A sniper's journey : the truth about the man behind the rifle

Format:

Book (regular print)

Title:

A sniper's journey : the truth about the man behind the rifle

Author:

Mitchell, Gary D. (Gary Don), 1949-

ISBN:

9780451216526

9780451220516

Publication Information:

Physical Description:

xvi, 268 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

Summary:

"In 1968, Gary Mitchell was a teenager in Granbury, Texas - a town that offered very few options other than college or the military.

Fresh out of high school, Mitchell chose to enlist in the Army, and was sent to Vietnam, where he earned a reputation for keeping his head in extreme situations.

This caught the eye of his superiors, who found that he also excelled at long-distance shooting - a discovery that set him on the path to a new identity as a sniper."

"During his time in Vietnam, undercover American intelligence agents "borrowed" Mitchell, off the books of course, from his Army unit, and used him to carry out planned assassinations. Some - not Gary - might even call them executions.

These were not combat kills, but most likely targets assigned by agents in the CIA-backed Phoenix Program.

From his first mission to his last, Gary had to deal with the realization that he and his spotter were expendable, their missions deniable."

"But this is not just the story of a man at war; it's also about the war within the man, because the memories of his sniper missions were always with him.

And as the years went by, the full realization of what he'd done in the line of duty came back to haunt Mitchell's scarred conscience. Without the love of his wife, Ellen, it would have destroyed him."--Jacket.

Personal Subject:

Mitchell, Gary D. (Gary Don), 1949--Mental health.

Mitchell, Gary D. (Gary Don), 1949- (OCoLC)fst01617479

Subject(s):

Post-traumatic stress disorder -- Patients -- United States -- Biography.

Combat -- Psychological aspects.

Snipers -- United States -- Biography.

Vietnam War, 1961-1975 -- Veterans -- United States -- Biography.

Vietnam War, 1961-1975 -- Personal narratives, American.

Post-traumatic stress disorder.

Geographic Term:

Genre:

Personal narratives -- American.

Added Author:

Hirsh, Michael, 1943-

Holds:

Available:*

Library	Call Number	Status
Searching... Silver Falls Library	616.85 MITCHELL	Searching... Unknown

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Summary

What kind of man can take another's life while looking him-or her-dead in the eyes? And what does repeatedly committing such an act do to that man? In 1968, Gary Mitchell enlisted in the Army and was sent to an infantry unit in Vietnam, where he earned a reputation for keeping his head in extreme situations. This caught the eye of his superiors, who had him trained to excel at long-distance shooting. However, Gary was not used as a combat sniper the way marksmen are currently being used in Iraq. He was lent to American intelligence agents who used him as an assassin, probably as part of the infamous, CIA-run Phoenix Program. This is not just the story of a man at war; it's also about the war within the man, because the memories of his sniper missions followed him home, through his twenty-four year Army career and into civilian life. As the years went by, the full realization of what he'd done in the line of duty came back to haunt Mitchell's scarred conscience. But for the love of his wife, Ellen, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder would have destroyed him.

Reviews (2)

Publisher's Weekly Review

A compelling, troubling story, this war memoir recounts the hellish experiences of an 18-year-old naif from Texas who volunteered to fight in the Vietnam War only to find himself transformed into a part-time sniper. Mitchell served as an infantryman and as the commander of an armored recovery vehicle for most of his 1969-1970 tour, spending most of his time in the thick of the guerrilla war. Periodically, he would be plucked from his unit by a team of anonymous intelligence operatives (perhaps members of the CIA's Phoenix Program), handed a special sharpshooter's rifle, put on a helicopter and given a mission to stalk and kill someone. For respite, he was given three weeks of temporary duty working with dead American bodies at the Danang morgue. Mitchell survived the war, but soon after coming home he began suffering from terrifying nightmares and rages that would plague him for three decades. Mitchell tells his life story with the help of journalist Hirsh (None Braver), also a Vietnam veteran. Though the later sections dealing with Mitchell's efforts to overcome post-traumatic stress disorder are bogged down with repetitive details and long quotes, the authors' recounting of Mitchell's sniper missions are absolutely riveting. (Jan. 3) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Booklist Review

Mitchell began his journey as a high-school student in Texas, from which college and the army were the only ways out. The army took him to Vietnam, where he proved such an effective combat infantryman that he was chosen for sniper training. He served as a sniper during the rest of the Vietnam War and on detachment to U.S. intelligence for deniable covert operations in many countries. The deniability required that he and his spotter had absolutely no backup or any resources except their own wits and weapons to execute the mission and then escape and evade. Mitchell's conscience preyed on him, as has many a sniper's before, and he describes its working with exceptional vividness. He also pays tribute to his solid marriage and credits his wife for much of the work of preserving his sanity. Probably a good deal of detail about his service remains and will remain hidden; even so, Mitchell's report of his career adds well to sniper literature and infantry memoirs. --Roland Green Copyright 2006 Booklist