Once a Sniper, Always a Sniper
Ted Gundy, 86 year old sniper, awarded the “black hat” one of the highest awards of the marksmanship unit, the black hat awarded to 86 year old ww2 sniper, Ted Gundy, The veteran is given the opportunity to hit a target at 1,000 yards with modern day equipment.
In 1944, Ted Gundy was an army sniper fighting World War II in Europe with the famous 99th “Checkerboard” Divison. The 99th played a strategic role in the Battle of the Bulge when its inexperienced troops held fast on the northern shoulder of the German advance, refusing them access to the vital northern road network that led into Belgium.
Today, Gundy’s gait might be uncertain, his hands shaky and his hearing electronically enhanced (but not always quite enough), but when he settled behind “his” 03 Springfield A4 sniper rifle, none of that mattered.
When Ltc. Daniel Hodne presented Gundy with his own black cap – given only to AMU elite shooters – he and his unit gave a heartfelt thank you to the generation of warriors that came before them