Arron Perry is a former master corporal in the Canadian Forces 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. This shot exceeded the previous record of , set by Carlos Hathcock in 1968 during the Vietnam War.
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 at the time of the record shot, but began his military career with a Halifax Militia unit, the Princess Louise Fusiliers.
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 and al-Qaeda combatants. When the operation ended, each of the Canadians were recommended for the United States Bronze Star Medal, which they received in December 2003 from Paul Cellucci, the American ambassador to Canada.
In April 2005, Perry left the Canadian military.
Controversy
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