Battalion-level sniper training is available for candidates who pass a two-week indoctrination course. After serving in a battalion-level scout-sniper platoon, you may be eligible to attend a formal Marine Scout Sniper course. If you are interested in becoming a sniper, ask your superiors about attaining battalion-level training as a first step. As soon as you begin training as a Marine sniper, you will need to pass physical fitness tests (PFT) at a first class level (score of 225). Thus, it is a good idea to train beforehand to ensure that you will be able to pass these tests. Components of these tests include: A timed three mile run Pull-ups, untimed for men; flexed-arm hang, timed, for women Crunches, two minutes, timed An 880-yard sprint An ammunition lift (30 pounds over your head, two minutes) In order to become a Marine sniper, you must complete a training course at one of the four School of Infantry locations. These include the Scout Sniper Instruction School, Quantico, VA; the School of Infantry (SOI) East at Camp Geiger, North Carolina; the SOI West at Camp Pendleton, California; and the Marines Corps Base (MCB) in Kaneohe, Hawaii. To take one of these courses, you must volunteer and be selected by your unit, so talk to your superiors if you are interested in the opportunity. The Scout Sniper Course (SSC) is a twelve-week training program, designed to educate designated trainees in the basic techniques and equipment of Marine snipers. It is divided into three phases. Though classwork and practical applications, this phase will introduce students to basic tasks of snipers, including land navigation, functional fitness, marksmanship, ballistics, cold bore, and range estimation. Students will receive training in shooting at known distances using the M40 series sniper rifle and Semi-Automatic Sniper System (SASS). Practical training will cover hides and surveillance, and coursework will cover mission planning and orders writing. This phase equips students with knowledge and skills to engage with moving and unknown distance targets. Topics include camouflaging sniper equipment, firing positions, and methods of engaging targets at various ranges. By the end of this phase, students will demonstrate mastery of target movements at distances of 1,000 meters, and of engaging targets at unknown distances up to 800 meters. In this phase, students receive instructions regarding the duties of each billet within a scout sniper team, in order to equip them with the knowledge and skills necessary to plan sniper missions. The phase will end with a performance evaluation designed to test students' abilities to plan, coordinate, and execute an assigned mission. Marine sniper courses actually cover training for two roles, snipers and spotters. Depending on your skills and your unit's needs, you may train and/or serve as one or both. A sniper makes precision fires on selected targets, often from long ranges. Snipers also conduct surveillance and reconnaissance. Spotters detect, observe, and confirm sniper targets, and calculate the range and wind conditions on a given target. They also conduct surveillance and reconnaissance. The Marines Special Operations School offers a four-week course to certify existing snipers at the advanced level. This is a great way to enhance your skills and move your career forward. The course is divided into five blocks: Block 1 teaches fundamental skills, offers ballistic training, and exercises live firing at 100-200 meters. Block 2 trains snipers in the use of ballistic software, sniper equipment, engagement techniques, known distance shooting, and the practical application of equipment. Block 3 covers sniper tactics and employment, foreign weapons, ballistic testing, glass shooting, unknown distance shooting (day and night) with various rifles, and the shooting of moving targets. Block 4 provides qualification through a composite score based on four drills including barricade shooting, day and night shooting at an unknown distance, and spotter qualification. Block 5 covers aerial sniping, explosive loophole breaching, loophole shooting, side-prone shooting, high-angle shooting, urban hides, vehicle hides, and the practical application of surveillance equipment. Block 5 also entails a culminating exercise of a four-day scenario in which sniper teams locate targets, conduct surveillance, and eliminate targets as part of a Marine Special Operations Team.

Summary: Serve in a battalion scout-sniper platoon. Pass physical fitness tests. Volunteer to attend a Scout Sniper basic course. Complete Phase 1 of the Scout Sniper basic course, Field Skills and Known Distance Marksmanship. Complete Phase 2 of the Scout Sniper basic course, Stalking and Unknown Distance Marksmanship. Complete Phase 3 of the Scout Sniper basic course, Mission Planning and Employment. Consider being either a spotter or a sniper. Complete an advanced sniper course.

If you have not already created an account, read our great article about how to join Twitter. Twitter offers two different identifiers for an account -- usernames and real names. Usernames are marked by the '@' symbol. Real names are the real name of the person. If the person you are trying to find has a common name, it will be more efficient to know their username. Usernames are unique to each user while real names are not. Enter the username or real name of the person you wish to follow via the Twitter search bar. The search bar should be located in the upper right corner of the window, to the left of your profile picture. Enter a name or username, then click the magnifying glass to search. You will see 6 different options for specifying search results. Top: This will include a combination of the most popular accounts, tweets, photos, and videos that include your search term. Live: This shows a livestream of tweets with your search term. For example, if you searched "Bill Clinton," it will show the most recent tweets, photos, or videos about Bill Clinton. Accounts: Shows a list of accounts with your search term as the real name. The most popular accounts will be ordered first. If you are searching for a celebrity, like Hugh Jackman, the first account will likely be the actual account. However, if you are searching for a friend named John Smith, you may need to browse through the accounts to find the right John Smith. This is when you should search using the @username, instead. Photos: Shows a list of photos related to your search term. Videos: Shows a list of videos related to your search term. More Options: Lets you narrow your search by location or from people you follow. If you know the person's username, this is the most efficient way to get to their Twitter page. Add "/username" without the quotes (following www.twitter.com) to be directed to the user's feed. For example, if you want to go to Bill Clinton's page, add his username (@billclinton) to twitter.com. The URL should look like this: https://twitter.com/billclinton. Celebrities do not always use their real name on Twitter. Occasionally, their real name will be already used. In this case, it may be best to search for them by their username. Look around the web for the correct username. The verified account will also have a checkmark next to it.
Summary: Navigate to https://twitter.com/ and sign-in to your account. Know the person's name or username. Use the search bar. Enter their username into the URL bar. Find a celebrity.