Charles Henderson's Marine Sniper: 93 Confirmed Kills, is a dramatic true story of a Vietnam hero. Gunnery Sergeant Carlos Hathcock was one of the first snipers welcomed into the marine core at the height of conflict in the Vietnam War. Charles Henderson tells Hathcock's story from when he first shot a gun to his unforgettable tale of how he stalked and killed over 93 Viet Cong behind enemy lines. Charles really shows that a Sniper is a valuable weapon.
I think Charles Henderson did a very excellent job at telling Carlos Hathcock's story very accurately. His endless hours of research and interviewing really brought out a non-fictional novel worth reading. Tracking almost every kill through the jungles of Vietnam. It is amazing to think that the Marines did not want snipers, as it was seen "unsportsman like" to not give the enemy a chance to see you.
When Captain Land first tried to introduce Snipers into the Marine Core, he had to name them as scout/snipers, not just snipers, so they would sound more useful to commanders who would like to take a peak at an area before going in; it worked.
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Lieutenant General P. K. Van Riper, Commanding Gen...
Royal Marines snipers with L115A1 sniper rifleCaptain Land and Carlos Hathcock, after serving about four months in Vietnam, started their Sniper School. It was a great success, but one can only learn so much on a firing range. After they felt the students were ready, they took them to Vietnam. There they proved their usefulness was far greater then what the Marines expected.
At almost the end of Carlos' tour, he is burned severely from a bomb that went off under his Half-Track. When he finally is well enough to leave, and figures out that he can no longer shoot a rifle without being in severe pain, he does it anyway. After...