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Arron Perry is a former master corporal in the
Canadian Forces } The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF; french: Forces armées canadiennes, ''FAC'') are the unified military forces of Canada, including sea, land, and air elements referred to as the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army, and Royal Canadian Air Force. ...
who in March 2002 broke the 34-year-old record for the longest recorded sniper kill in combat, completing a kill at a range of during the
War in Afghanistan War in Afghanistan, Afghan war, or Afghan civil war may refer to: *Conquest of Afghanistan by Alexander the Great (330 BC – 327 BC) * Muslim conquests of Afghanistan (637–709) *Conquest of Afghanistan by the Mongol Empire (13th century), see al ...
. This shot exceeded the previous record of , set by
Carlos Hathcock Carlos Norman Hathcock II (May 20, 1942 – February 22, 1999) was a United States Marine Corps (USMC) sniper with a service record of 93 confirmed kills. Hathcock's record and the extraordinary details of the missions he undertook made him a le ...
in 1968 during the
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 and ...
. Perry's record was surpassed a few days later, in March 2002, when another soldier in his unit, Corporal Rob Furlong, bested Perry's distance with a kill at a verified range of . Perry was a member of
Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry (PPCLI, generally referred to as the Patricia's) is one of the three Regular Force infantry regiments of the Canadian Army of the Canadian Armed Forces. Formed in 1914, it is named for Princess Patrici ...
at the time of the record shot, but began his military career with a Halifax Militia unit, the Princess Louise Fusiliers.


Canadian sniper team

Perry was a member of a
Canadian Forces } The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF; french: Forces armées canadiennes, ''FAC'') are the unified military forces of Canada, including sea, land, and air elements referred to as the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army, and Royal Canadian Air Force. ...
-led six-man sniper team, operating as part of Canada's contributions to
Operation Anaconda Operation Anaconda was a military operation that took place in early March 2002 as part of the War in Afghanistan. CIA paramilitary officers, working with their allies, attempted to destroy al-Qaeda and Taliban forces. The operation took place ...
in
Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
during March 2002. The Canadian sniper cell consisted of two Sniper Detachments of three men each, with soldiers from the
Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry (PPCLI, generally referred to as the Patricia's) is one of the three Regular Force infantry regiments of the Canadian Army of the Canadian Armed Forces. Formed in 1914, it is named for Princess Patrici ...
(PPCLI). Team Commander was Master Corporal Graham Ragsdale, joined by PPCLI soldiers Master Corporal Arron Perry (second in command), Master Corporal Tim McMeekin, Corporal Dennis Eason, Corporal Rob Furlong, and Corporal Marty, working with
United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, ...
liaison Sergeant Zevon Durham. The six worked in two teams of three snipers, built around two, .50-caliber, McMillan Brothers TAC-50 rifles (designated as the C15 long-range sniper weapon by the Canadian Forces). The lead shooters were Perry, for Alpha Detachment, and Furlong, for Bravo Detachment. Ragsdale and Eason worked predominantly as spotter and guard for Alpha, while McMeekin and Marty served those roles for Bravo—though details of how many sniper shots the rest of the team may also have taken have not been released. The Canadian team received praise from United States Army colleagues for its extreme long range shots and for killing a significant number of
Taliban The Taliban (; ps, طالبان, ṭālibān, lit=students or 'seekers'), which also refers to itself by its state name, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a Deobandi Islamic fundamentalist, militant Islamist, jihadist, and Pashtu ...
and
al-Qaeda Al-Qaeda (; , ) is an Islamic extremism, Islamic extremist organization composed of Salafist jihadists. Its members are mostly composed of Arab, Arabs, but also include other peoples. Al-Qaeda has mounted attacks on civilian and military ta ...
combatants. When the operation ended, each of the Canadians were recommended for the United States
Bronze Star Medal The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone. Wh ...
, which they received in December 2003 from
Paul Cellucci Argeo Paul Cellucci (; April 24, 1948 – June 8, 2013) was an American politician and diplomat from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. A Republican, he served as the 69th governor of Massachusetts from 1999 to 2001, and as the United States Am ...
, the American ambassador to Canada.


Controversy

In 2002, Perry was accused of discreditable conduct by the Canadian Armed Forces. Forces personnel investigated allegations that he had desecrated a combatant's corpse by removing a finger, putting a cigarette in its mouth, and placing a sign reading "Fuck Terrorism" on its chest.
Military police Military police (MP) are law enforcement agencies connected with, or part of, the military of a state. In wartime operations, the military police may support the main fighting force with force protection, convoy security, screening, rear re ...
also suspected that Perry had defecated on another corpse. Ten months later the investigation was closed for lack of evidence, allowing the Bronze Star presentation ceremony to proceed for the entire team. In April 2005, Perry left the Canadian military.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Perry, Arron Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry soldiers Canadian military personnel of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) Canadian military snipers