Shooter : the autobiography of the top-ranked Marine sniper

Jack Coughlin is the Marine Corps' top-ranked sniper, the man who personally brings America's military muscle to the enemy's front door. In twenty years of active service, he has accumulated one of the most impressive records in the Corps, ranging through many of the world's hot spots. During Operation Iraqi Freedom alone, he recorded at least thirty-six kills, thirteen of them in a single twenty-four hour period. In Shooter, Coughlin has written a highly personal story about his deadly craft, taking readers deep inside an invisible society that is off-limits to outsiders. This is not a heroic battlefield memoir, but the careful study of an exceptional man as he carries forward one of the deadliest legacies in the U.S. military. (Publisher)

INTO THE CROSSHAIRS

Marine Sniper Sgt. Jack Coughlin carried his specially designed bolt action rifle—and its nearly magical scope—into a landscape of sandstorms, firefights, and chaos during Operation Iraqi Freedom. As marines charged through the desert and leapfrogged through bizarre, treacherous urban battlefields, Coughlin and his sniper teammate did their job and did it well: One by one, they spotted their targets—up to a half a mile away. And one by one their targets died. Coughlin has more than 60 confirmed kills.

INTO THE ACTION

In this extraordinary account from battlefield Iraq, Coughlin tells the story of his own unique war, from stealthy, slowly-unfolding long range kills to unplanned firefights—and how one sniper team adapted and thrived in a battle zone unlike any they faced before…

INTO THE HEART AND MIND OF A WARRIOR

With vivid portraits of Coughlin's fellow marines and the battles they fought from Al Kut to Baghdad center, SHOOTER takes readers to the frontlines of the war in Iraq and gives a brutally honest account of a man trained to hunt humans, who had the courage to do his deadly job—and live with it once the shooting stopped.

"One of the best snipers in the Marine Corps, perhaps the very best. When I asked one of his commanders about his skills, the commander smiled and said, "I'm just glad he's on our side.'"

—Peter Maas, war-correspondent and bestselling author of Love Thy Neighbor

With More Than Sixty Confirmed Kills, Gunnery Sgt. Coughlin Is The Marine Corps' Top-ranked Sniper. A Divorced Father Of Two Who Grew Up In A Wealthy Boston Suburb, He Had Never Even Held A Gun When He Joined The Marines, But Would Spend The Next Twenty Years Behind The Scope Of A Long-range Precision Rifle. In That Time He Accumulated One Of The Most Successful Records In The Corps, Ranging Through Many Of The World's Hotspots. Now He Has Written A Highly Personal Story About His Deadly Craft, Taking Readers Deep Inside An Invisible Society. This Is Not A Heroic Battlefield Memoir, But The Careful Study Of An Exceptional Man Who Must Keep His Sanity While Carrying Forward One Of The Deadliest Legacies In The U.s. Military Today.--from Publisher Description. Touch Of An Angel -- The Secret Ants -- Thou Shalt Kill -- New Ideas -- Winds Of War -- The Wait -- Safwan Hill -- First Kills -- Left Out -- Midnight Ride -- Send In The Bull -- Decision -- A Bench In A War -- A Call Home -- April Fool's Day -- Have Gun, Will Travel -- Ghostbusters -- Push, Push, Push -- The Baghdad Two-mile -- The Bridge -- The Worst Thing -- The Overpass -- Sniper Team -- Our Iwo Jima Moment -- The Urban Hide -- Epilogue : Welcome Home. Jack Coughlin And Casey Kuhlman With Donald A. Davis. Includes Index. With more than sixty confirmed kills, Jack Coughlin is the Marine Corps' top-ranked sniper. Shooter is his harrowing first-person account of a sniper's life on and off the modern battlefield. Gunnery Sgt. Jack Coughlin is a divorced father of two who grew up in a wealthy Boston suburb. At the age of nineteen, although he had never even held a gun, he joined the Marines and would spend the next twenty years behind the scope of a long-range precision rifle as a sniper. In that time he accumulated one of the most successful sniper records in the Corps, ranging through many of the world's hotspots. During Operation Iraqi Freedom alone, he recorded at least thirty-six kills, thirteen of them in a single twenty-four-hour period. Now Coughlin has written a highly personal story about his deadly craft, taking readers deep inside an invisible society that is off-limits to outsiders. This is not a heroic battlefield memoir, but the careful study of an exceptional man who must keep his sanity while carrying forward one of the deadliest legacies in the U.S. military today. Touch of an angel -- The secret arts -- Thou shalt kill -- New ideas -- Winds of war -- The wait -- Safwan Hill -- First kills -- Left out -- Midnight ride -- Send in the bull -- Decision -- A bench in a war -- A call home -- April Fool's Day -- Have gun, will travel -- Ghostbusters -- Push, push, push -- The Baghdad two-mile -- The bridge -- The worst thing -- The overpass -- Sniper team -- Our Iwo Jima moment -- The urban hide -- Epilogue : welcome home -- Index.;A portrait of highly regarded Marine Corp gunner sergeant Jack Coughlin traces his successful active duty record and his personal life, offering a look into the covert world of long-range precision rifle shooters. At another time, on another battlefield, my radio call sign had been "Gabriel," because the archangel and I have a lot in common.