“Hopefully we can interdict the people placing the IEDs,” said LRS(D) Assistant Team Leader Cpl. Wayne Lynch, who, along with LRS(D) Team Leader Staff Sgt. Thomas O’Hare, served a tour in Iraq last year.
“That’s all I thought about when we were in Iraq last year: ‘how do we stop these people who are placing the IEDs’ Now that we’ve got snipers in LRS(D), we’re able to do surveillance and take direct action,” Lynch said.
Deployed to Iraq with the 119th Military Police Company, Rhode Island National Guard, Lynch said he and O’Hare made it their job to find IEDs. Lynch said he hopes LRS(D) will be tasked with interdicting terrorists placing IEDs. He’s been a member of the unit for nine years and loves it. He does not regret going back to Iraq.
“I’m going with a unit I’ve trained with,” he said. “I’m honored to go to war with them.”
Based in Rhode Island, LRS(D) ruckmarches to the north summit of New Hampshire’s Mount Mooslacki every year. All members of LRS(D) are airborne qualified, and nine are ranger qualified. They have to do a jump every three months to maintain their airborne status.
“We train on a higher plain,” said LRS(D) sniper-trained Soldier Spc. Richard O’Connor. “Most units do five-mile rucksack marches. We do 15-mile rucksack marches. Other units have 45-pound rucksacks. We have 80-pound rucksacks. We have to march farther and faster than anyone else.”
O’Connor was a scout/sniper with the 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division. He’s been on real-world missions to Tunisia and Liberia, and took part in the rescue of Air Force Pilot Capt. Scott O’Grady, who was shot down over Bosnia in 1995.
“Anticipation of the mission is awesome,” said O’Connor. He described the job as a “rush”, and said LRS(D) team members must be physically fit, mature, and disciplined, and must know each other’s jobs.
Part of that job is going “subsurface” patrolling to a location outside friendly lines, digging a hole, and living in it while observing enemy activity.
“They might live in that hole for two to four days,” said Manning. “It takes an unbelievably disciplined individual to do this job.”
“We’re just guys with rifles,” said O’Connor. “You have to have absolute confidence in everyone on your team. There’s nothing else in the Army I want to do.”
