Who is The Boy Sniper from Difficult Loves and what is their importance?

The Boy Sniper appears in Wartime Stories and The Crow Comes Last. He is a young. country boy, who impresses the army with his marksmanship to the degree that they invite him to come along as a sniper. The boy enjoys his shooting so much that he takes the same pleasure in shooting a pine cone as he does in shooting an enemy soldier.