there: Drop whatever you're reading and get a copy of this! Pronto!
August 5, 2017
I ended up enjoying this book far more than I thought I might. The material was very interesting to read, but it felt like the author kept "backing up" in the narrative or skipping forward. It focused mostly on the Rangers, followed by the SEALs, and had a little bit of "everybody else" included in the mix. The author did a decent job with the "information dumps" scattered throughout each chapter; they were not overbearing or "too big" in my opinion.
I thought the "best parts" of the book were the personal anecdotes by various personnel throughout the book. I like hearing from people and reading their thoughts, reading what they had to say. Most of what the men in the book had to say was very interesting. Each person had similar experiences as well as unique experiences and perspectives [which only makes sense], which helped bring something "positive" to the narrative. The author included both positive and negative comments/anecdotes, which I felt helped ground the personnel interviewed as well as the book itself in "reality" as opposed to talking only about the highlights, the "good" or "best" parts of what the men experienced while training or in battle.
It starts off briefly talking about Carlos Hathcock and his experiences in Vietnam, as well as touching on the Green Berets, SEALs, and MACV-SOG. Then it describes the early attempt to put together a special force to rescue the hostages in Iran in 1980 and how catastrophic the end result was [and that it could have been much, much worse]. From there, the author touches on various stories how each branch of the US military developed specialized units and how those units were absorbed into JSOC, how the SEALs competed with Delta for various missions and chances to prove themselves prior to JSOCs formation. It covers quite a bit of early history before settling into the Global War on Terror for the rest of the book.
I thought it was interesting how many snipers saw themselves as saving lives as opposed to taking lives. For every enemy combatant killed, numerous soldiers and civilians were saved. The majority of the snipers struggled with the soldiers and civilians they could not save from being killed and not on the enemy combatants and terrorists who were killed. This perspective on their part helped them become better soldiers [according to the book] as they sought to save as many people from dying as they could. They gave of themselves that others might live.
It was interesting reading about the perspectives of the Americans throughout the book, how the American snipers (and special operations snipers) were such force multipliers for the military units fighting against the insurgents in Iraq and Afghanistan. It also made me think of the books I read about enemy snipers during World War II or Vietnam, how those soldiers instilled such fear into the American [or "Allied"] forces because of how they were able to kill from such a great distance. So this book kind of made me rethink how I remembered and interpreted the actions of those enemy snipers from previous wars. I am not saying I "agree" with the enemy snipers, but I understand why they did what they did. They believed in the value of their actions and the utility their actions gave the rest of their forces. It is no different, in some respects, as to how the American SOF snipers and other allied snipers [say, from the British SAS or Polish GROM units, to name a couple] can positively impact the morale of the "non-specialized" soldiers or decisively change the tide of battle from their specialized, specific actions.
There were times the book did seem a little disjointed, a little choppy. The author did seem to go back and forth throughout the narrative, and I did have a little trouble following parts of it (as I became a little confused at some points in the narrative, but my confusion would eventually be cleared up). There were some typos and printing errors in the book I read.
Overall, though, I did enjoy the book. I thought it was well-written, in general, and it held my interest throughout the whole book. I thought the author did a nice job making the modern history of the special forces sniper understandable (and maybe a little bit relatable) to the average reader. I liked how he kept politics out of the book [for the most part; the politics that were in the book tended to be between the Army, Navy, and Marines and the division of forces versus how missions were handed out]. It was a good book, and I am glad that I read it.
I thought the "best parts" of the book were the personal anecdotes by various personnel throughout the book. I like hearing from people and reading their thoughts, reading what they had to say. Most of what the men in the book had to say was very interesting. Each person had similar experiences as well as unique experiences and perspectives [which only makes sense], which helped bring something "positive" to the narrative. The author included both positive and negative comments/anecdotes, which I felt helped ground the personnel interviewed as well as the book itself in "reality" as opposed to talking only about the highlights, the "good" or "best" parts of what the men experienced while training or in battle.
It starts off briefly talking about Carlos Hathcock and his experiences in Vietnam, as well as touching on the Green Berets, SEALs, and MACV-SOG. Then it describes the early attempt to put together a special force to rescue the hostages in Iran in 1980 and how catastrophic the end result was [and that it could have been much, much worse]. From there, the author touches on various stories how each branch of the US military developed specialized units and how those units were absorbed into JSOC, how the SEALs competed with Delta for various missions and chances to prove themselves prior to JSOCs formation. It covers quite a bit of early history before settling into the Global War on Terror for the rest of the book.
I thought it was interesting how many snipers saw themselves as saving lives as opposed to taking lives. For every enemy combatant killed, numerous soldiers and civilians were saved. The majority of the snipers struggled with the soldiers and civilians they could not save from being killed and not on the enemy combatants and terrorists who were killed. This perspective on their part helped them become better soldiers [according to the book] as they sought to save as many people from dying as they could. They gave of themselves that others might live.
It was interesting reading about the perspectives of the Americans throughout the book, how the American snipers (and special operations snipers) were such force multipliers for the military units fighting against the insurgents in Iraq and Afghanistan. It also made me think of the books I read about enemy snipers during World War II or Vietnam, how those soldiers instilled such fear into the American [or "Allied"] forces because of how they were able to kill from such a great distance. So this book kind of made me rethink how I remembered and interpreted the actions of those enemy snipers from previous wars. I am not saying I "agree" with the enemy snipers, but I understand why they did what they did. They believed in the value of their actions and the utility their actions gave the rest of their forces. It is no different, in some respects, as to how the American SOF snipers and other allied snipers [say, from the British SAS or Polish GROM units, to name a couple] can positively impact the morale of the "non-specialized" soldiers or decisively change the tide of battle from their specialized, specific actions.
There were times the book did seem a little disjointed, a little choppy. The author did seem to go back and forth throughout the narrative, and I did have a little trouble following parts of it (as I became a little confused at some points in the narrative, but my confusion would eventually be cleared up). There were some typos and printing errors in the book I read.
Overall, though, I did enjoy the book. I thought it was well-written, in general, and it held my interest throughout the whole book. I thought the author did a nice job making the modern history of the special forces sniper understandable (and maybe a little bit relatable) to the average reader. I liked how he kept politics out of the book [for the most part; the politics that were in the book tended to be between the Army, Navy, and Marines and the division of forces versus how missions were handed out]. It was a good book, and I am glad that I read it.
August 2, 2021
This book was a solid foundation to give you an idea of the Modern Sniper capabilities in the G.W.O.T. That would be the global war on terror and if you like acronyms then this book is for you because it has dozens of them, with no glossary I might add. Reading this book, it felt like an outline of some great snipers and their equipment over the last twenty years. For a more in depth perspective just pick a sniper from the book and then read their autobiography. Obviously Chris Kyle is mentioned, as well as several others. I did not especially care for the author referring to non Red Team or J.S.O.C Seals as "vanilla" Seals. I will not lie that annoyed me. Also, the fact the author never served a day for his country was not a plus in my book--pun intended. Overall, there are better books written by veterans that I would recommend: John Plaster's S.O.G. or Secret Commandos would be two solid examples. However, if you want an ok book, written by a non-veteran covering a fairly wide ranging topic in 300 pages then this is for you.
February 23, 2021
Note: I read the audiobook version. As you will see, that might have made a difference.
There is some interesting information in here, and at times it's engaging and instructive.
On the other hand, the stories and the practical, technical, and tactical lessons are buried in an avalanche of military jargon and acronymns, which are, on one level, very informational for those deeply immersed in contemporary military nomenclature and minutae, but which makes the book more difficult to read and enjoy.
To be fair, on paper, a lot of those acronyms can probably be visually skipped. In audio book format, however, having sentences constantly interrupted with parenthetical capitalized verbiage is very distracting and detracted significantly from listening to the narrative and analysis.
There is some interesting information in here, and at times it's engaging and instructive.
On the other hand, the stories and the practical, technical, and tactical lessons are buried in an avalanche of military jargon and acronymns, which are, on one level, very informational for those deeply immersed in contemporary military nomenclature and minutae, but which makes the book more difficult to read and enjoy.
To be fair, on paper, a lot of those acronyms can probably be visually skipped. In audio book format, however, having sentences constantly interrupted with parenthetical capitalized verbiage is very distracting and detracted significantly from listening to the narrative and analysis.
May 18, 2018
Not heavy on individual tales from combat; but, it does break down a decent overall picture of modern American snipers, from Carlos Hathcock in Vietnam, to Chris Kyle, The Reaper, and the origins and current use of snipers and sniper/recce elements, as well as some of the famous schools and personalities of the SOF and shooting worlds. Martin also gives a good rundown on the differences between Delta and DEVGRU, the rivalry, the cooperation, and the alternating spotlight at times, depending on who's "daddy" was running JSOC.
Overall, a good read. Had some new info from a wider lens at the special ops community, as well as some quick tales from famous snipers, both old and new.
Overall, a good read. Had some new info from a wider lens at the special ops community, as well as some quick tales from famous snipers, both old and new.
July 6, 2018
Lots of stories I'd not heard before, and some that I had. The sheer number of Acronyms used reminded me of being back on active duty, and it might be a challenge (or annoying) for anyone that hasn't served. There was some excellent background on people I'd only heard about in passing thou so well worth reading.
June 24, 2017
It's a decent read but I would not say that it was something that I would recommend either.
August 21, 2017
Somewhat in-depth look at soldiers across all American special operations groups.
July 16, 2021
A highly informative look into the sometimes confusing world of US military special force units. Specially, Martin outlines the birth, adolescence, and maturity of the sniper forces.
January 23, 2017
A little tough to follow, but great content.
May 19, 2018
This book was very difficult for me to digest but very informative. It gives you a good understanding of what snipers go through. It took me awhile to finish this book. The overall tone is more serious in comparison to other books I’ve read on the same subject which were a little more light hearted.
May 18, 2015
A great open source guide about SOF operations in SOFREP style. This book is mandatory material for anyone interested in the Special Operations community, providing interesting I insights into the world of black ops. Furthermore it lends a voice to the SOF community outside of the mainstream media and Hollywood blockbusters.
Sometimes the book dives a little deeper into the subject, using typical terminology that may be confusing for readers who are not familiar with SOF, military history or current military terminology.
The book does not focus on the development of the sniper in the US military during the last century (the subject of many good books already available), but ibstead it follows the development of the Global war on terror and the way in which SOF became the prime weapon on the modern battlefield, sometimes highlighting important individuals, be it snipers or important individuals in JSOC and USSOCOM. Bumps in the road as well as succesful developments are described while giving open source information about operations during the past decade. Rivalry between DEVGRU and the Unit, the faulty image of the Army Rangers or controversies around Operation Neptune Spear are topics which are also discussed inside a broader framework, honestly and believably supported by legitimate experts from within the SOF community.
Like Chris Kyle, Brandon Webb and Marcus Luttrell already stated in their books, the sniper has evolved from a ghillie-suit wearing hunter into a highly proficient warrior, not only wielding long rifles but also assaulting with the door kickers, becoming one of the most valuable and well-trained force multiplier assets on the modern battlefield. The traditional image of the sniper is partly deconstructed in order to give way to a new kind of professional warrior that marries all traits of a great warfighter into one individual.
I immediately ordered the book when it became available and due to distractions I needed quite some time to finish it. I seldom read a book that fascinated me more than 'Modern American Snipers' and I really recommend it to anyone interested in Special Operations.
Sometimes the book dives a little deeper into the subject, using typical terminology that may be confusing for readers who are not familiar with SOF, military history or current military terminology.
The book does not focus on the development of the sniper in the US military during the last century (the subject of many good books already available), but ibstead it follows the development of the Global war on terror and the way in which SOF became the prime weapon on the modern battlefield, sometimes highlighting important individuals, be it snipers or important individuals in JSOC and USSOCOM. Bumps in the road as well as succesful developments are described while giving open source information about operations during the past decade. Rivalry between DEVGRU and the Unit, the faulty image of the Army Rangers or controversies around Operation Neptune Spear are topics which are also discussed inside a broader framework, honestly and believably supported by legitimate experts from within the SOF community.
Like Chris Kyle, Brandon Webb and Marcus Luttrell already stated in their books, the sniper has evolved from a ghillie-suit wearing hunter into a highly proficient warrior, not only wielding long rifles but also assaulting with the door kickers, becoming one of the most valuable and well-trained force multiplier assets on the modern battlefield. The traditional image of the sniper is partly deconstructed in order to give way to a new kind of professional warrior that marries all traits of a great warfighter into one individual.
I immediately ordered the book when it became available and due to distractions I needed quite some time to finish it. I seldom read a book that fascinated me more than 'Modern American Snipers' and I really recommend it to anyone interested in Special Operations.
January 5, 2015
There are a few single words in the English language you could use to describe this book, the stories of heroism, and insights into the murky world of special operations...I'll just choose one:
FANTASTIC!
Just like his other open source guides to DEVGRU and Delta Force, Martin's Modern American Snipers delivers the goods...continually.
This book paints a little more graphic picture of Delta's recce squads of Advanced Assaulters and DEVGRU's black team snipers...not to mention the Ranger Regiment's incredible contributions to GWOT (even snippets regarding the Ranger Reconnaissance Regiment), MARSOC, and the ODA's among a HOST of others.
Not to be overlooked, Webb, Murphy, Davis, Irving and the others at SOFREP, along with notable characters such as Shrek, Sawyer, and Wasdin, should be commended as well for their matter-of-fact candor regarding the units, the missions and the men.
As far as recommendations, saying read this is simply not enough.
If there is only one fact based wartime novel you read this year - or in your lifetime - MAKE IT THIS ONE!
FANTASTIC!
Just like his other open source guides to DEVGRU and Delta Force, Martin's Modern American Snipers delivers the goods...continually.
This book paints a little more graphic picture of Delta's recce squads of Advanced Assaulters and DEVGRU's black team snipers...not to mention the Ranger Regiment's incredible contributions to GWOT (even snippets regarding the Ranger Reconnaissance Regiment), MARSOC, and the ODA's among a HOST of others.
Not to be overlooked, Webb, Murphy, Davis, Irving and the others at SOFREP, along with notable characters such as Shrek, Sawyer, and Wasdin, should be commended as well for their matter-of-fact candor regarding the units, the missions and the men.
As far as recommendations, saying read this is simply not enough.
If there is only one fact based wartime novel you read this year - or in your lifetime - MAKE IT THIS ONE!
January 10, 2015
Martin interviewed and recounts the careers and defining moments of snipers from all the elite special forces in the US military. He touches on their training, their mindset and their missions.
Why I started this book: Looked neat and I was interested in what perspective Martin had.
Why I finished this book: You know when you walk into the room in the middle of a conversation, reading this book felt a lot like that. Martin quoted various snipers as they "sniped" about their training vs. other branches and voiced complaints about perceived slights. Without a dog in the fight, this was boring and confusing. He also jumped around from sniper to sniper, from war to war and from location to location. On the audio there was no rhyme or reason for the jumps and it was very jarring. Still very interesting subject material.
Why I started this book: Looked neat and I was interested in what perspective Martin had.
Why I finished this book: You know when you walk into the room in the middle of a conversation, reading this book felt a lot like that. Martin quoted various snipers as they "sniped" about their training vs. other branches and voiced complaints about perceived slights. Without a dog in the fight, this was boring and confusing. He also jumped around from sniper to sniper, from war to war and from location to location. On the audio there was no rhyme or reason for the jumps and it was very jarring. Still very interesting subject material.
June 16, 2016
I'm really disappointed that I can only give this book a so-so review but, like a different reviewer pointed out this book was disorganized and unfocused. I really think it had a lot of potential but I think the author needed to focus in each chapter on one aspect/person that has to do w/ modern snipers. This book could've also been called Modern American Special Operations. Clearly the author knows his stuff but sometimes I think there was less consideration to what the reader might know using tons of acronyms, sometimes I wasn't sure if he'd even explained what the acronyms stood for. There's lots of information in this book that's very interesting if you can get past how much it jumps around. I found it difficult to read because of this. It didn't grab my interest the way I feel it would've if it was more organized.
January 27, 2015
Interesting subject, but the editing could be better, as it gets a a bit redundant at times. The author will state something, then shortly thereafter will repeat it almost verbatim, or describe a situation, then quote someone saying the same, in almost the exact same words. I usually prefer unabridged versions, this would probably be better abridged. Overall, though I think it's worth checking, especially since it's recent enough to cover developments that occurred (i.e. Benghazi and ISIS)
June 8, 2015
This had some of the information I was looking for with regard to snipers and their weapons. I wish the author had gone into more detail on training--there's some general material, but it lacked detail. And if you're hoping for any kind of deeper insight or hard look at the use of snipers, look elsewhere. This book is super enthusiastic and not at all introspective.
January 7, 2016
I enjoyed the operators' accounts on what went down. Just wished there were more of it in greater details. I supposed I should had picked up the relevant autobiographies instead. This book is too heavy on the 'structure' side for my liking, or maybe I am less familiar with those unit's terms and organization charts. Got to be very academic in large parts.
August 24, 2016
I read this book in less than ten hours with breaks. Fascinating and very educational while not invoking politics or morals. For anyone who has an interest in modern snipers and special operations this is a book for you.
January 28, 2015
Outstanding!!!
Learned a great deal about these special warriors, keep up the great work your doing SOFREP !!!! And Chris Martin
Learned a great deal about these special warriors, keep up the great work your doing SOFREP !!!! And Chris Martin
January 21, 2015
Solid
Book provides a good overview of tactics USD in Iraq and Afghanistan. A little to bulky and too many abbreviations for average civilian to comprehend.
Book provides a good overview of tactics USD in Iraq and Afghanistan. A little to bulky and too many abbreviations for average civilian to comprehend.
February 6, 2015
Okay read. To much detail for most readers, I think.
March 15, 2015
A very well researched and written book about the transition of the role the sniper plays in today's military.
December 31, 2015
A very nice synopsis about how the role od special forces sniper has modernized and changed during from the 1980's through today thanks to the GWOT.
August 15, 2016
great insight to what goes on with these warriors...
January 7, 2015
Interesting
March 30, 2017
Goodread, but there was a lot of rehashing of information from American Sniper, The Reaper, and similar books.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews