John L. Plaster (born 1949) is a former

United States Army Special Forces The United States Army Special Forces (SF), colloquially known as the "Green Berets" due to their distinctive service headgear, are a special operations force of the United States Army. The Green Berets are geared towards nine doctrinal mi ...

officer regarded as one of the leading sniper experts in the world. A decorated

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam a ...

veteran who served in the

covert Secrecy is the practice of hiding information from certain individuals or groups who do not have the "need to know", perhaps while sharing it with other individuals. That which is kept hidden is known as the secret. Secrecy is often controvers ...

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 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 A memoir (; , ) is any nonfiction narrative writing based in the author's personal memories. The assertions made in the work are thus understood to be factual. While memoir has historically been defined as a subcategory of biography or autobiog ...

of his 3 years of service with SOG.

Early life and education

Plaster graduated from high school in 1967 and holds a BA in

Journalism Journalism is the production and distribution of reports on the interaction of events, facts, ideas, and people that are the " news of the day" and that informs society to at least some degree. The word, a noun, applies to the occupation (pro ...

from the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public land-grant research university in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. ...

. He was trained as a communications sergeant in the U.S. Army Special Forces.

Career

Plaster was initially assigned to

5th Special Forces Group The 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne) (5th SFG (A)) is one of the most decorated active duty United States Army Special Forces groups in the U.S. armed forces. The 5th SFG (A) saw extensive action in the Vietnam War and played a pivotal role ...

and served three combat tours in the

as a member of MACVSOG beginning in October 1968, leading intelligence-gathering and

recon Recon may refer to: * Reconnaissance, a military term for gathering information * ''Halo 3: Recon'', a standalone expansion for the video game ''Halo 3'' * Recon (Lost), "Recon" (''Lost''), the eighth episode of the sixth season of ''Lost'' * Re ...

teams in

North Vietnamese Army The People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN; vi, Quân đội nhân dân Việt Nam, QĐNDVN), also recognized as the Vietnam People's Army (VPA) or the Vietnamese Army (), is the military force of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the armed win ...

-controlled areas of Laos and

Cambodia Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailan ...

and along the Ho Chi Minh Trail. He was wounded once, and decorated four times, eventually receiving a

field commission In many of the world's military establishments, a brevet ( or ) was a warrant giving a commissioned officer a higher rank title as a reward for gallantry or meritorious conduct but may not confer the authority, precedence, or pay of real rank ...

in recognition of his combat experience. Plaster's final tour with MACVSOG ended in November 1971. He retired from the military at the rank of Major. Plaster parlayed his military experience into becoming a sniping instructor to members of many U.S. governmental agencies such as the

Federal Bureau of Investigation The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, ...

, the

United States Customs Service The United States Customs Service was the very first federal law enforcement agency of the U.S. federal government. Established on July 31, 1789, it collected import tariffs, performed other selected border security duties, as well as conducted c ...

, the

United States Marshals The United States Marshals Service (USMS) is a federal law enforcement agency in the United States. The USMS is a bureau within the U.S. Department of Justice, operating under the direction of the Attorney General, but serves as the enforce ...

Navy SEALs The United States Navy Sea, Air, and Land (SEAL) Teams, commonly known as Navy SEALs, are the U.S. Navy's primary special operations force and a component of the Naval Special Warfare Command. Among the SEALs' main functions are conducting sm ...

, and

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

. Foreign units that have attended the school include the

Royal Canadian Mounted Police The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP; french: Gendarmerie royale du Canada; french: GRC, label=none), commonly known in English as the Mounties (and colloquially in French as ) is the federal police, federal and national police service of ...

and the

Spanish Foreign Legion For centuries, Spain recruited foreign soldiers to its army, forming the Foreign Regiments () - such as the Regiment of Hibernia (formed in 1709 from Irishmen who fled their own country in the wake of the Flight of the Earls and the pena ...

. Since 1993, Plaster has been a precision rifle instructor at the Gunsite Training Center in

Paulden, Arizona Paulden is a census designated place (CDP) in Yavapai County, Arizona, United States. The population was 5,231 at the 2010 census. Geography Paulden is located at (34.900785, -112.484205). According to the United States Census Bureau, the CD ...

. He was recently Chief of Competition for Autauga Arms' U.S. and European sniping championships. Plaster's experiences serve as part of the basis for the video game '' Call of Duty: Black Ops''; he assisted the game's developers in developing the game by providing his wartime experiences to them.

Awards and decorations

* Bronze Star Medal *

Purple Heart The Purple Heart (PH) is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those wounded or killed while serving, on or after 5 April 1917, with the U.S. military. With its forerunner, the Badge of Military Merit, ...

Meritorious Service Medal A Meritorious Service Medal is an award presented to denote acts of meritorious service, and sometimes gallantry, that are worthy of recognition. Notable medals with similar names include: * Meritorious Civilian Service Award *Meritorious Service Me ...

Air Medal The Air Medal (AM) is a military decoration of the United States Armed Forces. It was created in 1942 and is awarded for single acts of heroism or meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight. Criteria The Air Medal was establish ...

Army Commendation Medal The Commendation Medal is a mid-level United States military decoration presented for sustained acts of heroism or meritorious service. Each branch of the United States Armed Forces issues its own version of the Commendation Medal, with a fifth ...

Presidential Unit Citation * Good Conduct Medal *

National Defense Service Medal The National Defense Service Medal (NDSM) is a service award of the United States Armed Forces established by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1953. It is awarded to every member of the US Armed Forces who has served during any one of four ...

Vietnam Service Medal The Vietnam Service Medal is a military award of the United States Armed Forces established on 8 July 1965 by order of President Lyndon B. Johnson. The medal is awarded to recognize service during the Vietnam War by all members of the U.S. Arm ...

Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal The Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal, also known as the Vietnam Campaign Medal ( vi, Chiến Dịch Bội Tinh), is a South Vietnamese military campaign medal which was created in 1949, and awarded to French military personnel during the First ...

Combat Infantryman Badge The Combat Infantryman Badge (CIB) is a United States Army military decoration. The badge is awarded to infantrymen and Special Forces soldiers in the rank of colonel and below, who fought in active ground combat while assigned as members of e ...

Published writings

Books

*''

The Ultimate Sniper ''The Ultimate Sniper: An Advanced Training Manual for Military and Police Snipers'' is a non-fiction book written by John Plaster and published in 1993. An expanded and updated version was published in 2006. Background Plaster, a retired U.S. Ar ...

: An Advanced Training Manual for Military and Police Snipers'' (1993).

Paladin Press Paladin Press was a book publishing firm founded in 1970 by Peder Lund and Robert K. Brown. The company published non-fiction books and videos covering a wide range of specialty topics, including personal and financial freedom, survivalism and p ...

. * *''Secret Commandos: Behind Enemy Lines with the Elite Warriors of SOG'' (2004). Simon & Schuster. *''The History of Sniping and Sharpshooting'' (2008). Paladin Press. *''Sharpshooting in the Civil War'' (2009). Paladin Press. *''SOG: The Secret Wars of America's Commandos in Vietnam'' (1998). Onyx. *''Sniping in the Trenches: World War I and the Birth of Modern Sniping (2017)''. Paladin Press.

Journals

*'' The FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin'' *'' Soldier of Fortune'' *'' American Legion Magazine'' *''

Guns & Ammo ''Guns & Ammo'' is a magazine dedicated to firearms, hunting, competitive shooting, reloading, and other shooting-related activities in the United States. The magazine offers reviews on firearms, ammunition, optics and shooting gear. Also include ...

Notes

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Plaster, John American military writers Living people United States Army officers University of Minnesota School of Journalism and Mass Communication alumni United States Army personnel of the Vietnam War Members of the United States Army Special Forces 1949 births Recipients of the Air Medal