Arron Perry

For the U.S. Congress member, see Aaron F. Perry.

Arron Perry is a former Master Corporal in the Canadian Forces who in March 2002 briefly held the record for the longest recorded sniper kill in combat at a range of 2,310 m (2,526 yd). This shot exceeded the previous record of Carlos Hathcock set in 1968 by 24 m (26 yd).

Perry's record was surpassed in March 2002 by another member of his sniper team Corporal Rob Furlong, who shot a Taliban fighter at a range of 2,430 m (2,657 yd).

Perry was a member of the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, but began his military career with a Halifax Militia unit, the Princess Louise Fusiliers.

Military career

Perry was a member of a five-man team of snipers as part of Canada's contributions to Operation Anaconda in Afghanistan during 2002. The Canadian sniper team consisted of MCpl Graham Ragsdale (Team Commander), MCpl Tim McMeekin, MCpl Arron Perry, Cpl Dennis Eason and Cpl Rob Furlong from the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry (PPCLI). Perry's team received praise from United States Army colleagues for killing a significant number of Taliban and al-Qaeda combatants. When the operation ended, each of the five were recommended for the Bronze Star. Among the team's accomplishments was a 2,430 metre shot fired by Corporal Rob Furlong that killed an al-Qaeda soldier carrying an RPK. The shot was fired from a .50-caliber McMillan Brothers TAC-50 rifle.

Controversy

A McMillan Tac-50 rifle like Master Corporal Arron Perry used to kill an enemy combatant from 2,310 m (2,526 yd).

Later in 2002, Perry was accused of discreditable conduct by the Canadian Armed Forces. Forces personnel investigated allegations that he had desecrated a combatant's corpse by removing a finger, putting a cigarette in its mouth, and placing a sign reading "Fuck Terrorism" on its chest. Military police also suspected that Perry had defecated on another corpse. After a ten month investigation it was determined that there was not enough evidence to lay criminal charges. They never figured out who printed the sign, never found a finger, and the DNA from that corpse did not match anything on Arron Perry's knife.

Rumours of the record-setting shot began to circulate while the investigation was ongoing, leading some to speculate and later claim that the shot had been made by Perry. In its May 15, 2006 issue, Maclean's Magazine, a Canadian weekly news journal, revealed that it was Furlong and not Perry who fired the shot. Just prior to Cpl Rob Furlong's longest recorded sniper kill, MCpl Arron Perry recorded the second longest recorded sniper kill in history from 2,310 metres. This surpassed the previous record of 2,286 metres set by U.S. Marine Gunnery Sgt. Carlos Hathcock during the Vietnam War.

In April 2005, Perry left the Canadian military to pursue his own interests.

See also

• Longest recorded sniper kills