Meet America’s Greatest Vietnam War Sniper

Carlos Hathcock was probably the sniper most feared by the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) because of his extraordinary ability. His legend is such that there is an award named after him; the Carlos Hathcock Award is given to the Marine who does the most to promote marksmanship. He led an incredible life and was dedicated to his role as a shooter; so much so that he had a vanity license plate that read SNIPER on his vehicle in Virginia. While Hathcock specialized in ending the lives of enemies quickly, he succumbed to the slow, lingering and agonizing death brought on by multiple sclerosis in 1999.

Early Life & Exploits in Vietnam

Hathcock was born in North Little Rock, Arkansas on May 20, 1942. He showed an aptitude for marksmanship from a very early age and hunted for food aged just 10; his weapon of choice on that occasion was a JC Higgins 22-caliber. He dropped out of high school aged 15 and worked as a concrete constructor until he was old enough to enlist in the United States Marine Corps in his hometown on his 17^th birthday.

Meet America’s Greatest Vietnam War Sniper — Hathcock receiving an award at the 1965 Wimbledon Cup. Beingofservicerifle

He quickly qualified as a marksman by scoring ‘expert’ level in a boot camp test in San Diego. In 1962, he broke the ‘A’ range record with a remarkable score of 248 out of 250. He even won the Wimbledon Cup, a tournament to find the best 1,000-yard shooter, in 1965 before volunteering for combat the following year. His abilities were well known, so it was no surprise that he was rapidly recruited as a sniper in the Vietnam War.

It didn’t take long for his colleagues to recognize Hathcock’s special talent and he was given the nickname ‘Gunny.’ The official kill total attributed to him was 93; that means there were witnesses to 93 of his kills. In reality, he probably killed between 300 and 400 enemy troops during the Vietnam War.

He was stationed at Hill 55 in the south of Da Nang and earned another nickname, ‘white feather’ (the NVA called him Long Trang) because he always wore a white feather in his hat. It was a way to dare the enemy to spot him and take a shot. Incidentally, the Springfield Armory M25 White Feather is named after Hathcock. He gained a reputation as a sniper of incredible accuracy, and the NVA feared him so much that they placed a $30,000 bounty on his head; not that it bothered him.

The White Feather’s Greatest Shot

Hathcock always preferred to strike in the early morning and early evening; timing was crucial to him as he often volunteered for missions he knew next to nothing about. He once said that “first light and last light are the best times to strike.” Hathcock noticed that the NVA were relaxed and inattentive in the morning after a good night’s rest. In the evening, they were usually tired and not paying much attention to detail.

For Hathcock, the best shot he made was the execution of a sadistic NVA female commander called Apache. Unlike other kill squad leaders who executed enemies without fuss or ceremony, Apache tortured POWs in the cruelest ways imaginable. She routinely killed men in and around Hathcock’s unit. One day, a private was captured, had his eyelids cut off, his fingernails removed and was castrated before he died. Hathcock tried to save him but got there too late. At that stage, he was determined to kill Apache at any cost.

One day, he got his chance when along with a colleague, he spotted the NVA torturer urinating and took her out from a distance of around 700 yards. Hathcock admitted that he shot her again for good measure. Although that shot ranks as number one in the White Feather’s personal favorite kills, it pales in comparison to a couple of his other kills regarding difficulty.

Shot of the Century

As you might imagine, NVA snipers were lining up to try and claim the $30,000 on the White Feather’s head; bear in mind that most American snipers had a bounty of no more than $2,000 on theirs. Eventually, the NVA sent the Cobra, its best sniper, to deal with the threat personally. The enemy sniper’s plan was to kill as many men stationed around Hill 55 in a bid to lure Hathcock into the open.

The White Feather and another shooter set off to kill the Cobra, and the legendary Marine survived a scare when he fell over a rotted tree and gave the enemy a shot. Fortunately for him, the Cobra only hit a canteen. Eventually, the two rivals maneuvered themselves to the point where they exchanged spots. Luckily for Hathcock, his enemy was facing the sun. Hathcock only saw the glint of the enemy’s rifle, not the Cobra himself, and took his shot. Incredibly, the bullet went through the Cobra’s scope and shot him straight through the eye. Had Hathcock hesitated for even a split second, he would have been killed.

The White Feather’s Long Shot

Hathcock had the distinction of holding the record for the longest-recorded kill shot. He designed a rifle mount built by Navy Seabees and converted an M2 .50 caliber machine gun into a sniper rifle. According to the White Feather, he was lucky to make the shot as he let fly when the target bent over to brush his teeth. Fortunately for Hathcock, the enemy stood up and was killed by the bullet from a distance of 2,460 yards. The record stood until a Canadian sniper called Aaron Perry made a 2,500-yard shot in 2002 during the war in Afghanistan.

Extraordinary Dedication

Hathcock’s dedication was almost as legendary as his shooting prowess. This was evident in his successful killing of an NVA general. Over the course of four days and three nights, Hathcock crawled 1,500 yards and did not eat or sleep during that period. Eventually, he had the target in his sight and pulled the trigger. Once the general fell, he crawled back the way he came for another three days while avoiding detection. During his return to camp, enemy forces searched everywhere for him and even came within 20 feet of his position; yet they never even caught a glimpse.

According to Hathcock’s commanding officer, Edward Land, he became part of the environment and completely immersed himself in his role as a sniper. He truly believed he was saving the lives of his comrades and would go to incredible lengths to carry out each mission. As you might expect, he occasionally went too far and had to be saved from himself. He served two 13-month tours in Vietnam and volunteered for so many missions that Land had to confine him to his quarters to force him to rest. Hathcock was 5ft 10 inches tall but weighed just 120 pounds while in Vietnam.

Life After Vietnam

Hathcock’s career as a sniper came to a sudden end in 1969, not via the bullet of an enemy but through an ambush and his own bravery. He was riding on an amphibious tractor when it was ambushed by enemy forces and crashed after hitting a box mine. Hathcock pulled seven comrades from the flames and suffered second and third-degree burns that covered almost 40 percent of his body. He underwent 13 skin graft operations, and the nature of his wounds meant he could no longer effectively operate as a sniper.

He was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1975 and was forced to leave the U.S. Marine Corps due to disability. Hathcock felt as if the army kicked him out and fell into a state of depression. However, he kept himself busy by shark fishing and providing sniper instruction to certain military units and the police. Although he received the Purple Heart for his 1969 exploits, he also received the Silver Star in 1996. These were just two of the multiple rewards he received during his life.

He sadly died on February 22, 1999, from complications related to multiple sclerosis; he was just 56 years of age. His career has been used as the basis for numerous fictional snipers in Hollywood movies, and the White Feather once revealed that while he loved the hunt, he hated killing people. On only one occasion did he enjoy a kill and he said it scared him. Ultimately, Carlos Hathcock lives on as one of the greatest sharpshooters that ever lived.