Feb 19, 2022
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Today we hear the Combat Story of Karl Erickson, a long time
Green Beret, expert sniper, and retired Sergeant Major, who
deployed pre- and post-9/11, including into Afghanistan just after
the Twin Towers fell to hunt Bin Laden.
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After the military, Karl took his decades of teaching as a Green
Beret into the civilian world and has a huge online following for
his Tactical Rifleman brand and I can see why.
In this episode, we dive into the deep, deep details of being a
sniper in combat, to include taking a sniper shot at night just
before breaching a target (scopes, windage, aerodynamics,
countdowns for simultaneous shots, round selection, and more),
which is just a glimpse of what he shares with his followers
online.
Karl is a natural born storyteller and I know you’ll enjoy this
hilarious and deeply technical Combat Story as much as I did.
Find Karl online:
Instagram @tactical_rifleman
Twitter @TacRifleman
Facebook
TacticalRifleman.com
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Intro Song: Sport Rock from Audio Jungle
Show Notes
0:00 - Intro
0:38 - Guest introduction (Karl Erickson)
1:30 - Interview begins
6:15 – Making Sergeant Major and being an Operator at
Headquarters
15:38 - Childhood as self-proclaimed “juvenile delinquent” and when
he knew he wanted to be a Green Beret
30:3 - How the lack of mentor influenced his career path
40:31 - What makes a good sniper
44:15 - Feelings in Desert Storm
53:58 - Combat Story #1 - Gunfight in Afghanistan
1:07:20 - Technical description of shooting with a suppressor
1:10 - Shooting in the dark
1:14:38 - First time having somebody in a scope for real
1:20:42 - Combat Story #2
1:39:28: - About Tactical Rifleman project
1:55:11- What did you carry into combat?
1:56:24 - Would you do it all again?
2:01:14 - Listener comments and shout outs