One Shot... One Kill: A Marine Legend

[cuttingout69]

You want to see something cool, about a legend, check this out. This man has been my shooting hero since I first heard of him some years ago, I think this is fitting what someone did in his honor. http://oldbluejacket.com/CarlosHathcock.htm

[blindfly69]

that is awesome......i had no idea that some of what he did was even possible.....too cool

[Fatkat]

Thats awesome, thanks for posting!

[swampthang_matt]

thta was good thanks for sharing i didn't know about that

[SilencedMajority]

There is a great book out there, "Marine Sniper" by Charles Henderson, and it tells the story of the great white feather. I would recommend the book to anyone who would like to honor the greatest sniper this world has seen. His feats are explained in awesome detail every chapter of that book.

[cnwamw]

that s awesome put a real lump in your throat to see a true hero and an awesome marine

[samh]

That was great, I'll also second the recommendation for the book "Marine Sniper" .

[vegasryder]

I`ve always heard of that nickname but never figured out who the person was.Now i know who that person is, given the well deserved nickname i might add.I`m very impressed.Thanks for sharing....

[crayzeecade]

Knowing people like that are scattered all around the military sure lets us all know that we can sleep safer at night.

[catwacker]

thanks for the video. Hathcock has been my hero for a long time.

[badkarma]

I have read the book and it was so good that I did it cover to cover non stop.The man was a hell of a good shot and his wood craft skills were as good as his shooting.I was a sniper for the State of Miss.D.of C. at age 23 with no training in shooting and I have always wished I could have gotten formal training so I could have shot in competition but I never knew there was any such thing till years later.

[sgt_rob]

Great video Tony. I've still got that book around here somewhere; it was riveting.

[jim]

No question a great story and a great Marine.It is my priviledge in the course of my day to day business to work with his son,who is now retired and works for the USMC as I do.We are both in the range business and meet frequently at conferences.Carlos lll is totally un assuming and has never traded on his fathers reputation.I in fact didn't make the connection for a while.Like many in the services today there is a long connection by families to their respective services.My son is third generation Army and very proud of it.My oldest (The smart one):wink: Jumped ship literally and went Coast Guard.:roll_eyes: :big_smile:

[catfishkatmando]

those guys that beat Carlos distance were using a rifle designed for that very purpose> Hathcock straped the scope from his bolt action on to a 50 cal machinegun and made the shot the m-2 is already designed to shoot single shot. It is good to know that we have another Hathcock putting the creep on the bad guys.

[Tinboat]

He is one of my heroes too. I still have the book.

[TA2D]

Think of how unsettling it would be to witness something like that, the mental stress of the unknown would be unbearable. One second your talkin to your buddy the next he is a pile of hamburger. Very unsettling and un-nerving, but that is the whole point of a sniper to cause chaos and disrupt the order and routine, by eliminating one key individual from the equation.

Aaron

TA2D

[ka_c4_boom]

one shot one kill ,iv always said that when hunting maybe thats why i havent killed much if i didnt have a clear shot the shot i wanted i passed up the shot ,but unlike a sniper im not able to wait out my target for deer always seem to leave ,iv always wanted to be a sniper in my eyes they are the leaders of the pack , back a couple years ago i shot paintball was not uncommon for me to take out a five man team while my comrads kept their attention ,iv crawled on my belly through creeks and ditches in mud and muck with snakes and spiders over 150 yards to make a single kill .the sniper has always been my hero . thank you for sharing that great video of a GREAT HERO i injoyed it as you probly can tell

[catnip]

Col. Land lives and teaches in our neck of the woods, gave my son the book, i believe he trains catch dogs and runs large hog hunt operations to rid farmers of them. semper fi catnip

[Flatheadhunter33]

I have read the book many times over...heck I feel like reading it again after watching that video!

[HuntinforCats]

Great book I have read it a couple times

[jailcop2]

A fantastic book and an amazing man . I loaned my book out , never got it back.
Brian

[cuttingout69]

Okay, now do you know who the first country was to use snipers for the metal aspect of war far? I am sure there will be some debate over this, but it was the US in the Revolutionary War, and then the south use them again in the civil war. Even though the word sniper comes from the Brits, (used for someone who could shot the bird a snip very well) we the Americans deployed the first true snappers to take out the enemy from long distances with one shot. Carlos Hatcock was not the first, he was just the best. A true American hero.

[Mark J]

Wake up all you Carlos Hathcock lovers.
Yall keep saying book. Its books.
There is a sequel to Marine Sniper and it is a far better book as far as getting a glimpse of who Carlos Hathcock really was.
The second book is called Silent Warrior.

[Catgirl]

Thanks Tony, you have shared some very interesting info here. I enjoyed the video also; plus, the music "When Johnny Comes Marching Home" reminded me of the END of the Vietnam war. I remember that evening very well, my mom, sister and I marched around our front yard carrying flags and singing that very song. Marine Sniper Gunnery Sgt. Carlos Hathcock must have been quite the man....how accomplished he was as a marksman! He was a tremendous asset to the Marines and our country. I personally know a retired Marine sniper who carried out the same sort of missions.....singlehandedly. It's not always easy to deal with AFTERWARDS, I have learned this from conversations with my friend. It takes a STRONG mind to do this sort of work. In addition to that, to be stricken with multiple schlerosis......he had a lot to deal with in life. Mark, are both of these books about Hathcock still in print? I would be interested in reading them. Thanks.

[RiverKing]

Great post, thanks for sharing

[wareagle]

Thats a good video.

[catgetter1]

Awesome post and a truely great warrior. Thanks for the info on the book gotta read it now.

[Tulcat]

One awesome point the video left out was Carlos would actually time his trigger pulls between heartbeats, as the beating heart introduced a bit of vibration into the shot.

This feat and many of his others, just proves snipers like Carlos are born, not made on a range. How do you teach listening to you heart beat while drawing a bead?

It is beyond me.

[wishiwasfishin]

he was the man and i guess in some ways he still is.

[TA2D]

For every Viet-Cong that Gunny Hathcock eliminated, think of all of the practice he had to do to get that good. It was stated in an earlier post, men like that are born and not made, he had the skills the Marine Corps just honed them into perfection. The psychological aspect of sniper warfare is almost greater than the kill. You never know where the shot came from and before they can figure it out he is gone and zeroing in on his next target. I do recommend the movie "Sniper" starring Tom Berringer, an excellent insight on what a sniper team goes through, also "Saving Private Ryan" has some excellent sniper scenes. Also stated in the video that Gunny Hathcocks record shot had been broken, which is an amazing feat in itself, but it was with a rifle that is designed for that, Gunny Hathcock used the Browning M2 .50 caliber machine gun, with the scope mounted on the side and not on top of the gun, an amazing machine with incredible firepower. I would like to see anyone nowadays try to recreate that shot with the same rifle. Truly an amazing warrior and one HELL of a Marine. Rest In Peace Gunnery Seargent Carlos Hathcock II, Semper Fi!

Aaron

TA2D

[cuttingout69]

One awesome point the video left out was Carlos would actually time his trigger pulls between heartbeats, as the beating heart introduced a bit of vibration into the shot.

This feat and many of his others, just proves snipers like Carlos are born, not made on a range. How do you teach listening to you heart beat while drawing a bead?

It is beyond me.
I have tried it, and I have done it. You get in the rhythm and touch off the trigger between heart beats. It is hard, and it take away from you sight picture as you try to time it and you think about it. The one big difference though, I did it on paper, he did it on live targets. I have never done this while hunting, as I am more worried about where my cross hairs are not what my heart is doing. He was cool under fire, which can not be taught. Most peoples adrenalin kicks in and takes over. Not his.

[bluecatnut]

goodnite Gunny Hathcock where ever u are

[Mark J]

According to a newspaper article taped to the barrel of a Barrett rifle in a gun store I saw a few years ago his record was broken with a Barrett in Iraq by a 19 year old soldier in the Army . Born raised and posted in Fayetteville ,NC. I dont remember the exact distance but it was translated from meters equalling just over 2600 yards.

Just this week there was a front page article in the newspaper about a fella who isnt a trained sniper but is a platoon marksmen?
His body count in Iraq is over 30 confirmed and 70 unconfirmed.
His most memorable to date was 5 Mujahadeen on a roof top at 500 meters.
in 5 seconds he had killed 4, the fifth not knowing what direction it was coming from just wanted off that building. He jumped off the roof of a 3 story building and was listed as a probable kill.
He said the way he deals with it is simple. He hasnt killed anyone that wasnt armed and each one he takes out is one less chance to kill his comrades or himself.

I imagine that anyone in the situation comes to a point when they reflect and more then likely that will be long after they are beyond war.
I imagine the older you get the harder it gets to deal with war.
The further you are from combat the more you "think".

I have a good friend in the marines Been in about 10 years. He lives for war, loves deployments, and jumps at the chance of combat. He absolutely loves it.
I imagine one day in about 30 years I'll be visiting him in a mental hospital.
Not because he is seeing the black dog in his dreams but because he is too old to go into combat:big_smile:

[catseeman]

Hero just doesn't describe that MAN.
Legend is almost good enough.
I can't think of a good enough word.
I am in awe of him.

[catfishsteve]

That is great that you've shared Gunny Hatchcock's story with so might who maybe didn't know. He's been a hero of mine for many, many years.

Words can never describe the esteem I hold for this man and the debt we owe him and so many brave Americans.

I think all we can do is to try to put our feelings for Americans like him into action at least a little bit, each day. Act like you've at least heard of him a little bit, that's all we can do for him now.

Rest easy, Gunny.