The situation is known and the science is clear. War is despised and loss of life is a sad phenomenon. Yet the magic of words changes the unlikeliest of circumstances into fun. Here is one which I found in a popular question answer site, Quora, where Mr. Matt Pickering has this to say:
Why is a bullet from a sniper rifle so Deadly ?
Rounds fired by regular infantry are addressed “To Whom It May Concern”. In combat, it can take anywhere from 20,000 to 50,000 rounds fired to kill a single enemy soldier as measured across conflicts in modern times.
Sniper rounds are addressed to “Poor Schmuck” and has their address, birthday, favorite color and personal characteristics of height, weight, eye color and hair color engraved on it. It is a very personal delivery, addressed solely to a single individual.
Snipers don’t fire a round that is more deadly. Standard .30 caliber sniper rounds are the same rounds used to take medium game.
It’s not the round; it’s the personalized delivery. Randomly addressed rounds striking random people by pure chance and bad luck is an accepted part of combat. A sniper round is not random. It is deliberate. It is very, very personal. For both the target of the round and the sniper who is staring into the face of the one they will kill. An average infantryman sees a person-shaped silhouette. It isn’t personal. A sniper will remember the details of the eyes, texture of the skin, creases above the eyebrows and so on as the trigger is pulled.
Such delivery, while no more deadly than regular combat, is feared because it is targeted. It is deliberate. It is often delivering a message in the target being killed. This can freeze a company or a division in place while they figure out how to deal with a person deciding to kill them with purpose.
Nothing is more despised or feared on the battlefield, short of artillery, than a sniper killing with measured intent.
Source: quora.com