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Marine Sniper: 93 Confirmed Kills
The explosive true story of Sergeant Carlos Hathcock, a legendary Marine sniper in the Vietnam War.There have been many Marines. There have been many marksmen. But there has only been one Sergeant Carlos Hathcock.He stalked the Viet Cong behind enemy lines—on their own ground. And each time, he emerged from the jungle having done his duty. His record is one of the finest in military history, with ninety-three confirmed kills.This is the story of a simple man who endured incredible dangers and hardships for his country and his Corps. These are the missions that have made Carlos Hathcock a legend in the brotherhood of Marines. They are exciting, powerful, chilling—and all true.INCLUDES PHOTOGRAPHS
346 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1986
599 people are currently reading
6214 people want to read
About the author
Charles Henderson
68 books55 followersRetired from the United States Marine Corps, July 1, 1993 as a Chief Warrant Officer with 23 years and two months active duty service. Combat duty includes Vietnam and Lebanon. Decorations include Combat Action Ribbon and Meritorious Service Medal. Training included: infantry skills, combat tactics and leadership, special operations and terrorism (anti and counter), sniper, reconnaissance, parachute, infantry weapons, survival in desert and jungle environments, rough terrain skills (mountaineering), cold weather, water survival qualified (both from ground and aviation perspectives) (highest possible water survival rating), marksmanship and instruction of marksmanship (competition in arms program, shooting team member at Quantico), and public affairs (public affairs officer, combat correspondent, photojournalist, print and broadcast journalist).
In 1976 received Commercial Airplane Pilot Certification (commercial pilot license) with Instrument Airplane rating.
In 1997 licensed as a commodity futures broker and commodity futures brokerage firm manager. Worked as Director of Commodities and Communications at National Livestock Producers Association and as General Manager of NLPA’s National Producers Service Company (a national commodity futures brokerage firm whose primary business was assisting livestock producers in risk management, marketing and hedging their enterprises) until July 1999. Resigned to the position to write books full-time.
For two years prior to joining the Marine Corps worked as a newspaper reporter and sports editor for the Artesia Daily Press in New Mexico, also a stringer reporter for United Press International.
After Marine Corps service pursued career as full-time, free-lance journalist. Also operated family cattle ranching operation in Oklahoma until 1997 when accepting the executive position with National Livestock Producers Association.
While working as a free-lance journalist, returned to Vietnam on assignment for LIFE Magazine with friend and colleague, Dirck Halstead, then senior White House photographer for TIME Magazine. After completing LIFE assignment, remained in Vietnam and filmed a documentary that examined the end of the Vietnam War. While shooting the documentary, gathered material and compiled interviews for Goodnight Saigon, published January 4, 2005 by the G. P. Putnam / Berkley Publishing Group, Penguin Group (USA), New York, New York.
Today, resides at Peyton, Colorado, near Colorado Springs, writing books, and breeding, raising and developing registered American Quarter Horses for professional rodeo and futurity competition.
Librarian’s note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
In 1976 received Commercial Airplane Pilot Certification (commercial pilot license) with Instrument Airplane rating.
In 1997 licensed as a commodity futures broker and commodity futures brokerage firm manager. Worked as Director of Commodities and Communications at National Livestock Producers Association and as General Manager of NLPA’s National Producers Service Company (a national commodity futures brokerage firm whose primary business was assisting livestock producers in risk management, marketing and hedging their enterprises) until July 1999. Resigned to the position to write books full-time.
For two years prior to joining the Marine Corps worked as a newspaper reporter and sports editor for the Artesia Daily Press in New Mexico, also a stringer reporter for United Press International.
After Marine Corps service pursued career as full-time, free-lance journalist. Also operated family cattle ranching operation in Oklahoma until 1997 when accepting the executive position with National Livestock Producers Association.
While working as a free-lance journalist, returned to Vietnam on assignment for LIFE Magazine with friend and colleague, Dirck Halstead, then senior White House photographer for TIME Magazine. After completing LIFE assignment, remained in Vietnam and filmed a documentary that examined the end of the Vietnam War. While shooting the documentary, gathered material and compiled interviews for Goodnight Saigon, published January 4, 2005 by the G. P. Putnam / Berkley Publishing Group, Penguin Group (USA), New York, New York.
Today, resides at Peyton, Colorado, near Colorado Springs, writing books, and breeding, raising and developing registered American Quarter Horses for professional rodeo and futurity competition.
Librarian’s note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 383 reviews
August 12, 2009
“There is no hunting like the hunting of man, and those who have hunted armed men long enough and liked it, never care for anything else thereafter.” This quote from Ernest Hemingway opens the story of one of the greatest snipers the military has ever seen. “There have been many marines,” Henderson writes. “There have been many marksmen. But there has only been one Sergeant Carlos Hathcock.”
The book has some pacing issues, largely due to the fact that real life doesn’t always fall easily into a perfect three-part story, and Henderson lacks Stephen Ambrose’s ability to turn nonfiction into a fluid, balanced tale. But though the transitions are jerky and the prose sometimes less than shiny, the individual scenes are great. Henderson excels in zeroing in on the tensest moments of Hathcock’s life as a sniper in Vietnam: crawling inches per minute across open enemy territory, sleeping without shutting his eyes lest the Viet Cong catch him off guard, firing a shot straight through the scope of an enemy sniper and into his brain. The fact that it actually happened is the narrative’s main appeal, and in the end it is the story that sells itself. Truth scores a bull’s-eye.
One shot, one kill.
The book has some pacing issues, largely due to the fact that real life doesn’t always fall easily into a perfect three-part story, and Henderson lacks Stephen Ambrose’s ability to turn nonfiction into a fluid, balanced tale. But though the transitions are jerky and the prose sometimes less than shiny, the individual scenes are great. Henderson excels in zeroing in on the tensest moments of Hathcock’s life as a sniper in Vietnam: crawling inches per minute across open enemy territory, sleeping without shutting his eyes lest the Viet Cong catch him off guard, firing a shot straight through the scope of an enemy sniper and into his brain. The fact that it actually happened is the narrative’s main appeal, and in the end it is the story that sells itself. Truth scores a bull’s-eye.
One shot, one kill.
August 29, 2011
I will perhaps catch some flak for this, but I have to disagree with the majority of the reviews. While the story of Carlos Hathcock is amazing beyond belief, I felt let down by the narrative of Charles Henderson. There is one aspect of this book that is especially bothering to me; I would imagine that the events taking place in Vietnam must have been immensly intense and frightening. For example, mental pressure felt by Hathcock as he 'played hide and seek' with Vietnamese snipers must have been paralyzing. But nowhere in the book were those feelings properly addressed or transferred to the reader. I don't know, maybe the problem was with the reader of the book (I've listened to this book in Audible version) that failed, but the intensity of the events described in 'Marine Sniper' somehow went straight past me. Still, it's a 'must read' book for people who like to read about amazing lifes, Vietnam War buffs and people who have special interest in craft of sniping.
November 22, 2022
Great book in the military genre. Gripping and exciting. Most of the book was about actual combat, rather than military strategy or philosophy of Vietnam. A few curse words of course. He was one of those guys whose life became synonymous with his specific military specialty. He didn’t have a life apart from it. Good read if you like military stuff.
March 4, 2008
The story of Carlos Hathcock, who will probably always be remembered as the most effective sniper in the history of the U.S. Marine Corps. Hathcock fought in Vietnam and, as the title says, killed 93 people that were documented and confirmed, and probably killed hundreds more that were listed as "probable" or "unknown".
Snipers are unusual even among professional military people - they have one of the hardest and most dangerous jobs psychologically, emotionally, and in terms of wide-ranging skills and effort required. Every sniper I've known or heard interviewed has said the same kind of thing about how he or she handled the act of looking at another human being that appeared to be close by (through a scope) but usually didn't even know the sniper was there, then carefully and deliberately shooting and killing that person. Essentially, they all said that they kept reminding themselves that by killing enemy soldiers, they were preventing them from killing the sniper's own friends and comrades, so what they were doing was ultimately saving the lives of people they loved. They also talked about depersonalizing it, deliberately thinking of the people they were shooting as simply targets.
Most seemed to have made peace with what they'd had to do, though some were tormented then and later and a fair number who started out found that they couldn't do the job emotionally.
Hathcock was a hard man to figure out, a bundle of seeming paradoxes. He was a quiet and unassuming man with a huge and sometimes cocky ego; a caring and gentle person who killed a lot of other people without seeming to have problems doing that. I'd recommend this book to anyone who is interested in this aspect of warfare.
Snipers are unusual even among professional military people - they have one of the hardest and most dangerous jobs psychologically, emotionally, and in terms of wide-ranging skills and effort required. Every sniper I've known or heard interviewed has said the same kind of thing about how he or she handled the act of looking at another human being that appeared to be close by (through a scope) but usually didn't even know the sniper was there, then carefully and deliberately shooting and killing that person. Essentially, they all said that they kept reminding themselves that by killing enemy soldiers, they were preventing them from killing the sniper's own friends and comrades, so what they were doing was ultimately saving the lives of people they loved. They also talked about depersonalizing it, deliberately thinking of the people they were shooting as simply targets.
Most seemed to have made peace with what they'd had to do, though some were tormented then and later and a fair number who started out found that they couldn't do the job emotionally.
Hathcock was a hard man to figure out, a bundle of seeming paradoxes. He was a quiet and unassuming man with a huge and sometimes cocky ego; a caring and gentle person who killed a lot of other people without seeming to have problems doing that. I'd recommend this book to anyone who is interested in this aspect of warfare.
March 30, 2012
Marine Sniper is a true story about Sergeant Carlos Hathcock. Hathcock enlisted into the marines at age 17 and went on to become one of the greatest marksmen in the United States Marine Corps. At one part of the book Carlos is with Burke and they are both making there way to Elephant Valley. At Elephant Valley they would sit and shoot NVA’s. After shooting at the NVA’s from a distance in the shadows they take cover. Burke and Hathcock are both sitting there for days shooting at them and killing them. At night when it was all silent if Burke or Hathcock would hear a noise they would call in a illumination to go off to light up the night sky and they would kill NVA’s that were running. Throughout the book it would do flashbacks to when Hathcock was in the United States and go to competitions and win rewards.
I liked this book a lot because I like to read about the military and how life is for them. I think that the author did a great job on this book because it has photos and definitions at the bottom of the page to help people who don’t know things about the military. I also like this book because it tells the story of a great Marksman of the United States Marine Corps. I think that this book was also great because once I started reading it I felt like I couldn’t stop, I wanted to know what would happen next. I think that others should read this but only if they know some of the abbreviations that the military uses. Also if they want to know want the military life is like in other countries.
I give this book a five out of five because I think it was a great read and that adding the meanings of things and pictures made the pictures great.
I liked this book a lot because I like to read about the military and how life is for them. I think that the author did a great job on this book because it has photos and definitions at the bottom of the page to help people who don’t know things about the military. I also like this book because it tells the story of a great Marksman of the United States Marine Corps. I think that this book was also great because once I started reading it I felt like I couldn’t stop, I wanted to know what would happen next. I think that others should read this but only if they know some of the abbreviations that the military uses. Also if they want to know want the military life is like in other countries.
I give this book a five out of five because I think it was a great read and that adding the meanings of things and pictures made the pictures great.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 5, 2023
Sergeant Carlos Hathcock is a legend in the Marine Corps. One of my friends who was (is: once a Marine always a Marine) a Marine gave this book to me. Hathcock is still held up as example for Marines to follow to this day. Taunt and filled with close calls - better than fiction.
February 15, 2020
Well written by Charles Henderson, Marine Sniper is an exceptional biography of a legend, Carlos "White Feather" Hathcock USMC sniper.
March 27, 2009
A Review of Marine Sniper: 93 Confirmed Kills
Recently I read the book Marine Sniper. This book is by far the best book I have read and is inspired by a true story. The action and suspense never stops. This book is not easy to put down for those who love action and suspense books.
While reading this book, I could imagine I was in the audience of the national shooting competition when all went quiet for the shot that decided it all. I also imagined that I was a marine on hill 55 going into the jungle on a mission with Carlos. Anyone who is a hunter can at least partially understand the skill and stealth it takes to stalk prey and place a perfect shot on the target. Even those who have not done any hunting activity can understand how stealthy and skillful the sniper must be to complete his mission.
This book is perfect for readers who need fast paced stories. By the end of your read, you will feel as if you have been there with Carlos Hathcock all along. I would recommend it to anyone who loves action, suspense, or hunting.
Recently I read the book Marine Sniper. This book is by far the best book I have read and is inspired by a true story. The action and suspense never stops. This book is not easy to put down for those who love action and suspense books.
While reading this book, I could imagine I was in the audience of the national shooting competition when all went quiet for the shot that decided it all. I also imagined that I was a marine on hill 55 going into the jungle on a mission with Carlos. Anyone who is a hunter can at least partially understand the skill and stealth it takes to stalk prey and place a perfect shot on the target. Even those who have not done any hunting activity can understand how stealthy and skillful the sniper must be to complete his mission.
This book is perfect for readers who need fast paced stories. By the end of your read, you will feel as if you have been there with Carlos Hathcock all along. I would recommend it to anyone who loves action, suspense, or hunting.
December 2, 2021
A fitting tribute to a true American hero. This book even helped me as a cited source for one of my research papers for Masters in Intelligence Studies (w/concentration in Terrorism Studies) degree program at American Military University (AMU). R.I.P. and God bless, Gunny Hathcock, Semper Fi, OORAH, 'til Valhalla!
February 3, 2015
A hard and inspiration read. Every critic of the Vietnam war should read, and understand what soldiers went through to battle Evil. It was a hard read because my civilized mind has a hard time wrapping my brain around the necessity of cold blooded killing in a time of war. But I am also convinced we have civilization, ideals and freedom because of vets.
March 28, 2018
Marine Sniper is the best book I’ve ever read. I recommend it to everyone. I talking my book club book into reading it and even the one who complained the most about reading it said it was a good book. It tells the remarkable story of a marine known as Carlos Hathcock, or known to his enemies as “white feather”, “ I understand some of it and then after that… white feather Sniper”(Henderson 273). Carlos was a man of myth, and a legend in the marine Corps. He sold the sniper program to the Marine leaders, and made it so snipers were a necessity in war. Without Carlos the Marine Sniper program would not be what it is today.
The story of Carlos Hathcock was he went to Vietnam after winning a big marksman tournament. He was put into a special group of marines who all were excellent marksman. Carlos was by far the best however. He took out high value targets such as the feared female sniper known as The Apache. He also went deep into enemy lines, After crawling on his hands and knees for 4 days in a row. He sniped the leader of the Vietcong’s sniper program. This was a massive lost for the vietcong and a big victory for the US. By the time he finished his career in the marine corps he was the posterboy for the sniper program and over 93 confirmed kills, putting him up with legends in the marine corps. During his final mission in vietnam his truck blew up and caught on fire leaving his body burnt for the rest of his life. After leaving the marines in combat he tried to train snipers still in the homeland. Eventually his body couldn’t take it anymore and he had to find a new hobby. He missed the action and stories of vietnam and need to fill it with something. Hathcock filled this void with believe it or not shark fishing!
Charles Henderson did a superb job retelling Hathcock’s story through true incidents and event. He also does a great job presenting the story. It was always exciting and fun to read. I couldn’t put the book down. I was actually sad when I finished it, wishing it could have been longer. After reading Marine Sniper I wanted to know more about Carlos and his fellow marines. I started researching and I found his life to be so interesting and the book did a magnificent job presenting it.
Henderson wrote Marine Sniper so vivid I actually felt like I was standing right next to Carlos in Vietnam. He went into great detail explaining the environment, from the hill top base of Hill 55 to the deep and dense jungles Vietnam is known for. I could feel the wind blowing and see Carlos with his famous white feather on his hat blowing in the wind. I could smell the smoke from Carlos’ cigarette, and I can hear the echo of the gunfire and the crackle of the radios on Hill 55.
If I had to give this book a rating it would be Six out of five stars! Just the story of Carlos Hathcock would make an amazing book. His life was so interesting and filled with so many event an author could write more than just one book about his life. What really made this book a good read was Henderson’s writing. He never made the story boring or dull. I was always on the edge of my seat when reading this. He also made it so the reader could picture the events as they read. I recommend this book to anyone who likes war stories and books. This is a terrific book and a great and inspirational read.
The story of Carlos Hathcock was he went to Vietnam after winning a big marksman tournament. He was put into a special group of marines who all were excellent marksman. Carlos was by far the best however. He took out high value targets such as the feared female sniper known as The Apache. He also went deep into enemy lines, After crawling on his hands and knees for 4 days in a row. He sniped the leader of the Vietcong’s sniper program. This was a massive lost for the vietcong and a big victory for the US. By the time he finished his career in the marine corps he was the posterboy for the sniper program and over 93 confirmed kills, putting him up with legends in the marine corps. During his final mission in vietnam his truck blew up and caught on fire leaving his body burnt for the rest of his life. After leaving the marines in combat he tried to train snipers still in the homeland. Eventually his body couldn’t take it anymore and he had to find a new hobby. He missed the action and stories of vietnam and need to fill it with something. Hathcock filled this void with believe it or not shark fishing!
Charles Henderson did a superb job retelling Hathcock’s story through true incidents and event. He also does a great job presenting the story. It was always exciting and fun to read. I couldn’t put the book down. I was actually sad when I finished it, wishing it could have been longer. After reading Marine Sniper I wanted to know more about Carlos and his fellow marines. I started researching and I found his life to be so interesting and the book did a magnificent job presenting it.
Henderson wrote Marine Sniper so vivid I actually felt like I was standing right next to Carlos in Vietnam. He went into great detail explaining the environment, from the hill top base of Hill 55 to the deep and dense jungles Vietnam is known for. I could feel the wind blowing and see Carlos with his famous white feather on his hat blowing in the wind. I could smell the smoke from Carlos’ cigarette, and I can hear the echo of the gunfire and the crackle of the radios on Hill 55.
If I had to give this book a rating it would be Six out of five stars! Just the story of Carlos Hathcock would make an amazing book. His life was so interesting and filled with so many event an author could write more than just one book about his life. What really made this book a good read was Henderson’s writing. He never made the story boring or dull. I was always on the edge of my seat when reading this. He also made it so the reader could picture the events as they read. I recommend this book to anyone who likes war stories and books. This is a terrific book and a great and inspirational read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 15, 2021
It's hard for me to describe how much I hate this book. I mainly hate it because it is touted as nonfiction, and the folklore in it is believed and regurgitated by many gullible, uninformed people desperate to believe in the myth of Carlos Hathcock and his exploits in Vietnam. In many ways it set the precedent for the nonsensical myths about a later famous sniper, Chris Kyle.
In the preface, the author freely admits that he, "took the liberty of inventing dialogue for Hathcock's North Vietnamese and Viet Cong opponents." He does more than that - he invents entire characters with their own story arcs. The book is written like a 3rd person novel, and at no point does the author cite any sources or point to any research done whatsoever; it appears the only interviews he conducted were with Hathcock himself, and he believed everything he was told without fact-checking anything.
The bizarre enemy characters Hathcock claimed he faced off with - "the Apache Woman," a sniper named "the Cobra," an unnamed Chinese officer, and an unnamed (but we are to assume very important) NVA general - make it seem like a video game with an assortment of bosses.
Nowhere in any other book about the Vietnam war have I found any references to Hathcock and his supposedly legendary exploits, nor to his famed adversaries. His supposed mission into enemy territory where he creeped for days to assassinate an enemy general is a joke to anyone who has actually studied the Vietnam war. If the US military had Intel that a high-ranking NVA general was at a specific location, they would have dropped hundreds of tons of bombs on the area (like they did throughout the entire country), not sent a single man on a suicidal mission to take him out. And if the mission had truly taken place, it would be mentioned in other serious military histories about the war, and not in just one highly-questionable book like this one.
Hathcock's other famous deed of supposedly shooting an enemy sniper through his own scope was actually proven by an episode of MythBusters to be impossible. Yet people still believe it happened.
Much like Chris Kyle decades later, Carlos Hathcock obviously told his tall tales so much that he began to believe them himself. His gullible admirers then dutifully repeated what he told them and took it as Gospel. It is a shame that so many people take this badly written novel as truth and believe it too. Americans are often desperate to find mythical tales of heroics to make light of their nation's unjust wars, and this is just one example.
In the preface, the author freely admits that he, "took the liberty of inventing dialogue for Hathcock's North Vietnamese and Viet Cong opponents." He does more than that - he invents entire characters with their own story arcs. The book is written like a 3rd person novel, and at no point does the author cite any sources or point to any research done whatsoever; it appears the only interviews he conducted were with Hathcock himself, and he believed everything he was told without fact-checking anything.
The bizarre enemy characters Hathcock claimed he faced off with - "the Apache Woman," a sniper named "the Cobra," an unnamed Chinese officer, and an unnamed (but we are to assume very important) NVA general - make it seem like a video game with an assortment of bosses.
Nowhere in any other book about the Vietnam war have I found any references to Hathcock and his supposedly legendary exploits, nor to his famed adversaries. His supposed mission into enemy territory where he creeped for days to assassinate an enemy general is a joke to anyone who has actually studied the Vietnam war. If the US military had Intel that a high-ranking NVA general was at a specific location, they would have dropped hundreds of tons of bombs on the area (like they did throughout the entire country), not sent a single man on a suicidal mission to take him out. And if the mission had truly taken place, it would be mentioned in other serious military histories about the war, and not in just one highly-questionable book like this one.
Hathcock's other famous deed of supposedly shooting an enemy sniper through his own scope was actually proven by an episode of MythBusters to be impossible. Yet people still believe it happened.
Much like Chris Kyle decades later, Carlos Hathcock obviously told his tall tales so much that he began to believe them himself. His gullible admirers then dutifully repeated what he told them and took it as Gospel. It is a shame that so many people take this badly written novel as truth and believe it too. Americans are often desperate to find mythical tales of heroics to make light of their nation's unjust wars, and this is just one example.
July 1, 2023
This is the story of Carlos Hathcock. The deadliest sniper in the Vietnam War with 93 confirmed kills. This is his story from his youth, learning to shoot, to his retirement after a devastating attack launched his troop vehicle into the air on fire and burned over 43% of his skin. Carlos was an extremely disciplined and balanced soldier. He was the perfect sniper. He embodied the woodsman, being able to read the fields and valleys with all of his senses. He was calm and collected under threat. He did not kill for vengeance or anger. He killed to protect his men, to thwart the enemy, and to win the war, but he did not kill needlessly or indiscriminately. Carlos was an extremely hard worker, deeply devoted to the Marines and their mission. He was unbelievably talented as a marksman, winning the national championship at 1000 meters, and translating that skill to the war as a sniper. His fieldcraft and military awareness allowed him to become a legend in Vietnam, earning the highest bounty offered by the enemy. Carlos was able to neutralize an enemy sniper who had been terrorizing the Marines when Carlos arrived in country, which won him support from his peers and superiors alike. In his most impressive solo mission, Carlos worm-crawled several thousand meters across open fields to assassinate an enemy General in his own front yard and then escaped without being seen, like a ghost. Another impressive aspect of Carlos’ career is how he behaves when he is shipped back to Vietnam for a second tour of duty after. He is put in command of a platoon of snipers, who have lost their pride and mission focus. Carlos leads them back into shape. He gives them their dignity back, gets them off latrine duty and back in the field, engaging the enemy with their highly specialized weapons and skills. Thanks for recommending this book Dad. I think you would like it.
This is for shooters and history buffs.
(Rated R, Score 8/10, audiobook read by Kevin Foley, 10:52)
This is for shooters and history buffs.
(Rated R, Score 8/10, audiobook read by Kevin Foley, 10:52)
March 29, 2018
Incredible story
I read the book Marine Sniper for a school book club and was incredibly pleased with my choice. At first I was skeptical because of some of the reviews on amazon and goodreads but as soon as this book arrived on my doorstep I couldn't wait to start reading it. The writing was quite well done, but the story of Carlos Hathcock’s life was so great that the writing could have been garbage and the book would have still been one of the top on my list.
One of my favorite parts of this book was when Carlos saved many of his fellow marines, putting their lives ahead of his own. Putting them first, and sacrificing his own life and well being. “Hathcock’s entire world disappeared in a booming, ringing, earth shattering explosion.” “[He] opened his eyes, and saw nothing but blackness and fire.” Hathcock thought to himself “Save him! Got to save him.” This is when he grabbed every marine he saw and one by one saved their lives by sending them out of the flaming vehicle. “He himself was on fire. His trousers were burning, his chest and arms and neck were burning.” Without even realizing, he jumped out through the wall of fire not knowing what was awaiting him on the other side. For this he was awarded a purple heart, and was nominated for both the medal of honor and the medal of valor.
In conclusion this book is an example of how great of a man Carlos Hathcock was. Not only is he a great man but also an incredible marine and one of the most talented snipers to ever live. I would like to give this book a five star rating but cannot do so, because the book seemed to be dragged out. There was way too much unnecessary filler. That is why I can only give the book Marine Sniper four out of five stars. Even though it may not be perfect I would highly recommend this book to anyone searching for an incredible read.
I read the book Marine Sniper for a school book club and was incredibly pleased with my choice. At first I was skeptical because of some of the reviews on amazon and goodreads but as soon as this book arrived on my doorstep I couldn't wait to start reading it. The writing was quite well done, but the story of Carlos Hathcock’s life was so great that the writing could have been garbage and the book would have still been one of the top on my list.
One of my favorite parts of this book was when Carlos saved many of his fellow marines, putting their lives ahead of his own. Putting them first, and sacrificing his own life and well being. “Hathcock’s entire world disappeared in a booming, ringing, earth shattering explosion.” “[He] opened his eyes, and saw nothing but blackness and fire.” Hathcock thought to himself “Save him! Got to save him.” This is when he grabbed every marine he saw and one by one saved their lives by sending them out of the flaming vehicle. “He himself was on fire. His trousers were burning, his chest and arms and neck were burning.” Without even realizing, he jumped out through the wall of fire not knowing what was awaiting him on the other side. For this he was awarded a purple heart, and was nominated for both the medal of honor and the medal of valor.
In conclusion this book is an example of how great of a man Carlos Hathcock was. Not only is he a great man but also an incredible marine and one of the most talented snipers to ever live. I would like to give this book a five star rating but cannot do so, because the book seemed to be dragged out. There was way too much unnecessary filler. That is why I can only give the book Marine Sniper four out of five stars. Even though it may not be perfect I would highly recommend this book to anyone searching for an incredible read.
September 14, 2021
Marine sniper is paean to Carlos Hathcock, one of the most cunning and skilled snipers the US military has ever produced. It proceeds in a manner akin to an action movie, rewarding passive engagement with accounts of battle, daring deeds, explosions, and foreign adventures offering largely mindless entertainment and unabashed myth-building. The second the reader starts to ask who the hero is killing and why, the fun recedes; likewise, as the number of references to “gooks” and “shovel heads” stack up, the reader begins to question the motives and character of the good guys.
To be fair to the author he did spend a page and a half acknowledging then moral complexity of sniping, but in the end he reduces Carlos Hathcock to a caricature of a archetypal super-soldier, denying the reader any chance at gleaning any insight into the book’s hero. His wife and son are barely a blip on the narrative radar, and his interactions with them one-dimensional, meanwhile the only friendships the author develops are based on a common desire to kill, and not be killed.
If it seems like I’m being tough on the book/author, it’s because it/he did so little with so much, and ended up producing yet another fun but mindless ode to violence and American exceptionalism.
Your time is probably better invested elsewhere.
To be fair to the author he did spend a page and a half acknowledging then moral complexity of sniping, but in the end he reduces Carlos Hathcock to a caricature of a archetypal super-soldier, denying the reader any chance at gleaning any insight into the book’s hero. His wife and son are barely a blip on the narrative radar, and his interactions with them one-dimensional, meanwhile the only friendships the author develops are based on a common desire to kill, and not be killed.
If it seems like I’m being tough on the book/author, it’s because it/he did so little with so much, and ended up producing yet another fun but mindless ode to violence and American exceptionalism.
Your time is probably better invested elsewhere.
April 17, 2019
I actually read this book with my grandpa because he is a Marine. This is a true story about sergeant Carlos Hathcock and his time as a Marine sniper in Vietnam War. I believe this is a story about true American war hero. Sergeant Carlos Hathcock would lurk around the Viet Cong behind the enemy lines. His record of kills is one of the finest in military history. Sergeant Carlos Hathcock has confirmed ninety-three kills. I really enjoyed how this story was written and how it was about a simple man who risked this life for our country. This man went through dangers and hardships to save his country and the marine corps. Truly, without this man our country would not be the same. The missions in this book have made Carlos Hathcock a legend and someone to look up to in the Marines. The stories told in this book are exciting and powerful. They make you have a bigger respect for what you have and for our country. Without Sergeant Carlos Hathcock and the Marine Corps our country would not be the same.
January 30, 2015
Charles Henderson's 'Marine Sniper' is a dramatized account of the life of a Vietnam War sniper. Based on the life and times of Sergeant Carlos Hathcock - an American soldier who apparently eventually became the posterboy of the Marine Sniper program - the book seemed an interesting prospect at first. One, I love war books and two, I love history books (Marine Sniper is set in the Vietnam War). Sadly, the book was a disappointment.
The amount of melodramatic fictionalization of everything Hathcock did was extremely jingoistic. Dialogues were overwritten with Henderson trying to explain the scene or pace along the narrative with incredibly explanatory (and thus, weird) dialogues. And the focus on battle tactics or history was minimal.
The only thing that made the book tolerable was Hathcock... real, gritty and human in the parts of the book Henderson allows him to be so.
The amount of melodramatic fictionalization of everything Hathcock did was extremely jingoistic. Dialogues were overwritten with Henderson trying to explain the scene or pace along the narrative with incredibly explanatory (and thus, weird) dialogues. And the focus on battle tactics or history was minimal.
The only thing that made the book tolerable was Hathcock... real, gritty and human in the parts of the book Henderson allows him to be so.
December 11, 2016
"Hathcock awoke with a jerk. The popping sound of a bullet impacting outside his door startled him. He made no sudden moves, but opened his eyes and rolled off the cot onto the floor in a push-up position. The single shot told him that there was a sniper lurking somewhere outside the wire . . . he heard the moans of a wounded Marine." page 154
Hanoi had sent at least a dozen well-trained snipers to the area around Hill 55, all seeking the $10,000 bounty on the head of SSG Carlos Hathcock, already legendary with over 20 kills in a few months in-country in 1966. This accounting of Hathcock's 20 year career as a Marine sniper is an exciting fast read, jumping from one tense encounter to another, chronicling a remarkable career.
Hanoi had sent at least a dozen well-trained snipers to the area around Hill 55, all seeking the $10,000 bounty on the head of SSG Carlos Hathcock, already legendary with over 20 kills in a few months in-country in 1966. This accounting of Hathcock's 20 year career as a Marine sniper is an exciting fast read, jumping from one tense encounter to another, chronicling a remarkable career.
January 3, 2017
This book talks about a man named Carlos Hathcock. He is a marine sniper and probably the best marine sniper ever. This book talks what Carlos Hathcock did he was in the Vietnam war as a sniper and the things he went through in that war.
What i like about this book is that it talks about how quite and such a marksman he was in the war and how strong he had to be during the time that he was in and how he dealed with all of his situations that he was put in.
There is nothing that i dont like about the book other than there isn't enough pictures in it.
People that i think would like this book would be probably people who like war stories or books about brave people, and even probably veterans themselves.
What i like about this book is that it talks about how quite and such a marksman he was in the war and how strong he had to be during the time that he was in and how he dealed with all of his situations that he was put in.
There is nothing that i dont like about the book other than there isn't enough pictures in it.
People that i think would like this book would be probably people who like war stories or books about brave people, and even probably veterans themselves.
April 7, 2017
Marine Sniper goes through the military life of Carlos Hathcock; mainly focusing on his tours in Vietnam. It tells his struggles in a captivating way and triumphs in his personal and military life.
The main things I enjoyed about this book was it felt like a story and was extremely easy to visualize. When he was headed through the jungle or crawling across a field you felt like your watching a movie. The heroic acts he preformed during the war to establish scout sniping on the modern front.
There is one thing that I didn't care for and that was at some points it stays on details that do not have a profound impact on his whole story. This leads to some more boring chapters however I would still strongly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys history or the Military.
The main things I enjoyed about this book was it felt like a story and was extremely easy to visualize. When he was headed through the jungle or crawling across a field you felt like your watching a movie. The heroic acts he preformed during the war to establish scout sniping on the modern front.
There is one thing that I didn't care for and that was at some points it stays on details that do not have a profound impact on his whole story. This leads to some more boring chapters however I would still strongly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys history or the Military.
January 13, 2023
This is a great book! I like the writing style and how it makes you connect emotionally with the main person in the story. This is an amazing story about a man who essentially defined what a sniper is capable of.
I will say a couple of negatives. If you see the photos in the middle of the book and dont want to spoil part of the story, just look at them when you are done reading. One of the pictures and the caption it has gave a key part away. This is just a warning. Also at times reading this felt a little choppy in the way it switched from one timeline to another. It all connected but i had to reread a few times to make sure i didn’t skip a page.
Overall a great book and i would recommend it if you like any war style or sniper books.
I will say a couple of negatives. If you see the photos in the middle of the book and dont want to spoil part of the story, just look at them when you are done reading. One of the pictures and the caption it has gave a key part away. This is just a warning. Also at times reading this felt a little choppy in the way it switched from one timeline to another. It all connected but i had to reread a few times to make sure i didn’t skip a page.
Overall a great book and i would recommend it if you like any war style or sniper books.
February 17, 2012
This was a good book written about one of the greatest snipers in military history, however the way it was written seemed a bit like a biased history. At times it seemed like the enemy was just dummies stuffed with straw, it also seems Charles Henderson was trying to make the book like an action movie. Aside from that though the story about John Hathcock and what he did in Vietnam is great and is worth learning about.
February 10, 2013
Intense historical account of Marine Sniper Gunnery Sergeant Carlos Hathcock (93 Kills) written by Charles Henderson former Marine and historian who 'knows' his subject. At times it's a sensitive and meaningful look into the private and family life of a man performing a military task that even many of his superiors didn't consider 'right'. The argument between the use of napalm and sniper rifle as weapons in battle is in my view moot. a good read of you're in the market.
May 13, 2017
Carlos Hathcock was a true American hero. I read this book quite a few years ago. Great attention to detail on some of the missions that Carlos Hathcock was involved with.A copy of the book that I have is autographed by Carlos Hathcock. I used to call him later in his life when he lived in Virginia Beach, Virginia. He also sent me polaroid pictures of his medals as well. There are so many lessons that we can learn when we read this book. I gave it five stars.
October 31, 2017
One of the most intriguing books I have ever read. Sergeant Carlos Hathcock is an absolute legend that I had never heard of until reading this book. It tells the story of the Marines starting up there own sniper team and recruiting Hathcock along with several other sharp shooters. Some of the stories seem almost so impossible you almost can't believe its true. Including one of his most famous shots. I won't spoil them here though. Definitely worth the read.
December 19, 2025
The sniper is the big-game hunter of the battlefield, and he needs all of the skills of a woodsman, marksman,hunter, and poacher, he must possess the field craft to be able to position himself for a killing shot, and he must be able to effectively place a single bullet into his target.” Marine Sniper by Charles Henderson is a nonfiction book about a marine sniper who killed 93 people. The book’s about Sergeant Carlos Hathcock, who was almost always on duty and he has set the record for the amount of kills ever. The story is also mainly about a legend that was a marine and his career spanned from Vietnam to the gulf war . I read about this topic because the wars back then interested me and because it seems like a cool topic.
Yes, I like the book but I prefer graphic novels. But the thing I liked about the book is that it is about war and how it’s about a single guy that has set the record for killing the most people in War by himself single-handedly. The characters are Sergeant Carlos Hathcock, and Sgt. Maj. The theme of the book is about the war in Vietnam. The book is a third person narrative. The book isn't too challenging, it's just a longer book. I recommend this book to others because the book is about an interesting marine that fought in war. The age level to read this book is 18 years old and up, the grade level for the book is grade 13 and up.
Yes, I like the book but I prefer graphic novels. But the thing I liked about the book is that it is about war and how it’s about a single guy that has set the record for killing the most people in War by himself single-handedly. The characters are Sergeant Carlos Hathcock, and Sgt. Maj. The theme of the book is about the war in Vietnam. The book is a third person narrative. The book isn't too challenging, it's just a longer book. I recommend this book to others because the book is about an interesting marine that fought in war. The age level to read this book is 18 years old and up, the grade level for the book is grade 13 and up.
Read
September 10, 2024Marine Sniper by: Charles Henderson was published in 1986. it is a Military/autobiography in Vietnam during the Vietnam War 1975-1977. The main people are Gunnery Sgt, Carlos Hathcock, Lt.Col.David Willis Sgt. Maj. David Summers, and M. Gunnery. Sgt. Ron Mcabee This book follows a sniper in the Marine Corps during the Vietnam War. It follows him through stocking the Viet Cong behind enemy lines in Vietnam. It follows all the hardships for his country and his Corps through his missions and 93 confirmed kills as a sniper.
The truth of being front line in war and the damage it causes during and after it is over. I decided to read this book because my grandfather served in the Vietnam War and I have heard many stories but thought it would be interesting to hear stories from another's point of view.
The truth of being front line in war and the damage it causes during and after it is over. I decided to read this book because my grandfather served in the Vietnam War and I have heard many stories but thought it would be interesting to hear stories from another's point of view.
October 19, 2025
This is a fantastic story or a single Marine whose skill proved an incredible asset to our Nation. The narrative style is fantastic. The pace is just right; one chapter just before bed (if you can put it down). It doesn’t sugarcoat the horrors of Vietnam, but these are not the point of the story, so they don’t figure as largely as in other books focused on that war. It’s a story about a man, not about the war, per se. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
January 7, 2019
Ich habe den Dienst an der Waffe verweigert und mit meinem staatlich geprüften Gewissen meinen Zivildienst in einer Blindenschule abgeleistet (Eine fantastische Erfahrung ). Trotz meiner pazifistischen Grundhaltung, habe ich ein Faible für Kriegsromane und Filme. Warum das so ist, habe ich hier versucht in Worte zu fassen:
http://awesomatik.com/2010/09/20/fasz...
Da ich schon so einiges an Militär-Literatur verschlungen habe, wollte ich nun mal einen neuen Blickwinkel wagen (z.B. durch ein Zielfernrohr).
In Marine Sniper rekonstruiert Charles Henderson, die wahre Geschichte des legendären Scharfschützen Carlos Hathcock.
Dass es sich bei dem Titel nicht um eine kritische Auseinandersetzung mit dem Vietnamkrieg handeln kann, sollte jedem klar sein. Dennoch wird man zumindest eine abenteuerliche Geschichte erwarten dürfen.
Die hat Carlos “The White feather” Hathcock zweifelsohne erlebt. Allerdings gelingt es Charles Henderson nur bedingt, die adrenalinreiche Vita des Ausnahmesoldaten adäquat in ein spannendes Buch zu verpacken.
So hatte ich während der ersten hundert Seiten immer wieder mit dem Gedanken gespielt das Buch beiseite zu legen.
Zu viele unnötige Vor- und Rückblenden. Details von Ortschaften, die längst keine Rolle mehr spielen und von Soldaten, die kein Mensch kennt. Fakten, die dem Erzählfluss im Wege stehen.
Zudem ist das Handwerk des Scharfschützen ziemlich abartig. Gleich zu Beginn metzeln Hathcock und sein Partner im Elephant valley gnadenlos ein wehrloses Bataillon jugendlicher Gegner nieder.
Eins kann man Henderson nicht vorwerfen. Er beschönigt nichts. Wenn es die Mission erfordert, müssen Sniper auch Kinder und Frauen erschießen.
Der normale Infanteriesoldat kann dabei seine Schüsse damit rechtfertigen, dass er angegriffen wurde. Er schießt in Selbstverteidigung und gibt dem Gegner ggf. die Option zu fliehen, sich zu ergeben oder zu kämpfen.
Diesen “Luxus” hat ein Scharfschütze nicht. Er tötet einen Gegner, der nichts von seiner Anwesenheit weiß. Er ermordet ihn ohne ihm eine andere Option zu bieten.
Deswegen werden die Sniper von ihren Kameraden liebevoll “Murder Inc” genannt.
Eine starke emotionale Last also die Hathcock so beantwortet: “I like shooting, and I love hunting. But I never did enjoy killing anybody. It’s my job. If I don’t get those bastards, then they’re gonna kill a lot of these kids dressed up like Marines. That’s the way I look at it.”
Dennoch macht sich beim Leser immer wieder ein ungutes Gefühl breit, wenn mal wieder reihenweise junge Menschen von den Scharfschützen abgeschlachtet werden.
Der zweite Teil entspricht dann mehr den Erwartungen, die ich an das Buch hatte. Hier geht es um die Missionen, die Hathcock zur Legende gemacht haben – um die Menschenjagd. Oder wie Ernest Hemingway schrieb: “There is no hunting like the hunting of man, and those who have hunted armed men long enough and liked it, never care for anything else thereafter.”
Ähnlich geht es auch Hathcock, der Nacht für Nacht in den Dschungel kriecht bis er körperlich so ausgemergelt ist, dass ihm sein Vorgesetzter Hausarrest erteilt.
Henderson rekonstruiert seine wichtigsten Missionen um den Hill 55. Dazu gehört die Ermordung einer Vietcong Kämpferin, die The Apache genannt wurde, weil sie Marines bei lebendigem Leib gehäutet hat.
Außerdem die hollywoodreife Jagd auf einen gegnerischen Sniper (möglicherweise etwas übertrieben dargestellt) sowie eine regelrechte Selbstmord-Mission, bei der Hathcock vier Tage alleine hinter feindlichen Linien einem NVA- General aufgelauert hat, um ihn dann eiskalt auszuschalten und ungesehen den Rückzug anzutreten.
Bei seiner zweiten Tour nach Vietnam wurde er so schwer verwundet, dass er zurück in die USA verlegt wurde. Aus gesundheitlichen Gründen musste er schließlich nach knapp 20 Jahren Dienst bei den Marines austreten und starb im Alter von 57 Jahren an Multipler Sklerose.
Fazit – Durchwachsen wie der vietnamesische Regenwald
Henderson hat es nicht geschafft, die aufregende Lebensgeschichte von Carlos Hathcock zu einem spannenden Sachbuch zusammenzufassen. Der Schreibstil ist sachlich bis langweilig. Hier wird zwar nichts beschönigt aber auch nichts reflektiert geschweige denn kritisch betrachtet. Einige Szenen sind regelrecht unappetitlich. Definitiv nichts für zarte Gemüter. Wer dagegen mehr über den Job des Scharfschützen erfahren möchte, wird mit Marine Sniper bestimmt auf seine Kosten kommen. Alle anderen empfehle ich bessere Kriegsmemoiren und Sachbücher:
http://awesomatik.com/2010/09/20/fasz...
Man kann sich auch das Buch sparen und die folgende Sniper Doku schauen, die die wichtigsten Missionen Hathcocks nachstellt:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=...
US-Scharfschütze Chris “The Devil of Ramadi” Kyle hält den zweifelhaften Rekord der bestätigten Tötung (160). Er wurde letztes Jahr von einem US Soldaten mit posttraumatischen Stress-Syndrom auf einem Schießplatz in den USA erschossen. You live by the sword, you die by the sword…
Mehr Rezensionen und abenteuerlichen Content gibt's auf
http://awesomatik.com
http://awesomatik.com/2010/09/20/fasz...
Da ich schon so einiges an Militär-Literatur verschlungen habe, wollte ich nun mal einen neuen Blickwinkel wagen (z.B. durch ein Zielfernrohr).
In Marine Sniper rekonstruiert Charles Henderson, die wahre Geschichte des legendären Scharfschützen Carlos Hathcock.
Dass es sich bei dem Titel nicht um eine kritische Auseinandersetzung mit dem Vietnamkrieg handeln kann, sollte jedem klar sein. Dennoch wird man zumindest eine abenteuerliche Geschichte erwarten dürfen.
Die hat Carlos “The White feather” Hathcock zweifelsohne erlebt. Allerdings gelingt es Charles Henderson nur bedingt, die adrenalinreiche Vita des Ausnahmesoldaten adäquat in ein spannendes Buch zu verpacken.
So hatte ich während der ersten hundert Seiten immer wieder mit dem Gedanken gespielt das Buch beiseite zu legen.
Zu viele unnötige Vor- und Rückblenden. Details von Ortschaften, die längst keine Rolle mehr spielen und von Soldaten, die kein Mensch kennt. Fakten, die dem Erzählfluss im Wege stehen.
Zudem ist das Handwerk des Scharfschützen ziemlich abartig. Gleich zu Beginn metzeln Hathcock und sein Partner im Elephant valley gnadenlos ein wehrloses Bataillon jugendlicher Gegner nieder.
Eins kann man Henderson nicht vorwerfen. Er beschönigt nichts. Wenn es die Mission erfordert, müssen Sniper auch Kinder und Frauen erschießen.
Der normale Infanteriesoldat kann dabei seine Schüsse damit rechtfertigen, dass er angegriffen wurde. Er schießt in Selbstverteidigung und gibt dem Gegner ggf. die Option zu fliehen, sich zu ergeben oder zu kämpfen.
Diesen “Luxus” hat ein Scharfschütze nicht. Er tötet einen Gegner, der nichts von seiner Anwesenheit weiß. Er ermordet ihn ohne ihm eine andere Option zu bieten.
Deswegen werden die Sniper von ihren Kameraden liebevoll “Murder Inc” genannt.
Eine starke emotionale Last also die Hathcock so beantwortet: “I like shooting, and I love hunting. But I never did enjoy killing anybody. It’s my job. If I don’t get those bastards, then they’re gonna kill a lot of these kids dressed up like Marines. That’s the way I look at it.”
Dennoch macht sich beim Leser immer wieder ein ungutes Gefühl breit, wenn mal wieder reihenweise junge Menschen von den Scharfschützen abgeschlachtet werden.
Der zweite Teil entspricht dann mehr den Erwartungen, die ich an das Buch hatte. Hier geht es um die Missionen, die Hathcock zur Legende gemacht haben – um die Menschenjagd. Oder wie Ernest Hemingway schrieb: “There is no hunting like the hunting of man, and those who have hunted armed men long enough and liked it, never care for anything else thereafter.”
Ähnlich geht es auch Hathcock, der Nacht für Nacht in den Dschungel kriecht bis er körperlich so ausgemergelt ist, dass ihm sein Vorgesetzter Hausarrest erteilt.
Henderson rekonstruiert seine wichtigsten Missionen um den Hill 55. Dazu gehört die Ermordung einer Vietcong Kämpferin, die The Apache genannt wurde, weil sie Marines bei lebendigem Leib gehäutet hat.
Außerdem die hollywoodreife Jagd auf einen gegnerischen Sniper (möglicherweise etwas übertrieben dargestellt) sowie eine regelrechte Selbstmord-Mission, bei der Hathcock vier Tage alleine hinter feindlichen Linien einem NVA- General aufgelauert hat, um ihn dann eiskalt auszuschalten und ungesehen den Rückzug anzutreten.
Bei seiner zweiten Tour nach Vietnam wurde er so schwer verwundet, dass er zurück in die USA verlegt wurde. Aus gesundheitlichen Gründen musste er schließlich nach knapp 20 Jahren Dienst bei den Marines austreten und starb im Alter von 57 Jahren an Multipler Sklerose.
Fazit – Durchwachsen wie der vietnamesische Regenwald
Henderson hat es nicht geschafft, die aufregende Lebensgeschichte von Carlos Hathcock zu einem spannenden Sachbuch zusammenzufassen. Der Schreibstil ist sachlich bis langweilig. Hier wird zwar nichts beschönigt aber auch nichts reflektiert geschweige denn kritisch betrachtet. Einige Szenen sind regelrecht unappetitlich. Definitiv nichts für zarte Gemüter. Wer dagegen mehr über den Job des Scharfschützen erfahren möchte, wird mit Marine Sniper bestimmt auf seine Kosten kommen. Alle anderen empfehle ich bessere Kriegsmemoiren und Sachbücher:
http://awesomatik.com/2010/09/20/fasz...
Man kann sich auch das Buch sparen und die folgende Sniper Doku schauen, die die wichtigsten Missionen Hathcocks nachstellt:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=...
US-Scharfschütze Chris “The Devil of Ramadi” Kyle hält den zweifelhaften Rekord der bestätigten Tötung (160). Er wurde letztes Jahr von einem US Soldaten mit posttraumatischen Stress-Syndrom auf einem Schießplatz in den USA erschossen. You live by the sword, you die by the sword…
Mehr Rezensionen und abenteuerlichen Content gibt's auf
http://awesomatik.com
February 3, 2015
This book is Creative Non-fiction. It is a true account of the first American Sniper, sourced and documented. It is creative in that it injects enemy dialogue and thoughts into the story, as well as spruces up some of the Americans’. It describes the landscape and terrain (Vietnam in the 6o’s/war) in descriptive detail that the author might have only imagined—the jungle, the rain, the insects, the swampland (rice paddies); the sun’s rising and setting, the mist and fog—in poetic prose. In other words, it brings the story to life – much as Clint Eastwood did in directing the movie, American Sniper (2015); an adaptation of Chris Kyle’s memoir (2013) of the same name. And the similarities don’t end there. Eastwood might have read Henderson’s Marine Sniper because they both, the movie and the book, begin with the sniper having to decide whether or not to kill civilians, seemingly — children.
The Marine sniper is Gunnery Sergeant Carlos Hathcock, who is responsible for the sniper weapons system now used by the US Military. He convinced the Marines of its value in warfare. “One shot, one kill,” was his motto and MO. His experience in Vietnam was eerily similar to Kyle’s. (Maybe Kyle read about Hathcock.) Hathcock was a legend in Vietnam and had a bounty, a reward, put on his head by the enemy. Hathcock was hunted as well as being the hunter. This book is thrilling – dangerous. The epigraph is a quote by Hemingway: There is no hunting like the hunting of man, and those who have hunted armed men long enough and liked it, never care for anything else thereafter.
Like Kyle, Hathcok is stalked by an enemy sniper. But, this is not a movie or a memoir, it happened. Hathcock kills his hunter, and when they confirm the kill, it is seen that Hathcock’s shot went through the hunter’s rifle’s scope, into his eye, the enemy sniper’s eye, and exploded his brain. Dig it … ? In another episode Hathcock was given the mission of killing a female combatant, THE APACHE, who tortured her captives by having rats eat their faces and skinning them alive; and also cut the genitals off a captured US Marine, while alive, then released him after torturing him all night long so as the Marines, bunkered nearby, could hear his screams while they tried to sleep. Get it? Are the enemy savages? Dig it. In another episode (what else can you call them?) Hathcock ‘worms’ his way across a swamp for three days to assassinate an enemy general. The distance is less than a mile. At one spot he encounters a viper. He cannot do anything but move, inch-by-inch, for three days, on his belly, so-as-to be able to get the shot. He was eaten by ants, but could not flinch! He did it! He was successful. He is a legend!
But “We” lost that war, as we lost the Iraq war. What good does it do, these advanced weapon systems, killing systems?
Hathcock got sick. He was diagnosed with MS, but maybe it was PTSD. He trained snipers, re-uped. His wife wondered. Hathcock taught again still more snipers. He’s a hero. He loved John Wayne. Get it?
Should you read this book? IDK … men are complicated creatures.
PS
My best friend was a Navy SEAL in Vietnam. In the beginning, in Vietnam, they were Navy frogmen – underwater demolition specialists. He, my friend, drank himself to death … and yet, he was the last survivor of his team. They, his team, killed themselves, one- by-one, one way or another … and “We,” lost the wars. Get it?
Winter 2015
The Marine sniper is Gunnery Sergeant Carlos Hathcock, who is responsible for the sniper weapons system now used by the US Military. He convinced the Marines of its value in warfare. “One shot, one kill,” was his motto and MO. His experience in Vietnam was eerily similar to Kyle’s. (Maybe Kyle read about Hathcock.) Hathcock was a legend in Vietnam and had a bounty, a reward, put on his head by the enemy. Hathcock was hunted as well as being the hunter. This book is thrilling – dangerous. The epigraph is a quote by Hemingway: There is no hunting like the hunting of man, and those who have hunted armed men long enough and liked it, never care for anything else thereafter.
Like Kyle, Hathcok is stalked by an enemy sniper. But, this is not a movie or a memoir, it happened. Hathcock kills his hunter, and when they confirm the kill, it is seen that Hathcock’s shot went through the hunter’s rifle’s scope, into his eye, the enemy sniper’s eye, and exploded his brain. Dig it … ? In another episode Hathcock was given the mission of killing a female combatant, THE APACHE, who tortured her captives by having rats eat their faces and skinning them alive; and also cut the genitals off a captured US Marine, while alive, then released him after torturing him all night long so as the Marines, bunkered nearby, could hear his screams while they tried to sleep. Get it? Are the enemy savages? Dig it. In another episode (what else can you call them?) Hathcock ‘worms’ his way across a swamp for three days to assassinate an enemy general. The distance is less than a mile. At one spot he encounters a viper. He cannot do anything but move, inch-by-inch, for three days, on his belly, so-as-to be able to get the shot. He was eaten by ants, but could not flinch! He did it! He was successful. He is a legend!
But “We” lost that war, as we lost the Iraq war. What good does it do, these advanced weapon systems, killing systems?
Hathcock got sick. He was diagnosed with MS, but maybe it was PTSD. He trained snipers, re-uped. His wife wondered. Hathcock taught again still more snipers. He’s a hero. He loved John Wayne. Get it?
Should you read this book? IDK … men are complicated creatures.
PS
My best friend was a Navy SEAL in Vietnam. In the beginning, in Vietnam, they were Navy frogmen – underwater demolition specialists. He, my friend, drank himself to death … and yet, he was the last survivor of his team. They, his team, killed themselves, one- by-one, one way or another … and “We,” lost the wars. Get it?
Winter 2015
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