Sniper Country
27-07-2008, 23:02
In the months after declaring its sovereignty, the Confederacy of Sniper Country found that in light of world events, a proper, organized military force was a required asset. Declaring independence during the aftermath of World War III and just a few short years before World War IV, the fledging Sniper Country Senate organized and instated the Sniper Country Armed Forces, or SCAF for short. Throughout the nation, semi-organized militias were well known and grounded, but these “rag-tag” outfits would not ward off a potential threat or perform well in a proper invasion of a target nation. Therefore, major funding was allotted from various departments, such as education, transportation, and agriculture, and diverted to defense. A leader of the original militiamen in the country, a middle-aged man named Mark Spitz, was chosen as the essential commander of the SCAF.
Now with a leader and proper funding, recruiting drives took place throughout the nation, attempting to gain numbers and support for the Armed Forces. Being in its extremely early stages, the SCAF took nearly anyone and everyone, allowing any men from the age of sixteen to sixty-five sign the dotted line to serve in the military. A huge influx of men into the military initiated the first in many training programs for the SCAF. However, after nearly a year of training potential SCAF candidates, it was more than obvious that something needed to be done in order to collect and maintain a proficient fighting force. In a special session of the Senate, major discussion was exchanged concerning the seemingly imminent failure of the SCAF. When leader of the SCAF Mark Spitz stepped to the podium, however, minds were quickly changed.
During the Senate’s special session, one of the most significant resolutions in Sniper Country history was passed. The Senate found and agreed that instead of a large, moderately trained and equipped force, which could dominate the enemy by sheer numbers, the SCAF would consist of an extremely small number of troops, but would receive considerably “over-the-top” training and supply. It was found that too many nations looked at their militaries and ideals and symbols for their nation than what a military was to truly be: a lethal killing force which utilized violence to accomplish a mission or objective. Therefore, troops in the SCAF would not be issued dress uniforms, and would only be it would only be suggested to wear issued camouflage uniforms when on combat missions. Otherwise, there was to be no dress code of any kind; members of the SCAF could wear any clothing they so desired, and there would be no grooming standards. Men of the SCAF could have their hair raggedy or in ponytails, beards as long as they desired, and wear t-shirts and board shorts and flip flops; anything was accepted so long as they were combat effective. As one Senator at the time so aptly phrased it, “When other countries see pictures of our troops, we don’t want them to see clean shaven, well groomed boys in a red suit and funny hat marching to the sound of a bagpipe. We want them to see muscled-up guys with guns strapped to their chests spitting tobacco on the ground. We want them to piss their pants and think, That’s a bad motherfucker.”
With the first portion of the Senate’s resolution on SCAF policies revealing the extremely lax policies on dress and grooming, much of the rest of the resolution dealt with the training and equipping of the soldiers. The standards for entry into the SCAF were made to be almost outrageous, allowing only the absolute best men to qualify for entry into training. Qualifying entrants into the SCAF had to be in peak physical condition, be extremely smart (including great displays of common sense), and undergo rigorous physical, mental, and emotional stress tests. These standards disqualified nearly all current members of the SCAF. Those who were disqualified were discharged to their homes, most with leadership positions in their local militia squads. After all disqualified members were discharged, only enough men to make up a then-standard company remained – roughly 150-175 men. However, from these few men, the SCAF grew into the fighting force it is today.
The training regimen for these soldiers was exceeding what many nations’ Special Forces troops experienced. With leaders and advisors appointed by Mark Spitz’s personal experiences in combat, the men were driven for nearly two years to become proficient in almost every aspect of modern combat, from domestic and foreign weaponry to small and large team strategy and tactics to Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape (SERE), to airborne operations and beyond. During the training process, however, only 61 made it to the end. Of almost 175 men, 22 were killed, with others gradually quitting as time went on. Finally, after nearly four years since the decision to create an organized military, the SCAF rolled out its first group of qualified, battle-ready GRUNTs. They were given this name by their instructors, who commented that during the night, all of the troops grunted in their sleep as they dreamt of the pain they experienced that day. “With the noise they made at night,” one instructor noted, “every letter in the word should be capitalized.”
With such incredible yet difficult entry standards and basic training, the Senate knew it had something good going. However, not just anybody was willing to risk losing his life during a training program, and “for God and country” was not quite going to make the cut as to why they should wish to enter the SCAF. Therefore, the Senate passed a bill that granted any troops who successfully entered and completed basic training and became a GRUNT a yearly salary of $50,000 tax-free. With the average yearly salary in Sniper Country at the time being little more than $25,000 before taxes, the money-making opportunity seemed well worth the risk to many young men. The influx of men for training began once again. Within just five years, the SCAF had just over 19,000 GRUNTs, and was beginning its ventures into Naval and Air Forces.
With the SCAF reaching such manpower, it was quickly seen that a specific area within Sniper Country needed to be set aside as a base for all troops in the military. During an early session of the Senate, a bill was passed that allotted an area the size of the commonly-known states of Louisiana and Mississippi as the SCAF’s official area of operations. This bill was the 101st bill to be passed by the Senate, which therefore gave the name to the base, AO-101. The AO would serve as the home base for all troops in the SCAF, being self-contained and fully operational at all times. It would, for a majority of the time, serve as the training center for all incoming troops, and would serve as the base of all aerial operations, containing both Key Field Airport and Lowe Field Heliport, which served both rotary and fixed wing aircraft.
As the SCAF began to grow, the need for support assets increased. Realizing the need for support, but also seeing the absolute need for combat specific troops, the Senate made the decision to create what would become millions of jobs by designating and bidding almost every support role in the SCAF to civilian contractors. While the move undoubtedly cost the government billions upon billions of dollars, it supplied millions of Sniper Country citizens with good paying jobs, as well as freed up all members of the SCAF for combat specific operations. However, as the SCAF grew and opened its doors to Naval and Air Forces, support roles such as boat and aircraft pilots were diverted from contractor positions back to SCAF roles. Troops who had successfully become GRUNTs were now able to become pilots, and others would spend their time operating on ships throughout the waters of the world.
Also with the influx of operators in the SCAF, it was seen that even as the basic infantryman was the relative equivalent of a foreign Special Forces operator, there was definite potential throughout the ranks to form even more skilled, efficient operating units. The SCAF developed an advanced training program for specially selected troops which went by the name “DB.” There was speculation as to what exactly the two letters stood for, but no official statement has ever been released. Even as the troops designated as DBs were more proficient warriors, there was still no official unit designated for Special Operations within the SCAF. This changed when a young Captain named Lee Ramsdell was selected for a special mission deep behind the lines of a foreign nation, the now defunct nation of the Grand Duchy of Lord Christopher Scott. Ramsdell was tasked with hand-selecting eleven other members of his Top Secret unit, infiltrating a foreign jungle outpost and causing mass chaos to operations there, aiding a small foreign guerilla team with training and equipping, and achieving exfiltration back to Sniper Country without being compromised. During the operation, four of the twelve operators in Ramsdell’s team were killed, and all involved were wounded. Ramsdell himself received a bullet wound to the thigh and shrapnel to the head. However, after nearly two weeks behind enemy lines, the eight remaining troops left the country and returned to Sniper Country, accomplishing their mission by causing total abandonment of the LCS outpost and supplying the foreign guerilla fighters with enough weapons and ammunition to carry on a sustained firefight with standard LCS troops. Upon returning to Sniper Country, Ramsdell was placed in charge of creating the first and only true Special Operations unit in the SCAF, the 22nd (SOF-D) Infantry Regiment.**
Within the first decade of the SCAF’s existence, numbers had grown tremendously, although toward then end of the decade numbers had evened out to a flat rate. The SCAF boasted roughly 80,000 combat-ready troops, with another 10,000-15,000 in training. Although the military had grown by several thousand, the population of Sniper Country had grown exponentially, reaching upwards of several hundred million. With pride, Sniper Country claimed the smallest (per capita), yet most combat-effective military in the world. This claim was only challenged by few, with most of the world agreeing that, given the incredibly small number of troops in the military and the then almost unheard-of (unorthodox) training styles and techniques, the SCAF was one of the single most effective combat organizations the world had seen. Several years of peace ensued, with only small operations occurring throughout the world, mostly in support of allied operations on foreign soil. During these years, the SCAF began a foreign training program, allowing foreign militaries to send a very limited amount of troops onto Sniper Country soil in order to receive a small piece of the training encountered by GRUNTs. However, one event caused the program to come to an abrupt end and brought Sniper Country and the SCAF onto the center stage in international affairs for quite some time.
During one training mission through the foothills of the Phillipedes Mountains in northern Sniper Country, one team of SOF-D operators was training a platoon of troops from the nation of Samustan. Unbeknownst to the Senate or SCAF, Samustan was an open supporter of terrorism throughout the world.*** During the training mission, the Samustani soldiers turned their weapons on the SOF-D operators, massacring them where they stood. It is reported that the operators successfully killed several enemy; claims of this, however, cannot be confirmed. Within hours, several teams of SCAF operators were deployed to the area and successfully eliminated the Samustani company. This blatant attack on Sniper Country prompted a campaign by mostly SOF-D troops to Samustan, where they openly operated in order to hunt down and kill terrorist operators throughout the nation. After four months of operating in cooperation with several other nations within Samustan, SCAF troops were pulled out of the country. Foreign nations devastated Samustan with a barrage of nuclear weaponry, killing hundreds of thousands of enemy combatants, although civilian casualties surpassed several million.
Only a few short months after the Samustan operations, the Republic of Royal Palms made an open, unprompted declaration of war on Sniper Country. The move prompted several nations, both allies and formerly neutral, to draw their attention to Royal Palms, aiding the Confederacy. Seeking diplomatic resolutions, yet desiring to make it known that a military option was still available, the Naval Forces issued a Carrier Strike Group to a strait between the two largest islands which made up Royal Palms. However, before talks could begin between the Republic and the Confederacy, a supposedly neutral alliance, led mainly by Omz222, led a large-scale invasion of Royal Palms, resulting in the decimation of the Republic’s military. The invasion was unprompted, and totally unsupported by both the SCAF and Senate. However, in a retaliatory strike, believing Sniper Country was actually leading the invasion, aircraft from Royal Palms made a devastating attack on the Carrier Strike Group, sinking one carrier and two battleships. The attack killed several hundred Sniper Country troops. Following the attack, the SCAF began preparations for a full invasion of Royal Palms. The alliance, led by Omz222, however, had already taken over the capital of the Republic, and threatened that any attack on the country’s soil would result in a counter-invasion by the alliance. SCAF preparations were called off, but the situation between Sniper Country and Omz222 would remain intact for several years, coming to a head over five years later.
After rising tensions between Sniper Country and Omz222, the Senate initiated a military buildup in both AO-101 and Pascagoula Naval Yard. At the time, no one expected the situation to become as grave as it would, and many in the SCAF were excited to begin such a buildup. Almost three months after the buildup of troops, men and equipment were loaded onto various support and transport ships and began the journey toward Omzian waters. Finally, almost six years after the Royal Palms Conflict, Sniper Country troops landed onshore at Honjaksgrad, Omz222. Encountering resistance from an entire division of Ferussian infantrymen, the men of the SCAF’s 5th Marine Division made various tactical and head-on maneuvers until Ferussian troops were forced to retreat. The beachhead was established thereafter, and soon over 30,000 SCAF troops were stationed within the city. The city withheld several attempted counter-attacks, with other operations going on in various locations around Omz222. However, no ground was being gained by either side. Slowly losing naval superiority, the SCNF was forced to slowly retreat from Omzian waters and regroup. This gave both Omzian and Ferussian troops the opportunity they had been looking for in order to make their counter-attack. Pushing over 100,000 troops into the city, the SCAF was slowly forced to retreat from the city, toward the beach where small transport ships waited patiently. The 33rd Mechanized Infantry “Gangland” Division held the lines until most of the SCAF troops were pulled out of the city. Down to only a few remaining companies, the commander of the 33rd made the decision to detonate several strategically placed nuclear and VX gas bombs throughout the city. The detonation instantaneously killed all life within the city of Honjaksgrad, including the remaining troops of the 33rd. Although the Senate or SCAF officials had never authorized the use of nuclear or chemical weapons, their detonation caused a retaliation that destroyed the entirety of Sniper Country.
After several years of rebuilding the Confederacy, the SCAF went to work in rebuilding its ranks as well. Though still in the process of building the Air and Naval Forces, the Ground Forces were the first to reach full operating capacity. Now, as the world continues to engage in political and military bouts, the SCAF has risen from the ashes, ready to engage and destroy any enemy, anywhere, whenever called.
*(Later amendments to the resolution added that qualifying entrants required a Bachelor’s degree from a college in Sniper Country.)
**(Officially recognized and acknowledged unit, that is.)
***(This would also serve as evidence of one of the greatest intelligence fallacies in Sniper Country history.)
Now with a leader and proper funding, recruiting drives took place throughout the nation, attempting to gain numbers and support for the Armed Forces. Being in its extremely early stages, the SCAF took nearly anyone and everyone, allowing any men from the age of sixteen to sixty-five sign the dotted line to serve in the military. A huge influx of men into the military initiated the first in many training programs for the SCAF. However, after nearly a year of training potential SCAF candidates, it was more than obvious that something needed to be done in order to collect and maintain a proficient fighting force. In a special session of the Senate, major discussion was exchanged concerning the seemingly imminent failure of the SCAF. When leader of the SCAF Mark Spitz stepped to the podium, however, minds were quickly changed.
During the Senate’s special session, one of the most significant resolutions in Sniper Country history was passed. The Senate found and agreed that instead of a large, moderately trained and equipped force, which could dominate the enemy by sheer numbers, the SCAF would consist of an extremely small number of troops, but would receive considerably “over-the-top” training and supply. It was found that too many nations looked at their militaries and ideals and symbols for their nation than what a military was to truly be: a lethal killing force which utilized violence to accomplish a mission or objective. Therefore, troops in the SCAF would not be issued dress uniforms, and would only be it would only be suggested to wear issued camouflage uniforms when on combat missions. Otherwise, there was to be no dress code of any kind; members of the SCAF could wear any clothing they so desired, and there would be no grooming standards. Men of the SCAF could have their hair raggedy or in ponytails, beards as long as they desired, and wear t-shirts and board shorts and flip flops; anything was accepted so long as they were combat effective. As one Senator at the time so aptly phrased it, “When other countries see pictures of our troops, we don’t want them to see clean shaven, well groomed boys in a red suit and funny hat marching to the sound of a bagpipe. We want them to see muscled-up guys with guns strapped to their chests spitting tobacco on the ground. We want them to piss their pants and think, That’s a bad motherfucker.”
With the first portion of the Senate’s resolution on SCAF policies revealing the extremely lax policies on dress and grooming, much of the rest of the resolution dealt with the training and equipping of the soldiers. The standards for entry into the SCAF were made to be almost outrageous, allowing only the absolute best men to qualify for entry into training. Qualifying entrants into the SCAF had to be in peak physical condition, be extremely smart (including great displays of common sense), and undergo rigorous physical, mental, and emotional stress tests. These standards disqualified nearly all current members of the SCAF. Those who were disqualified were discharged to their homes, most with leadership positions in their local militia squads. After all disqualified members were discharged, only enough men to make up a then-standard company remained – roughly 150-175 men. However, from these few men, the SCAF grew into the fighting force it is today.
The training regimen for these soldiers was exceeding what many nations’ Special Forces troops experienced. With leaders and advisors appointed by Mark Spitz’s personal experiences in combat, the men were driven for nearly two years to become proficient in almost every aspect of modern combat, from domestic and foreign weaponry to small and large team strategy and tactics to Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape (SERE), to airborne operations and beyond. During the training process, however, only 61 made it to the end. Of almost 175 men, 22 were killed, with others gradually quitting as time went on. Finally, after nearly four years since the decision to create an organized military, the SCAF rolled out its first group of qualified, battle-ready GRUNTs. They were given this name by their instructors, who commented that during the night, all of the troops grunted in their sleep as they dreamt of the pain they experienced that day. “With the noise they made at night,” one instructor noted, “every letter in the word should be capitalized.”
With such incredible yet difficult entry standards and basic training, the Senate knew it had something good going. However, not just anybody was willing to risk losing his life during a training program, and “for God and country” was not quite going to make the cut as to why they should wish to enter the SCAF. Therefore, the Senate passed a bill that granted any troops who successfully entered and completed basic training and became a GRUNT a yearly salary of $50,000 tax-free. With the average yearly salary in Sniper Country at the time being little more than $25,000 before taxes, the money-making opportunity seemed well worth the risk to many young men. The influx of men for training began once again. Within just five years, the SCAF had just over 19,000 GRUNTs, and was beginning its ventures into Naval and Air Forces.
With the SCAF reaching such manpower, it was quickly seen that a specific area within Sniper Country needed to be set aside as a base for all troops in the military. During an early session of the Senate, a bill was passed that allotted an area the size of the commonly-known states of Louisiana and Mississippi as the SCAF’s official area of operations. This bill was the 101st bill to be passed by the Senate, which therefore gave the name to the base, AO-101. The AO would serve as the home base for all troops in the SCAF, being self-contained and fully operational at all times. It would, for a majority of the time, serve as the training center for all incoming troops, and would serve as the base of all aerial operations, containing both Key Field Airport and Lowe Field Heliport, which served both rotary and fixed wing aircraft.
As the SCAF began to grow, the need for support assets increased. Realizing the need for support, but also seeing the absolute need for combat specific troops, the Senate made the decision to create what would become millions of jobs by designating and bidding almost every support role in the SCAF to civilian contractors. While the move undoubtedly cost the government billions upon billions of dollars, it supplied millions of Sniper Country citizens with good paying jobs, as well as freed up all members of the SCAF for combat specific operations. However, as the SCAF grew and opened its doors to Naval and Air Forces, support roles such as boat and aircraft pilots were diverted from contractor positions back to SCAF roles. Troops who had successfully become GRUNTs were now able to become pilots, and others would spend their time operating on ships throughout the waters of the world.
Also with the influx of operators in the SCAF, it was seen that even as the basic infantryman was the relative equivalent of a foreign Special Forces operator, there was definite potential throughout the ranks to form even more skilled, efficient operating units. The SCAF developed an advanced training program for specially selected troops which went by the name “DB.” There was speculation as to what exactly the two letters stood for, but no official statement has ever been released. Even as the troops designated as DBs were more proficient warriors, there was still no official unit designated for Special Operations within the SCAF. This changed when a young Captain named Lee Ramsdell was selected for a special mission deep behind the lines of a foreign nation, the now defunct nation of the Grand Duchy of Lord Christopher Scott. Ramsdell was tasked with hand-selecting eleven other members of his Top Secret unit, infiltrating a foreign jungle outpost and causing mass chaos to operations there, aiding a small foreign guerilla team with training and equipping, and achieving exfiltration back to Sniper Country without being compromised. During the operation, four of the twelve operators in Ramsdell’s team were killed, and all involved were wounded. Ramsdell himself received a bullet wound to the thigh and shrapnel to the head. However, after nearly two weeks behind enemy lines, the eight remaining troops left the country and returned to Sniper Country, accomplishing their mission by causing total abandonment of the LCS outpost and supplying the foreign guerilla fighters with enough weapons and ammunition to carry on a sustained firefight with standard LCS troops. Upon returning to Sniper Country, Ramsdell was placed in charge of creating the first and only true Special Operations unit in the SCAF, the 22nd (SOF-D) Infantry Regiment.**
Within the first decade of the SCAF’s existence, numbers had grown tremendously, although toward then end of the decade numbers had evened out to a flat rate. The SCAF boasted roughly 80,000 combat-ready troops, with another 10,000-15,000 in training. Although the military had grown by several thousand, the population of Sniper Country had grown exponentially, reaching upwards of several hundred million. With pride, Sniper Country claimed the smallest (per capita), yet most combat-effective military in the world. This claim was only challenged by few, with most of the world agreeing that, given the incredibly small number of troops in the military and the then almost unheard-of (unorthodox) training styles and techniques, the SCAF was one of the single most effective combat organizations the world had seen. Several years of peace ensued, with only small operations occurring throughout the world, mostly in support of allied operations on foreign soil. During these years, the SCAF began a foreign training program, allowing foreign militaries to send a very limited amount of troops onto Sniper Country soil in order to receive a small piece of the training encountered by GRUNTs. However, one event caused the program to come to an abrupt end and brought Sniper Country and the SCAF onto the center stage in international affairs for quite some time.
During one training mission through the foothills of the Phillipedes Mountains in northern Sniper Country, one team of SOF-D operators was training a platoon of troops from the nation of Samustan. Unbeknownst to the Senate or SCAF, Samustan was an open supporter of terrorism throughout the world.*** During the training mission, the Samustani soldiers turned their weapons on the SOF-D operators, massacring them where they stood. It is reported that the operators successfully killed several enemy; claims of this, however, cannot be confirmed. Within hours, several teams of SCAF operators were deployed to the area and successfully eliminated the Samustani company. This blatant attack on Sniper Country prompted a campaign by mostly SOF-D troops to Samustan, where they openly operated in order to hunt down and kill terrorist operators throughout the nation. After four months of operating in cooperation with several other nations within Samustan, SCAF troops were pulled out of the country. Foreign nations devastated Samustan with a barrage of nuclear weaponry, killing hundreds of thousands of enemy combatants, although civilian casualties surpassed several million.
Only a few short months after the Samustan operations, the Republic of Royal Palms made an open, unprompted declaration of war on Sniper Country. The move prompted several nations, both allies and formerly neutral, to draw their attention to Royal Palms, aiding the Confederacy. Seeking diplomatic resolutions, yet desiring to make it known that a military option was still available, the Naval Forces issued a Carrier Strike Group to a strait between the two largest islands which made up Royal Palms. However, before talks could begin between the Republic and the Confederacy, a supposedly neutral alliance, led mainly by Omz222, led a large-scale invasion of Royal Palms, resulting in the decimation of the Republic’s military. The invasion was unprompted, and totally unsupported by both the SCAF and Senate. However, in a retaliatory strike, believing Sniper Country was actually leading the invasion, aircraft from Royal Palms made a devastating attack on the Carrier Strike Group, sinking one carrier and two battleships. The attack killed several hundred Sniper Country troops. Following the attack, the SCAF began preparations for a full invasion of Royal Palms. The alliance, led by Omz222, however, had already taken over the capital of the Republic, and threatened that any attack on the country’s soil would result in a counter-invasion by the alliance. SCAF preparations were called off, but the situation between Sniper Country and Omz222 would remain intact for several years, coming to a head over five years later.
After rising tensions between Sniper Country and Omz222, the Senate initiated a military buildup in both AO-101 and Pascagoula Naval Yard. At the time, no one expected the situation to become as grave as it would, and many in the SCAF were excited to begin such a buildup. Almost three months after the buildup of troops, men and equipment were loaded onto various support and transport ships and began the journey toward Omzian waters. Finally, almost six years after the Royal Palms Conflict, Sniper Country troops landed onshore at Honjaksgrad, Omz222. Encountering resistance from an entire division of Ferussian infantrymen, the men of the SCAF’s 5th Marine Division made various tactical and head-on maneuvers until Ferussian troops were forced to retreat. The beachhead was established thereafter, and soon over 30,000 SCAF troops were stationed within the city. The city withheld several attempted counter-attacks, with other operations going on in various locations around Omz222. However, no ground was being gained by either side. Slowly losing naval superiority, the SCNF was forced to slowly retreat from Omzian waters and regroup. This gave both Omzian and Ferussian troops the opportunity they had been looking for in order to make their counter-attack. Pushing over 100,000 troops into the city, the SCAF was slowly forced to retreat from the city, toward the beach where small transport ships waited patiently. The 33rd Mechanized Infantry “Gangland” Division held the lines until most of the SCAF troops were pulled out of the city. Down to only a few remaining companies, the commander of the 33rd made the decision to detonate several strategically placed nuclear and VX gas bombs throughout the city. The detonation instantaneously killed all life within the city of Honjaksgrad, including the remaining troops of the 33rd. Although the Senate or SCAF officials had never authorized the use of nuclear or chemical weapons, their detonation caused a retaliation that destroyed the entirety of Sniper Country.
After several years of rebuilding the Confederacy, the SCAF went to work in rebuilding its ranks as well. Though still in the process of building the Air and Naval Forces, the Ground Forces were the first to reach full operating capacity. Now, as the world continues to engage in political and military bouts, the SCAF has risen from the ashes, ready to engage and destroy any enemy, anywhere, whenever called.
*(Later amendments to the resolution added that qualifying entrants required a Bachelor’s degree from a college in Sniper Country.)
**(Officially recognized and acknowledged unit, that is.)
***(This would also serve as evidence of one of the greatest intelligence fallacies in Sniper Country history.)