Shooter

The Autobiography of the Top-Ranked Marine Sniper

By: Jack Coughlin, Casey Kuhlman, Donald A. Davis

Narrated by: Dick Hill

With more than 60 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 Sergeant Jack Coughlin is a divorced father of two who grew up in a wealthy Boston suburb. At the age of 19, although he had never even held a gun, he joined the Marines and would spend the next 20 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 36 kills, 13 of them in a single 24-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.

©2005 Gunnery Sgt. Jack Coughlin, USMC, and Capt. Casey Kuhlman, USMCR, with Donald A. Davis (P)2005 Blackstone Audiobooks

Critic reviews

"The 3rd Battalion has a veteran sniper, Staff Sergeant Jack Coughlin, for whom the war in Iraq was only the latest of many wars; he fought in Mogadishu, too. On the first day of battle at the Diyala Bridge, he had 11 kills. He is 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)

Dry, like a desert storm

This is a first person narrative by a star Marine Corps scout sniper, a man who may be one of the most talented marksmen in the world, but whose skills go beyond target shooting (as he explains in this book). Regardless of your views on U.S. activities in Iraq, this is a good story. It suffers, though, from being a bit too detailed in parts, with the result that some parts of the story are very dry, and very boring. The narration is passable, but the narrator almost seems bent on creating the impression that, because this is an account by enlisted man (instead of an officer), it has to be "dumbed down." He creates a deez, dem and doze speech form with a Boston twinge. I found that irritating. The inherent drama of the story, though, merits at least 3 stars.

Gunnery Sergeant Jack Coughlin at his best

Gunny Coughlin explains the world of a sniper like no one else. Hands down, one of the greatest ever. Does he like to put himself on a pedestal? Yes. Does he do it in this book? More than enough times. To the point of saying, "Get over yourself!". Do you need to have that attitude to be a Marine Sniper? Abso-f'ing-lutly! Read it. You'll understand. If you don't, oh well. Semper Fi my friends.

Inside look at war

Would you listen to Shooter again? Why?

Yes, and I probably will, simply because it is an interesting look at war from the inside.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The main character, Jack.

What three words best describe Dick Hill’s voice?

Drop the accent.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

An inside look at war where life and death are decided between heartbeats.

Any additional comments?

The US is lucky to have patriots like Jack Coughlin. So many liberals think that Marines and other US military personnel are just unfeeling, unthinking automatons to be pushed around on a world chess board to accomplish a stated mission. That's not the case. These are honorable citizen-soldiers with hearts and minds who, like Jack Coughlin, will do what is necessary to protect the people of United States.
As someone who did a fair amount of shooting in the Marine Corps, I can attest to how difficult really good shooting is at great distances. Coughlin is like a major-league perfect-game pitcher compared to most of us sand--lot players.
As for the reader, he has a good voice, but should not have attempted the Bostonian accent. It sounded a bit pretentious and was distracting. If Jack Coughlin had read it with his own accent, that would have been fine, because that's who he is.

Marines Marine

Welll done Gunney. It was a pleasure to know you. Enjoy your retirement and your family.

Unique and delivers.

If you could sum up Shooter in three words, what would they be?

Unique different alien. A glimpse into a unique world. Honest and detailed discussion of what it is like to have a career as a sniper. Many descriptions of battles and missions. Slim thread of story woven to pull it together. Easy to listen to. I have zero background to understand this and it was easy to follow. Entertaining. A bit chilling at times but that is because it is so real.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Truth is stranger than fiction.

Any additional comments?

If you enjoy this topic you will like this because it will probably feel accurate to you. If you like reading diverse topics, give it a try as it is well written and easy to understand. I found parts of it somewhat amazing.

First rate story!

I read Gunnery Sergeant Jack Coughlin's story last year in paperback, and could not put it down. A gripping story of the Iraq conflict told through the eyes of an American hero who saved countless lives being the best at his job. You will come away with a different picture than the sanitized version given by the main stream media. Gunnery Sergeant Coughlin comes across as a regular guy with extraordinary skills and commitment to serving his country above and beyond what was expected of him. An awesome story that will leave you looking for more Coughlin books. You will not be disappointed.

Just OK

The author has an ego, a big one, but I suppose that's a mandate given the job. Not much here about actual sniping, mostly the set up. Entertaining anecdotes are few. The book is OK. The reader has a thick Boston accent which wears me out for some reason. I can take most readers but this one has me close to giving up.

Definately worth reading

Shooter is written in a fast paced, action adventure style of story telling that keeps you on the edge of your seat. It tells the story of the US-Iraq war without trying to hide the facts. Coughlin tells the facts as he knows them but he gives you the whole story. He is clearly proud of his work as a sniper and he?s proud of the United States Marine Corps so Coughlin shares some regrets about things that went wrong, but don?t expect to find any hand wringing about what happens on the battlefield. And the narrator is so good he probably sounds more like Jack Coughlin than Coughlin does himself.

Deadly Story

This is a good book and truly recounts the deadliness of war that men wage on one another. The author doesn't glamorize his acts, but simply recounts them as they fell upon him and his duty as an enlisted marine. This is a good and accurate accounting of the beginnings of the second Iraq war waged in the early part of this decade.

Excellent war memoir

Great book, production and narration. That said, narrator has a strong Massachusetts accent. If you don't mind an AK-47 being called an "AK-Farty-Seven", you'll be all good. Apparently, "North" is actually pronounced "Naaarth".
As the author is from Massachusetts, to me the narration lent some authenticity!
Amazing story of a true Marine hero.