Best Sniper Competitors Relish Chance to Improve
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OLYMPICS: Forging ahead is risky for host Tokyo Page 48 MUSIC TV: Discovering the real Taylor Swift takes the first step Hemingway Page 31 toward reclaiming her catalog GAMES: Bravely Default II Page 28 not so rigid for a JRPG Page 15 stripes.com Volume 79 Edition 258 ©SS 2021 FRIDAY,APRIL 16, 2021 $1.00 Best Sniper AFGHANISTAN competitors relish chance to improve BY COREY DICKSTEIN Stars and Stripes FORT BENNING, Ga. — It wasn’t easy to leave Germany with its tightened coronavirus re- strictions to travel to the United States, but the chance to earn the Army’s Best Sniper title made navigating the red tape worth- while. For Army Sgts. Gerald Vistayan and John Visco, toting their sniper rifles to the U.S. added more diffi- culty, but the 2nd Cavalry Re- giment infantrymen said they were determined to make it to Fort Benning this week for the 2021 Best Sniper competition. Af- ter completing the first three events of the four-day competi- tion, Visco said he was certain the bureaucracy-induced headaches would prove worthwhile. “It was a lot of work to get here,” he said. “But it’s incredible. The competition is no joke. It’s tough. AP They’re throwing some really Marine Lance Cpl. Brian Quinnones is pictured after a gunbattle as part of an operation to clear the area of insurgents near Musa Qala, in tough stuff at us, but it’s a lot of northern Helmand province, Afghanistan, on July 23, 2010. President Joe Biden plans to remove all troops from Afghanistan by Sept. 11. fun, and we can definitely learn a whole lot from it.” Win or lose, the 2nd Cavalry Re- giment soldiers said the opportu- nity to rub shoulders and talk SEE SNIPER ON PAGE 4 Assessing their service As US prepares to end the Afghan War, veterans agonize over sacrifices BY DAN LAMOTHE AND ALEX HORTON provised bomb hidden beneath it exploded, RELATED The Washington Post said Peter Lucier, another Marine in Kaipat’s As the U.S. military shut down scores of re- unit. NATO forces also will leave COREY DICKSTEIN/Stars and Stripes mote outposts and patrol bases across southern For Lucier, the incident, more than any oth- An Army sniper competes in the country after Biden decision Afghanistan 10 years ago, the Taliban planted a er event in his seven-month tour, captured the Best Sniper competition at Fort Page 6 Benning in Georgia on Monday. white flag on a former U.S. position that had bloody futility of the war. Kaipat, 22, died on The four-day competition tests been bulldozed, claiming the turf as its own April 11, 2012, standing on ground that U.S. Lawmakers pledge to seek U.S. military sniper teams from and taunting the withdrawing Americans. commanders were no longer interested in the Army, Marine Corps and Marine Lance Cpl. Ramon Kaipat removed ways to keep Taliban in check Coast Guard on a variety of skills. the flag and was killed instantly when an im- SEE SERVICE ON PAGE 7 Page 7 PAGE 2 • STARS AND STRIPES • Friday, April 16, 2021 BUSINESS/WEATHER EUROPE GAS PRICES EXCHANGE RATES Country Super E10 Super unleaded Super plus Diesel Military rates South Korea (Won) 1116.69 Germany $3.124 $3.534 $3.785 $3.404 Azores .. .. $3.685 .. Switzerland (Franc) .9219 Euro costs (April 16) $1.17 Change in price 0.8 cents No change 0.1 cents 1.5 cents Change in price .. .. 0.1 cents .. Thailand (Baht) 31.16 Dollar buys (April 16) 0.8142 Turkey (NewLira) 8.0965 Netherlands .. $3.967 $4.264 $3.940 Belgium .. $2.989 $3.258 $3.011 British pound (April 16) $1.34 Japanese yen (April 16) 106.00 Change in price .. +2.4 cents +2.6 cents +2.4 cents Change in price .. No change No change No change (Military exchange rates are those available South Korean won (April 16) 1090.00 to customers at military banking facilities in the U.K. .. $3.433 $3.684 $3.303 Turkey .. .. $3.570 $4.026* Commercial rates country of issuance for Japan, South Korea, Ger Change in price .. No change 0.1 cents 1.5 cents Change in price .. .. 0.1 cents +0.1 cents many, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Bahrain(Dinar) .3770 For nonlocal currency exchange rates (i.e., pur Britain (Pound) 1.3785 chasing British pounds in Germany), check with Canada (Dollar) 1.2515 your local military banking facility. Commercial China(Yuan) 6.5256 rates are interbank rates provided for reference PACIFIC GAS PRICES Denmark (Krone) 6.2103 Egypt (Pound) 15.6795 when buying currency. All figures are foreign Country Super E10 Super unleaded Super plus Diesel Euro .8350 currencies to one dollar, except for the British Japan .. $3.579 .. $3.199 South Korea $2.929 .. $3.589 $3.209 Hong Kong (Dollar) 7.7681 pound, which is represented in dollarsto pound, and the euro, which is dollarstoeuro.) Change in price .. No change .. 1.0 cents Change in price 1.0 cents .. No change 1.0 cents Hungary (Forint) 299.85 Israel (Shekel) 3.2809 Okinawa $2.919 .. .. $3.199 Guam $2.929 $2.339 $3.589 .. Japan (Yen) 108.73 INTEREST RATES Kuwait(Dinar) .3015 Change in price No change .. .. 1.0 cents Change in price No change No change No change .. Norway (Krone) 8.3853 Prime rate 3.25 Philippines (Peso) 48.44 Interest Rates Discount rate 0.75 *DieselEFD **Midgrade Poland (Zloty) 3.80 Federal funds market rate 0.07 Saudi Arabia (Riyal) 3.7505 3month bill 0.02 For the week of April 1622 Singapore (Dollar) 1.3347 30year bond 2.32 WEATHER OUTLOOK FRIDAY IN THE MIDDLE EAST FRIDAY IN EUROPE SATURDAY IN THE PACIFIC Misawa 55/48 Kabul Seoul 70/47 58/43 Baghdad 91/62 Tokyo Drawsko Osan Kandahar Mildenhall/ 58/43 62/56 83/57 Pomorskie Busan Lakenheath 54/34 67/47 53/29 Iwakuni Kuwait City Bahrain 64/52 Brussels Zagan Sasebo Guam 92/73 83/74 Ramstein 44/39 68/55 52/36 48/32 88/79 Riyadh Lajes, 90/68 Doha Azores Stuttgart 89/72 67/61 47/28 Pápa Aviano/ 51/34 Vicenza 59/38 Naples 61/50 Okinawa Morón 75/70 70/52 Sigonella Rota 57/51 The weather is provided by the Djibouti 66/55 Souda Bay American Forces Network Weather Center, 89/80 67/57 2nd Weather Squadron at Offutt Air Force Base, Neb. TODAY IN STRIPES American Roundup ..... 36 Classified .................... 12 Comics ................... 38-39 Crossword ............. 38-39 Faces .......................... 35 Opinion ....................... 40 Sports .................... 41-48 Friday, April 16, 2021 • STARS AND STRIPES • PAGE 3 MILITARY Top leaders push to address flux of migrants at border BY SARAH CAMMARATA istration is on a good track.” Stars and Stripes Rep. Scott DesJarlais, R- WASHINGTON — The com- Tenn., pressed VanHerck to an- manders of U.S. Northern and swer a question on whether Southern Commands testified strong enforcement of existing Wednesday that the United immigration laws would serve as States must approach the influx a deterrent to illegal immigra- of Central American migrants at tion. the U.S.-Mexico border as a na- “Our border security is nation- tional security issue and address al security and the laws that we the problem holistically. have on the books would be part “We have a national security of contributing to overarching imperative right now on our national security when en- southern border that we need to forced,” the general responded. deal with,” said Air Force Gen. One Democrat, Rep. Joe Court- Glen VanHerck, who leads U.S. ney of Connecticut, applauded ALEX MILLAR, U.S. NAVY/AP Northern Command and North Faller’s description of the exter- Rear Adm. Philip Sobeck, Commander, Expeditionary Strike Group Three, and Capt. G. S. Thoroman, American Aerospace Defense nal forces — including the pan- commanding officer, amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard, salute the ensign for colors during Command. demic, natural disasters and po- a decommissioning ceremony at Naval Base San Diego on Wednesday. VanHerck and Adm. Craig litical violence — driving large Faller, who leads U.S. Southern numbers of people from their Command, told lawmakers on homes in Central America and the House Armed Services Com- toward the U.S. southern border. Navy decommissions ship mittee that multiple factors have “Thank you for that testimony come together to create an envi- today because I frankly think ronment that has driven more coming from you, it’s a really im- destroyed in dockyard fire than 350,000 migrants to attempt portant message that people to cross the U.S.-Mexico border should really think about as we Associated Press San Diego was not open to the pub- with extensive structural, electri- in the first three months of 2021. try to deal with the problems at SAN DIEGO — The U.S. Navy lic, with the Navy citing concerns cal and mechanical damage. A Na- Their comments came at a full the border,” he said. on Wednesday decommissioned over the spread of the coronavi- vy official said arson was believed committee hearing about nation- Robert Salesses, the Defense the USS Bonhomme Richard rus. to be the cause. al security challenges and mili- Department’s acting secretary docked off San Diego nine months The amphibious assault ship is The Navy estimated that repair- tary activity in North and South for homeland defense and global after flames engulfed it in one of expected to be towed to a shipyard ing the ship would run more than America. A rising number of mi- security, also said he recognizes the worst U.S.