What was the number of American snipers in the Vietnam War?

Answer 1

Snipers do more than provide one shot one body results. They often go in with or before the advance party on a forward movement and act as scouts gathering information. On a withdrawal they act as rear guards covering the troops as they pull back. Its amazing how much the loss of a senior enemy officer to a sniper can slow the advance of a unit.

American snipers in Vietnam at the end of the war killed over 10,000 VC/NVA soilders at the cost of under 20,000 bullets.

Answer 2

US Army & US Marine snipers, through out US history, have been un-officially used during wars. No recognized PERMENANT "official" schools or budgets were allowed for them until near the end of the Vietnam War; and when they were established, they were started by the US Marine Corps. Up until the Vietnam War, all US Marines were considered RIFLEMEN first...pilots, tank crewmen, artillerymen...second. As a result, in the late 1960's the Marines became America's first official military snipers, with permanent financial backing and schools. The US Army followed suit shortly thereafter. US Sniper's, as a rule, were scorned by the status quo conventional military. Snipers could be as effective as a company of infantrymen or a company of tanks; consequently threatening the justification (& existence) of having & using larger military units. With the ADDED negative side effects of getting LESS money from congress when the defense budget was distributed; a lone sniper is alot cheaper than the price of 17 tanks and 100 men! There was a third negative aspect to snipers; they threatened army doctrine, which called for mass employment of tanks and armored fighting vehicles, which in turn called for many officers and NCO's to lead them. Snipers now threatened the jobs of platoon and company level leadership positions (officers & NCO's) if they were to be replaced by lone snipers (which were less expensive and equally effective-MORE BANG FOR THE BUCK!). Bottom line: The established military preferred to "officially" ignore snipers; but "officially" used them when they were needed. When the war ended, snipers were intended to "disappear", "go away", as they had always done before. Vietnam War: In all previous US wars, military snipers were to eliminate key personnel (officers, NCO's, radio operators, machinegun crews, etc.). The doctrine remained the same for Vietnam...but the actual use in Vietnam "evolved" into obtaining BODY COUNTS. For the US Army, snipers often worked in "free fire zones" collecting body counts from anyone out there past a certain time (free fire zone after 1800 hours, example). Or they were emplaced in areas known (dirt road & highways) to be mined by enemy sappers (communists planting land mines, or communist commando's penetrating the barbed wire defenses of a US Firebase). Sometimes they were emplaced over looking known trails used by the enemy. In all cases US snipers had to be alert from possible destruction from US Aircraft, warned by planted "sensing devices" through out the country (had to avoid friendly fire); as well as avoiding "getting shot up" by a US patrol, as US snipers employed the same tactics as did the enemy. STEALTH & Marksmanship was the art of the military sniper. Most, if not all, US Army snipers remained quiet about their occupations while in the base camps, and very few socialized, except with their own kind. People hated the army and the war as it was; being a sniper only added fuel to an already hated profession. The occupation itself lends itself to remaining a "solitary figure." And in order to survive, snipers had to remain quiet about it. The art of law enforcement sniping may be marksmanship; but military snipers MUST be hunters first, marksman second. Anyone can pull a trigger; but it takes a hunter to get close. ALL snipers are marksman, but NOT all marksman are snipers.

Answer 3

Snipers were used as arms for American soldiers. Not too sure if the Vietnamese used snipers as well.