Marine Sniper From Edina Shoots With New Zealand, Canadian Snipers

Cpl. Charlie Wikman’s Marine career has carried him from Minnesota to the other side of the globe.

The Edina native—a point man serving with scout sniper platoon, 1st Battalion, 1st Marines—shot alongside New Zealand and Canadian Army snipers Wednesday during Dawn Blitz 2013, according to a military news release.

The exercise aims to test Navy and Marine Corps forces and promote military-to-military connections. As part of the exercise, the snipers worked together to fire at targets up to 1,200 meters away.

The release quoted Wikman as saying:

“It’s a lot different than just coming out to a range to shoot on our own. It’s interesting to be able to see their capabilities and the way they train. They use a lot of the same equipment as us so it is easy to communicate differences between shooting styles and things like that. … Our scout sniper schools are a lot different, so being able to compare their type of shooting qualifications as well as stalking and other field craft techniques is a big benefit for us. Sometimes we can develop tunnel vision because we only focus on one or two aspects that only apply to us here in the United States, so shooting with them and seeing the way they perform their duties is a huge eye opener.”

Click here to read more about the exercise.