Customer Reviews

Long Rifle: A Sniper's Story in Iraq and Afghanistan

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(14)

 

 

I read Long Rifle twice, because I wanted to write a well read review of this book. All I can tell you is this book is it! This is combat on the squad and platoon level, where battles are won or lost. People in America see Pentagon briefings and the nightly news about smart bombs and push button wars; well, Joe was one of those push buttons! Combat is both brutal and dynamic. It is the grunt in the field who wins a war, not a Pentagon briefing. I too was in lower Manhattan on 9-11 and experienced the same emotion Joe did. I volunteered to go back on active duty that day and was accepted. This is more than a book about Joe as the sniper, it is about Joe the Patriot and Joe the Soldier. Joe's journey in life is one that I greatly respect. His days in a Ranger Regiment prepared him well for his tour in Iraq and Afghanistan. The battles and firefights in Fallujah kept me riveted while reading about Joe's experiences fighting through them. The IED attacks took me back to Iraq and my experiences with them. Being a soldier in a firefight is tough, it even tougher when your head is rattled. Being a sniper in a fire fight after an IED attack, is even tougher. You have to recover quickly and get your wits back. In Olympic biathlons, the shooters have to cross country ski and then shoot targets; Joe was able to recover after being ambushed and doing 500 yard dashes to a good firing position, and still bring deadly fire on the enemy. This is why sniper school is so grueling. Firing a weapon in combat is never akin to a rifle range. Joe hit targets with deadly accuracy. Joe also followed orders when they were dead wrong. When in an over watch position and confirming an insurgent IED was emplacing a road side bomb to kill Americans, his Headquarters refused to allow him to fire. He held his fire, even though he knew this to be dead wrong. Joe and well as many of us in Iraq, knew then the war was declared "mission complete", it had just begun. The then Sec Def, Donald Rumsfeld told the American people that we only faced "the remnants of a dying regime"; Joe was in Iraq fighting a full blown insurgency. I don't blame him in the least for feeling frustrated and critical of the decisions being made thousands of miles away. Soldiers have to fight through bad decisions and they understand them to be bad decisions,very quickly. Joe's mission in Afghanistan as a sniper truly drives home the conditions of fighting in mountains, rather in a flat desert. The Physics of firing a bullet are part of the stock and trade of a sniper and Joe understands how to put a shot on his target in any combat condition. Glad I was never in his sights! I recommend this book to every Soldier through General. It is truly a book from a Soldier's perspective.

LTC Gary R. Stahlhut, US Army Retired

Some parts of this book are very exciting but I cannot finish it because the author's political rants turn me off completely. I did NOT buy this book to read a Bush basher's whinings. It would've been much better had the author stayed on topic.

Joe was kicked out of the rangers, never finished Ranger School and was an all around poor soldier. Anyone who believes his stories is poorly mistaken. I feel bad for anyone this man has got to falsely believe his nonsense.

This was a well written book that would have been 100% without the political editorials on the Bush Administration. There are always worst Administrations.

I chanced onto this book and bought it based on the Military service of the author. Big mistake. About every 20 pages be prepared for an anti Bush Diatribe. Everything from small unit tactics to Thanksgiving dinner is blamed on the Administration. Mr. Lebleu with his vast Special Operations experience should by now be aware that Direct Action is not the only tool in the USASOC toolbox. The book touches very little on sniping and if that is what you are after take a miss. All that being said Mr. Lebleu is entitled to his opinion. I thank him for his service. Check out Sniper One instead. Great Book.

The story of an Army snipers tours in Iraq and Afganistan was very disappointing. After reading at least a dozen accounts of the wars over the past two years this account seemed more an excercise in self aggrandizing than an interesting tale. Save your money and as importantly your time,there are many authors out there presenting well written stories about these ongoing conflicts.

I found this book extremely self centered on Mr LeBleu. Everything was my Spec Op's experience and combat but very little of that combat or experiance was ever shared in the book. There are a couple photos in the book stating they are of Ranger's in Spec Op's combat yet the weapons in the photos have blank adapters on them, training combat? The politics was nonsense not what I bought the book for, I bought it for the experiance of an Airborne Ranger in combat. There was very little of the authors combat experiance relayed to the reader.

I read the book and couldn't wait to finish it I was so bored. Too much, look how cool I am, I was with the Rangers and trained with Delta and now I'm stuck with the regular Army stiffs. The book just turned me off to Mr LeBleu and his ego.

This book read like a Sargeant Rock comic book. Joe had all the answers from stategic - tactical - support . I found it amazing one man had so much knowledge . Joe, threw out alot of acqusations without a lot of facts to back up his child like name calling . The "I" & "me" in every story & Joe ragging the soldiers in Kuwait for just doing their job, just turned me off.

If you want to read this book wait just check it out at the library, it is not worth your money..

Poorly written, full of political anti-bush propaganda, Hey everyone look at me and how cool I was.

I was only capable of suffering through the book once so my math may be a little off but as far as rounds fired I think there was a total of three or four mentioned. Very little sniper specific information.

Wouldn't recommend this book for kindling!

I bought this book as I was going down to Ecuador. I got bored with the book within 20 pages and regretted packing my other book. The author tended to Bad mouth Bush and tell how good a sharpshooter and soldier he was--yet he failed to provide any evidence to back up his statements.

Give me some smoke to smell, give me some mortars Krumping--walking closer like some overstuffed giant--just write a story. I did not want to hear liberal Bush bashing.

I just wished I could get my money back.

Do NOT Buy this book.