I received the following email from a friend. (A female friend, no less.) I present it here, verbatim, for your reading pleasure:

The real Miss America

There’s a Proud Papa out there somewhere.

This 19 year old ex-cheerleader now an Air Force Security Forces Sniper, was watching a road in Pakistan that led to a NATO military base when she observed a man digging by the road.

She engaged the target (she shot him). It turned out he was a bomb maker for the Taliban, and he was burying an IED that was to be detonated when a U.S. patrol walked by 30 minutes later. It would have certainly killed and wounded several soldiers.

The interesting fact of this story is the shot was measured at 725 yards.

She shot him as he was bent over burying the bomb. The shot went through his rectum and into the bomb which detonated; he was blown to pieces. The Air Force made a motivational poster of her.

(Folks, that’s a shot 25 yards longer than seven football fields) and the last thing that came out of his mouth … was his ass! If You Can Not Stand Behind Our Troops, please Feel Free To Stand In Front Of Them!!!!!

If you agree with this email, send it on! If not, why then, just delete it.

Ain’t freedom a great thing!!!!!?

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Now because we’re “The Truth About Guns” and not “Urban Legends About Guns” I feel it only fair to report that there is a certain amount of controversy about this story. The photo is of an actual American hero, Senior Airman Poly-Jan Bobseine. Her bio reads in part:

Bobseine competed in state and regional High-Power Rifle shooting, achieved New York State’s 2000 Junior Trap Champion title, taught skiing, snowboarding, and lettered in Swimming. After graduating high school, Airman Bobseine moved to Wyoming where she was employed as a horse wrangler until relocating to Tennessee to train horses professionally before enlisting in the United States Air Force, leaving in March 2003 for Lackland Air Force Base, Texas for basic training. Upon graduation, she volunteered for a special duty assignment to the 823d Security Forces Squadron, Moody AFB,Georgia, arriving in August 2003. Since serving in the unit, Airman Bobseine has completed Army Airborne Training, Air Force Physical Fitness Leadership School, and Army Combat Lifesaver Training. Airman Bobseine was recently selected as the 2005 Air Combat Command Outstanding Flight Level Airman of the Year.

She is an active member of the National Cancer Research Organization and volunteer children’s swimming instructor. Airman Bobseine’s military awards include the Air Force Achievement Medal with two Oak Leaf clusters, Meritorious Unit Award, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Air Force Expeditionary Service Ribbon with Gold Border and Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon (Rifle and Pistol.) She is currently pursuing her private pilot license and enrolled in Park University, working towards an Associates degree in Criminal Justice.

Snopes holds that the picture is real, but the story is made up. Other sources are vague on the details. All agree that the photo is real. Knowing a bunch of Marines, Airmen, and Soldiers, I prefer to believe that this is a true story coupled with a picture of someone else. The story has that ring of truth about it – the kind of story that guys coming back from the sandbox tell, having witnessed much, much worse. And I’ve heard too many stories that are strikingly similar to this to discount this one. So I can’t vouch for the veracity. But it’s nice to know that our military is over there taking out terrorists, one asshole at a time.