John Plaster

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John L. Plaster
1929

Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	United States Army
Rank	Major
Unit	United States Army Special Forces, Military Assistance Command-Vietnam Studies and Observations Group (MACV-SOG)
Battles/wars	Vietnam War

Maj. John L. Plaster (US Army-Ret.) is a former U.S. Army Special Forces soldier regarded as one of the leading sniper experts in the world. A decorated Vietnam War 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 spec. He is also the author of The Ultimate Sniper: An Advanced Training Manual for Military and Police Snipers, a history of SOG, and a memoir of his service with SOG.

Plaster was trained as a weapons 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 recogniztion 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 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.

[edit] Published writings

Author, The Ultimate Sniper: 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
Contributor, An Encyclopedia of Sniping & Sharpshooting (forthcoming)
Contributor, The FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, Tactical Edge, Soldier of Fortune and Guns & Ammo