John Plaster
Encyclopedia
Major John L. Plaster is a former U.S. Army Special Forces soldier regarded as one of the leading sniper
experts in the world. A decorated Vietnam War
veteran who served in the covert Studies and Observations Group (SOG), Plaster co-founded a renowned sniper school that trains military and law enforcement personnel in highly specialized sniper tactics. He is also the author of The Ultimate Sniper: An Advanced Training Manual for Military and Police Snipers
, The History of Sniping and Sharpshooting, and Secret Commandos: Behind Enemy Lines with the Elite Warriors of SOG, a memoir
of his 3 years of service with SOG.
Plaster graduated from high school in 1967. He was trained as a communications sergeant in the Special Forces. He served three combat tours
in Vietnam as a member of SOG, leading intelligence-gathering and recon
teams in North Vietnamese Army-controlled areas of Laos
and Cambodia
and along the Ho Chi Minh Trail
. He was wounded once, and decorated four times, eventually receiving a field commission in recognition of his combat experience. He retired from the military at the rank of Major
.
Plaster parlayed his military experience into becoming an expert sniping instructor to members of many U.S. governmental agencies such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation
, the United States Customs Service
, the United States Marshals, Navy SEALs
and United States Marine Corps
. Foreign units that have also attended the school include the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
and the Spanish Foreign Legion
.
Since 1993, Plaster has been a precision rifle
instructor at the Gunsite Training Center
in Paulden, Arizona
. He was recently Chief of Competition for Autauga Arms's U.S. and European sniping championships.
Plaster holds a BA
in Journalism
.
Plaster's experiences serve as the basis for the video game Call of Duty: Black Ops
.
Sniper
A sniper is a marksman who shoots targets from concealed positions or distances exceeding the capabilities of regular personnel. Snipers typically have specialized training and distinct high-precision rifles....
experts in the world. A decorated Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
veteran who served in the covert Studies and Observations Group (SOG), Plaster co-founded a renowned sniper school that trains military and law enforcement personnel in highly specialized sniper tactics. He is also the author of The Ultimate Sniper: An Advanced Training Manual for Military and Police Snipers
The Ultimate Sniper
The Ultimate Sniper: An Advanced Training Manual for Military and Police Snipers is a book written by Major John Plaster and published in 1993. . An expanded and updated version was published in 2006....
, The History of Sniping and Sharpshooting, and Secret Commandos: Behind Enemy Lines with the Elite Warriors of SOG, a memoir
Memoir
A memoir , is a literary genre, forming a subclass of autobiography – although the terms 'memoir' and 'autobiography' are almost interchangeable. Memoir is autobiographical writing, but not all autobiographical writing follows the criteria for memoir set out below...
of his 3 years of service with SOG.
Plaster graduated from high school in 1967. He was trained as a communications sergeant in the Special Forces. He served three combat tours
Tour of duty
In the Navy, a tour of duty is a period of time spent performing operational duties at sea, including combat, performing patrol or fleet duties, or assigned to service in a foreign country....
in Vietnam as a member of SOG, leading intelligence-gathering and recon
Recon
Recon may refer to:*Re-Con, alias of Mike Di Scala, a UK dance music producer*RECON , the River, Estuary and Coastal Observing Network*Reconnaissance, a military term for gathering information...
teams in North Vietnamese Army-controlled areas of Laos
Laos
Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...
and Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
and along the Ho Chi Minh Trail
Ho Chi Minh trail
The Ho Chi Minh trail was a logistical system that ran from the Democratic Republic of Vietnam to the Republic of Vietnam through the neighboring kingdoms of Laos and Cambodia...
. He was wounded once, and decorated four times, eventually receiving a field commission in recognition of his combat experience. He retired from the military at the rank of Major
Major (United States)
In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, major is a field grade military officer rank just above the rank of captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel...
.
Plaster parlayed his military experience into becoming an expert sniping instructor to members of many U.S. governmental agencies such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
, the United States Customs Service
United States Customs Service
Until March 2003, the United States Customs Service was an agency of the U.S. federal government that collected import tariffs and performed other selected border security duties.Before it was rolled into form part of the U.S...
, the United States Marshals, Navy SEALs
United States Navy SEALs
The United States Navy's Sea, Air and Land Teams, commonly known as Navy SEALs, are the U.S. Navy's principal special operations force and a part of the Naval Special Warfare Command as well as the maritime component of the United States Special Operations Command.The acronym is derived from their...
and United States Marine Corps
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
. Foreign units that have also attended the school include the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police , literally ‘Royal Gendarmerie of Canada’; colloquially known as The Mounties, and internally as ‘The Force’) is the national police force of Canada, and one of the most recognized of its kind in the world. It is unique in the world as a national, federal,...
and the Spanish Foreign Legion
Spanish Legion
The Spanish Legion , formerly Spanish Foreign Legion, is an elite unit of the Spanish Army and Spain's Rapid Reaction Force. Founded as the Tercio de Extranjeros , it was originally intended as a Spanish equivalent of the French Foreign Legion, but in practice it recruited almost exclusively...
.
Since 1993, Plaster has been a precision rifle
Rifle
A rifle is a firearm designed to be fired from the shoulder, with a barrel that has a helical groove or pattern of grooves cut into the barrel walls. The raised areas of the rifling are called "lands," which make contact with the projectile , imparting spin around an axis corresponding to the...
instructor at the Gunsite Training Center
Gunsite Training Center
Gunsite is a privately-run firearms training facility based in Yavapai County, Arizona, just north of Paulden in the United States. It offers tuition-funded instruction in handgun, carbine, rifle and shotgun shooting, as well as other specialty firearms. Located on a facility, Gunsite has...
in Paulden, Arizona
Paulden, Arizona
Paulden is a census-designated place in Yavapai County, Arizona, United States. The population was 3,420 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Paulden is located at ....
. He was recently Chief of Competition for Autauga Arms's U.S. and European sniping championships.
Plaster holds a BA
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in Journalism
Journalism
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
.
Plaster's experiences serve as the basis for the video game Call of Duty: Black Ops
Call of Duty: Black Ops
Call of Duty: Black Ops is a first-person shooter video game developed by Treyarch, published by Activision and released worldwide on November 9, for Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii consoles, with a separate version for Nintendo DS developed by n-Space. Announced on April 30, 2010,...
.
Awards and decorations
- Bronze Star MedalBronze Star MedalThe Bronze Star Medal is a United States Armed Forces individual military decoration that may be awarded for bravery, acts of merit, or meritorious service. As a medal it is awarded for merit, and with the "V" for valor device it is awarded for heroism. It is the fourth-highest combat award of the...
- Purple HeartPurple HeartThe Purple Heart is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those who have been wounded or killed while serving on or after April 5, 1917 with the U.S. military. The National Purple Heart Hall of Honor is located in New Windsor, New York...
- Meritorious Service MedalMeritorious Service Medal (United States)The Meritorious Service Medal is a military decoration presented to members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguished themselves by outstanding meritorious achievement or service to the United States subsequent to January 16, 1969...
- Air MedalAir MedalThe Air Medal is a military decoration of the United States. The award was created in 1942, and is awarded for meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight.-Criteria:...
- Army Commendation Medal
Presidential Unit Citation- Good Conduct MedalGood Conduct MedalThe Good Conduct Medal is one of the oldest military awards of the United States military. The Navy Good Conduct Medal was first issued in 1869, followed by a Marine version in 1896. The Coast Guard Good Conduct Medal was issued in 1923 and the Army Good Conduct Medal in 1941. The Air Force was...
- National Defense Service MedalNational Defense Service MedalThe National Defense Service Medal is a military service medal of the United States military originally commissioned by President Dwight D. Eisenhower...
- Vietnam Service MedalVietnam Service MedalThe Vietnam Service Medal is a military award which was created in 1965 by order of President Lyndon B. Johnson. The distinctive design was the creation of sculptor Thomas Hudson Jones, a former employee of the Army Institute of Heraldry. The medal is issued to recognize military service during...
- Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal
- Combat Infantryman BadgeCombat Infantryman BadgeThe Combat Infantryman Badge is the U.S. Army combat service recognition decoration awarded to soldiers—enlisted men and officers holding colonel rank or below, who personally fought in active ground combat while an assigned member of either an infantry or a Special Forces unit, of brigade size...
Published writings
- Author, The Ultimate SniperThe Ultimate SniperThe Ultimate Sniper: An Advanced Training Manual for Military and Police Snipers is a book written by Major John Plaster and published in 1993. . An expanded and updated version was published in 2006....
: An Advanced Training Manual for Military and Police Snipers - Author, SOG: The Secret Wars of America's Commandos in Vietnam
- Author, Secret Commandos: Behind Enemy Lines with the Elite Warriors of SOG
- Author, SOG: A Photo History of the Secret Wars
- Author, The History of Sniping and Sharpshooting
- Contributor, The FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, Tactical Edge, Soldier of FortuneSoldier of Fortune (magazine)Soldier of Fortune , The Journal of Professional Adventurers, is a periodical monthly magazine devoted to world-wide reporting of wars, including conventional warfare, low-intensity warfare, counter insurgency, and counter-terrorism...
and Guns & AmmoGuns & AmmoGuns & Ammo is a magazine dedicated to firearms, hunting, competition shooting, reloading, and other shooting-related activities in the United States....