Years of service 2001–05 Rank Corporal | Name Ethan Place | |
Other work marksmanship instructor Battles and wars Fallujah during the Iraq War Service/branch | ||
Sniper 3
John Ethan Place served as a United States Marine Corps Scout Sniper. In Fallujah, the then-twenty-year-old sniper scored 32 confirmed kills in thirteen days, from April 11 to April 24, 2004. He received the Silver Star, the military's third highest award.
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Early life
Ethan Place grew up in Lake St. Louis, Missouri and graduated from Wentzville Holt High School in 2001. He played varsity quarterback for three years in high school. He entertained some offers to play college football, but he was not sure he was ready to attend college. Ethan chose instead to enlist in the Marine Corps.
Military service
Ethan enlisted in the Marine Corps, and he shipped out to boot camp less than a month after the September 11 attacks of 2001. He was convinced by a corporal to try to get into sniper school, where he was among twelve in a class of 24 that passed.
During the First Battle of Fallujah, Place had amassed 32 confirmed kills from April 11 to April 24, 2004. Two days later, April 26, was the apex of his efforts when he sprang into action to save his fellow Marines. Place disregarded his own safety and left the cover of his defensive position to close with and destroy the enemy, killing five insurgents in the process and carrying wounded Marines to safety. His leaders thought enough of his actions that Place was nominated for a Bronze Star Medal. When leadership reviewed the Summary of Action that detailed his heroics, they decided to elevate his honor up to a Silver Star.
Post-military career
Ethan Place has been featured in three History Channel specials, including one called Sniper: One Shot/One Kill, which showed him and his spotter taking out three terrorists. Place kills the driver of the vehicle with a head shot from 500 m (547 yd) away. His spotter takes out the passenger, and Ethan kills the last individual with a center mass shot and saves his company (Echo) from a potential threat. Place now teaches History at Wentzville Holt High School in Wentzville, Missouri.