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cover of episode Nicholas Irving aka The Reaper, 1st Black Sniper in the Army's 3rd Ranger Battalion Tells His Life Story (Flashback)

Nicholas Irving aka The Reaper, 1st Black Sniper in the Army's 3rd Ranger Battalion Tells His Life Story (Flashback)

2024/7/16
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In this 2023 full-length interview, Nicholas Irving talks about his service as a special operations sniper in the 3rd Ranger Battalion for the U.S. Army before explaining how the birth of his son helped calm him down and change his demeanor from the self-described "hothead" he once was. He also talks about being bullied in high school and how his attitude changed after he shot someone, in the service of his country, for the first time. He promised himself that he would never get picked on again. Elsewhere in the conversation, Nicholas reveals that his parents were also in the service, and they both worked in the Army (Counter Intelligence) before stating that was graduated high school with a 1.70 GPA because he was constantly getting into fights at school. He also explains that his father was the disciplinarian of his household, and both of his parents were very religious during his childhood.

Moving along, Nicholas discussed his desire to become a Navy Seal when he was just an elementary school student, the fact that his colorblindness got in the way of his pathway toward Navy Seal, and the career that he carved for himself as a 3rd Ranger Battalion for the U.S. Army. From there, he talks about Ranger school being the toughest program in the military, sniper school, and his third deployment to Iraq. Elsewhere in the interview, he explains the intricacies of shooting a target from over a mile away, the mathematics that allows you to arc a bullet to make it travel further and more.

Interview by: Shawn Prez