Guest

The Reaper

An anonymous Special Operations sniper recounting what he describes as the worst combat experience of his career in Afghanistan.

Circuit updated June 28, 2026

Notable quotes

“Obama's rule of engagement, bro. We could not have anything uh with 0.1 collateral percent collateral damage. Meaning if we dropped a bomb and their home got hit with shrapnel, that would be a bad deal for we were it was all about winning the hearts and minds.”
The Reaper · The Shawn Ryan Show
“I fist pound Mike Pimton and I'm like, 'Dude, tell my wife I was not a bitch.' And he's like, 'Dude, I'm not telling her anything. She's Mexican. She'll cut me.'”
The Reaper · The Shawn Ryan Show
“The water we were in like turning different color, dark brown, and it tasted like pennies.”
The Reaper · The Shawn Ryan Show

All coverage

The Shawn Ryan Show·Interviews

Army sniper 'The Reaper' says Obama's rules of engagement stopped a bomb drop while he fistbumped his teammate goodbye in a Chechen sniper standoff

Three hours in a crater, a Chechen sniper picking at every movement, and the only thing between these guys and CNN beheading footage was a rules-of-engagement memo.

Jun 28, 2026