Locked on Target
MP Awarded for Sniper School Top Honors
Story by Lance Cpl. Adam Johnston, MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C.

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJUNE, N.C. – Demonstrating his proficiency in the art of stalking, Sgt. Dain K. Doughty, a military policeman with the base provost marshal’s office, uses the skills he learned at the Scout Sniper Basic Course to literally get lost. Doughty was recently awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal for graduating the course with the highest distinction.
Photo by Lance Cpl. Adam Johnston one shot, one kill. Simply put, Marines train to be that good. Scout snipers, on the other hand, take it to a higher plane.

For a shot at attending the Scout Sniper Basic Course at Camp Geiger here, Marines are required to have a combat-arms specialty, a first-class physical fitness score and an expert rifle qualification. So when a military policeman not only made it through the 10 weeks of training but exhibited himself better than 20 highly trained grunts, heads turned.

“I was really surprised when I heard Sgt. Doughty was the honor man,” said Gunnery Sgt. William C. Barnes. “As far as I know, (an infantryman) has always taken it.”

Sgt. Dain K. Doughty, an MP with the base provost marshal’s office, recently graduated from the course as the class honor man, finishing with an overall average of 93.7 percent compared to an 85 percent class average.

Barnes is Doughty’s staff noncommissioned officer in charge of the base Special Reaction Team, a team where Doughty had ample practice with the M-40A1 sniper rifle before attending the course.

“(My team’s) mission is to respond to any high-risk situations,” said Doughty. “It’s like recon for MP’s – more of a challenge.”

Doughty said he wanted to be a scout sniper for the same reason he joined the Marine Corps: “To be one of the few and the proud.”

Other Marines from the Special Reaction Team have completed the sniper course in the past, including Barnes in 1995.

“I made a deal with the school’s chief instructor that as long as SRT Marines continued to pass, he would keep one seat available for us in each class,” said Barnes. “And not one of our guys has failed yet.”

Barnes makes sure his men are prepared for the course.

“We don’t just throw someone into each class to fill the seat,” said Barnes. “They can only attend the course if we’re 99.9 percent sure they’re going to pass. Sgt. Doughty started training eight months prior.”

The Scout Sniper Basic Course’s washout rate historically has been about 50 percent, according to course staff noncommissioned officer Gunnery Sgt. Brannon S. Westall.

“Being (infantry) is one of the prerequisites because there’s really no need for a sniper in units other than the infantry,” said Westall. “A sniper is nothing more than an infantry Marine with specialized training.”

Throughout the course, instructors constantly evaluated students in land navigation, field sketches and range estimation. Of the numerous graded events, three in particular are among the most contested: marksmanship,
academics and stalking.

“In the stalking portion, you have three hours to move within 200 meters of two highly trained observers and set up a shooting position,” explained Doughty. “These guys can spot a leaf turned upside down from a mile away, so you’ve really got to focus on blending in with your environment.”

Doughty excelled in every aspect of the course and exceeded his own expectations.

“My only goal was to pass,” he said. “Not being (infantry), I was grateful just to have the opportunity.”

In recognition for scoring highest in all three graded events and becoming the class honor man, Doughty was awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal.

Among all the accolades, Doughty’s most cherished moment was when his instructors presented him with a piece of cord adorned with a 7.62 mm bullet.

“Getting a (medal) was nice, but the goal from the start was simply to become a scout sniper,” said Doughty. “Receiving the (Hunter of Gunman) tooth necklace at graduation was all that I needed. It’s a scout sniper thing.”