When the Killer Man Comes: Eliminating Terrorists As a Special Operations Sniper

by Paul Martinez, George Galdorisi

The thrilling combat memoir by special operations sniper Paul Martinez, who spent seven years in Special Operations and was a sniper assigned to 3rd Ranger Battalion.

America has one force with the single mission of direct action to capture or kill the enemy. That force is the 75th Ranger Regiment. Staff Sergeant Paul Martinez was a Ranger Sniper with the 75th Rangers during the desperate fighting in Afghanistan in 2011 when the United States made the decision to try to withdraw from Afghanistan.

It was never going to be easy. There were still a large number of senior Taliban and al Qaeda leaders and other terrorists in secure locations throughout that country. If the United States withdrew from Afghanistan with these terrorists and their networks still intact, they could quickly take over the country and undo all the gains that we made.

These terrorists needed to be eliminated, and there was only one force to do it—the Rangers. The mission was to capture or kill as many of these terrorists as possible. Paul Martinez was one of the deadliest snipers assigned to this unit, dubbed “Team Merrill,” after the Marauders of World War II fame. Martinez and his fellow Rangers faced near-impossible odds taking on an enemy who knew they were coming and who employed every conceivable tactic to kill these Rangers. In When the Killer Man Comes, Martinez tells the harrowing true story of how he and his team hunted America's enemies in an operation that would have repercussions that are still felt today.

Genres: Military Fiction, Nonfiction, War, Memoir, History

284 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 16, 2018

Reviews

[Randal White · Rating 4 out of 5]

An insider's look at the sniper's craft in the world today. Martinez shows us what is expected of our front line troops. The training. The confusion caused by seemingly random movements of men to different "theaters" to fight in. The planning that goes into an operation (when there is time). The unrelenting pace of mission after mission. The restrictions placed on the soldiers from above, and while they are understandable, how they sometimes lead them to hesitate in the heat of the moment. The way a team works together, everyone knowing their role. The camaraderie of the men who fight together.
This was a very good book. I had a hard time putting it down.

[Brian Miller · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very quick read about an interesting topic. It was a good story but did not really carry my attention as other books about the war on terror do. Nothing wrong with the book but nothing memorable either.
Thank you Netgalley and St Martin’s press for the ARC for my opinion.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the true story When the Killer Man Comes, Paul Martinez is a Ranger sniper who carries out missions with his battalion for the U.S. Paul gives an inside look in how the U.S. military operates and his experiences during battle. One powerful line in the book is, “His darkly tanned skin showed a long life brutally cold winter, blistering summers, and harsh desert sun. But it was his eyes-set deep in his almond-shaped face- I’ll never forget, showing first bewilderment, then resentment, and ultimately hatred…… We had be ordered to burn all 20 tons of the cannabis pulp that the farmer and his family had processed throughout the winter. They had watched somberly as all the capital they were depending on for the coming season’s...went up in smoke.” This line is so powerful because it summarizes how the Afghan war affected Afghanistan citizens and U.S soldiers. Paul never forgot his “eyes- set deep in his almond shaped face” because of what Paul did to that person. Martinez and his battalion had to burn all of his crop for no important reason. The family who they did this to will most likely become poor and eventually have “ultimately hatred” for America. This small act in a big war is why people kept joining the Taliban. That is what the author is trying to convey. This line is also powerful because the U.S soldiers being very controlled. None of them including Paul wanted to burn this innocent man’s crop but they had to in order to keep their jobs. This is why this line is so powerful in When the Killer Man Comes.

[Elmwoodblues · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fast-paced read that is also surprisingly balanced and thoughtful. The enemy stays faceless and in the background, with the focus on the immediate troops we move with through several patrols, some eventful and some less so. It is a testament to the writing that almost every time the Rangers go out, there is an element of suspense that borders on the exhausting.

Not a lot of weapon/shooting 'inside info' here, for fans of that aspect of things like myself, but enough for a general reader and enough to color the overall story. The importance of communication, tactically and strategically, is ever-present; also given their due are the critical aspects of choreography of movement, coordination, and planning. Mental strength is shown as every bit as important as firepower and physical stamina.

An important part of the sniper mindset is an empathy useful in many adversarial situations: 'What would I do in his place? Where would I be?' Martinez thinks about how the American colonists might have felt when British troops moved across their land, bringing costs large and small in the name of 'protecting the loyalists against the rebels.' When the Rangers have to destroy a farmers only cash crop, a pot harvest, Martinez plays out the no-win consequences: a path that could turn this disinterested farmer into an IED-planting tool for the Taliban in order for his family to survive.

Less jingoistic than 'American Sniper', quicker and more small-scale than 'The Fighters: Americans in Combat in Afghanistan and Iraq', 'Killer Man' is better and deeper than its dramatic title suggests, and is a worthy piece of the puzzle that makes up the emerging writing on America's longest war.

[Chris · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read the book and it is an easy and fast read. This is probably approximately the 130th book I have read about the Wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and many of those combat books and this is the only combat book I have written where I did not get an edge of my seat adrenaline rush and I attribute this to the authors writing style, it was just plain and could have been written differently to provide that suspense.

The last chapter about Extortion 17 was a difficult one to read and my hair is standing as a write this because I already knew the fate of the 38 soldiers and airmen killed by an RPG and many of them were members of Seal Team 6 that were involved in the raid on UBL and the world learned of their existence because the then Vice President, Joe Biden, told the world about Seal Team 6 in a press conference as did then President Obama [SMH].

This book is good and I did get excited reading about Martinez's participation in the Special Forces Sniper competition.

I do recommend this book if you like to read books about these wars, combat in general, military history or snipers.

[Stephan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read. When reading military "this is what I went through" books, it's important to learn something important from each experience. Learn what they did right, and wrong. You don't have to be currently serving in the armed forces to learn new life lessons. What I took away from Sgt Martinez's adventures as a sniper was in order to be successful in combat, you need to have faith in yourself, your team, leadership and your gear. Excessive bad ego will get a leader or his men killed, so if you're a leader, check yourself.

[Medusa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Decent little book on a GWOT Ranger sniper’s combat experiences. Some temporal dislocation in the narrative that imo doesn’t help it much, but the discussion on his and his unit’s feelings about working for the DEA trying to burn marijuana grown by Afghans who relied on its sale simply to live is on point and drives home the absurdity of US goals in Afghanistan late in the conflict like few others have. There are also some pretty well-told edge of your seat narratives of some firefights and a sniper duel he was in. 3.5 stars, audio and ebook available on scribd at this writing.

[A Davies · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think Paul Martinez deserves praise for his articulate story telling here, I enjoyed the detail and explanations and flow, I powered through this book and have American sniper lined up next I look forward to comparing the two,

In my opinion Paul is a genuine human and honorable Ranger with compassion and composer which must be incredibly hard to possess whilst being an apex fighter.

I would be very interested in any other work from this author

[Bolt Blue · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book immensely and am grateful for men like the author.

The only fault I found with the narrative was describing the MK 13 rifle merely as shooting a ".30 caliber" bullet, as if this was somehow remarkable. But ".30 caliber" could refer to any of dozens of cartridges, including the .30-06, .308, .300BLK, 30 carbine, 7.62X54mmR, .308 Norma Magnum, etc. I had to look up the MK 13 online to figure out that the cartridge referred to was the .300 Winchester Magnum. Only then did the episode in which the gun was featured make any sense.

But that is a minor complaint compared to the overall quality of the book. Thank you for sharing a remarkable slice of your life with the world!

[Chad Rickard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good read

Enjoyable read, good story, I always enjoy the perspective of a fellow Soldier that spent time on the same foreign soil at alternate points in time, thanks for the story, an important piece of history...good job Ranger....

[Edward L · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Review

This book tells the story of what its like to part of a US Army Ranger Operation in Afghanistan and especially what a Ranger Sniper does. The details kept me on the edge of my seat to the conclusion.

[Mossback · Rating 5 out of 5]

Soldier, Sniper, and Gentlemen

Clear well written memoir of a Rangers sniper in Afghanistan. He puts the reader not only in the place, but also in the mind of the fighter. He saves his Brothers and stops the monsters.

[William · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was ok. It seemed a lot of the book appears to be written from after action reports. There seems to be a lot of conversation from radio transmissions. This was a library book. Glad I didn’t spend money on it. It was a book that I finished despite it not being all that gripping.

[Shawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed it. A little different than other similar books.

[Mike Grady · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good, solid account of an Army Ranger battalion’s deployment to Afghanistan through the eyes of one of its members. Nothing earth shattering, rather a down to earth telling of the war.

[Ranette · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book about snipers and the level of training they go through. They try very hard to only target others with guns and suffer when they don't. Essential for a good outcome in battle.

[Lisa Henderson-Farr · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to St Martin's Press and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a good look at what the life of a Special Forces operative while on missions is like. Although I found the narrative to be very informative is was also very dry and probably not something that I will remember the details of in a few months. This seems to be more of a procedural type book with, in my opinion, little emotional connection to the author.

[Gustavo Souza · Rating 2 out of 5]

Did the audio book. Would probably not finish reading the printed version. Though simple to follow, there's no anticipation; somewhat flat.
Probably ok if you enjoy war stories and movies.