There is no hunting like the hunting of a man, and those who have hunted armed men long enough and liked it, never care for anything else thereafter.”
-Ernest Hemingway
Chris Kyle is probably the most famous sniper in U.S. history. Thanks to his best-selling autobiography, American Sniper, and an award-nominated film of the same title, the Navy Seal became an icon with 160 confirmed kills in four tours of duty in Iraq. However, decades before, Carlos Hathcock became a legendary sniper in the dense jungles of Viet Nam.
“The most deadly thing on a battlefield is one well-aimed shot.”
—Sgt. Carlos Hathcock
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I read a book about him in the 90s. If even half of that stuff is accurate, he was a special man. Amazing what he did and how he did it.
ReplyDeleteYes and fully agree.
DeleteHad the honor of meeting him and shaking his hand. It is a moment I'll never forget and will always cherish. His talk later was wonderful.
ReplyDeleteIs there a video of if?
DeleteNo, sorry. Nothing I can find. There are some videos of him that I found through GOOGLE, but nothing from that banquet.
DeleteI had the honor to meet Gy Hathcock back in the mid '90s while stationed at MCB CamLej. By then, he was already in a wheelchair and looking frail, but still a giant in my mind. When he talked about his experience, the entire audience was absolutely quiet. He took questions and when someone asked him about how he found the Apache Woman, he said he recognized here because she was the only one in the group who squatted to pee. There was a follow up question about how he felt afterward, and he tried to answer, but his voice broke and he couldn't continue. In his book he describes stalking and killing an NVA general behind enemy lines, stalking and killing the Apache Woman, the famous countersniper duel, and the white feather he wore to taunt the enemy. When evaluating snipers, maybe confirmed kills should not be the only measure used. Not trying to disparage our sniper vets from past, and especially, recent wars, it was dangerous for them too. They were all brave men and and many lost their lives, but to me, Gy Hathcock's service should not be overshadowed based merely on a number.
ReplyDeleteGreat info . Thanks
DeleteNot to take anything away from Hathcock but the deadliest sniper in 'Nam was Chuck Mawhinney.
ReplyDeleteDo you have a link?
Deletehttps://www.sofmag.com/chuck-mawhinney-marine-corps-deadliest-shot/
DeleteI met Carlos Hathcock at Camp Perry, in 1967. The Connecticut team captain, Art Jackson, brought Hathcock to my hut to introduce us. I do not know if he was competing, or just observing. Most of the stories I heard about him at the time were not true. This was just after he got the NVA general, and was between tours in Viet Nam.
ReplyDelete