It was on this day in February 1999 that Carlos Hathcock lost his battle with multiple sclerosis (May 20, 1942 â€" February 23, 1999). Hathcock was a United States Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant sniper with a service record of 93 confirmed kills. Hathcock's record and the extraordinary details of the missions he undertook made him a legend in the Marine Corps. His fame as a sniper and his dedication to long distance shooting led him to become a major developer of the United States Marine Corps Sniper training program. He was honored by having a rifle named after him: a variant of the M21 dubbed the Springfield Armory M25 White Feather.
Decorations
Legacy
Hathcock remains a legend in the U.S. Marine Corps. The Gunnery Sergeant Carlos Hathcock Award is presented annually to the Marine who does the most to promote marksmanship training.[18] A sniper range is named for Hathcock at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.
In 1967 Hathcock set the record for the longest combat kill. He used a Browning M2 machine gun mounting a telescopic sight at a range of 2,286 m (2,500 yd).[19] This was not exceeded until the War in Afghanistan in 2002. Hathcock was one of several individuals to utilize the Browning M2 machine gun in the sniping role. This success led to the adoption of the .50 BMG cartridge as a viable sniper round. Sniper rifles have since been designed around and chambered in this caliber.
On March 9, 2007 the rifle and pistol complex at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar was officially renamed the Carlos Hathcock Range Complex.[20]
Hathcock was the subject of a number of books including:
In fictional works
Source - Wikipedia
Decorations
Silver Star. Hathcock was awarded a Silver Star in 1996 not for his sniping, but for his act in 1969 of saving the lives of seven fellow Marines after the amphibious tractor(amtrac) on which they were riding struck a mine. Hathcock was knocked unconscious, but awoke in time to race back through the flames to reach his comrades.[17]
Legacy
Hathcock remains a legend in the U.S. Marine Corps. The Gunnery Sergeant Carlos Hathcock Award is presented annually to the Marine who does the most to promote marksmanship training.[18] A sniper range is named for Hathcock at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.
In 1967 Hathcock set the record for the longest combat kill. He used a Browning M2 machine gun mounting a telescopic sight at a range of 2,286 m (2,500 yd).[19] This was not exceeded until the War in Afghanistan in 2002. Hathcock was one of several individuals to utilize the Browning M2 machine gun in the sniping role. This success led to the adoption of the .50 BMG cartridge as a viable sniper round. Sniper rifles have since been designed around and chambered in this caliber.
On March 9, 2007 the rifle and pistol complex at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar was officially renamed the Carlos Hathcock Range Complex.[20]
Hathcock was the subject of a number of books including:
- Chandler, Roy F. (1997). White feather: Carlos Hathcock USMC scout sniper : an authorized biographical memoir (1997 ed.). Iron Brigade Armory Publishing. ISBN 9781885633095. - Total pages: 277
- Henderson, Charles (2001). Marine Sniper: 93 Confirmed Kills (2001 ed.). Berkley Books. ISBN 9780425181652. - Total pages: 315
- Henderson, Charles W. (2003). Silent Warrior (2003 ed.). Berkley Books. ISBN 9780425188644. - Total pages: 336
- Sasser, Charles; Roberts, Craig (1990). One Shot, One Kill (1990 ed.). Pocket Books. ISBN 9780671682194. - Total pages: 288
In fictional works
- In the World War II film Saving Private Ryan, there is a scene when Jackson, a sniper, shoots a German sniper through his scope. Hathcock did this same thing when hunting one of the most feared Vietcong Snipers. *Note Saving Private Ryan is not based on a true story.
- There is a reference to Hathcock in the television show NCIS during the episode "One Shot One Kill", when a small white feather is found at the crime scenes of a sniper's victims. Gibbs credits Hathcock with "39 confirmed kills". The opposite of Hathcock's 93 confirmed kills
- The protagonist of Stephen Hunter's Bob Lee Swagger Series consisting of the novels Point of Impact, Black Light, Time to Hunt and I, Sniper is loosely based on Carlos Hathcock (Hathcock is alluded to in the book as "Gunny Sgt Carl Hitchcock").
- The 1993 movie Sniper featuring the actor Tom Berenger is based on Hathcock's exploits in Vietnam.
- In John Ringo's book, Unto the Breach (of the Paladin of Shadows series), it is stated about the sniper Lasko "He was going to beat Hathcock's record, probably within the next fifteen minutes. And that was the killer app in the sniper world."
- In JAG, Season 1, Episode 16 ("High Ground"), Gunnery Sergeant Ray Crockett (portrayed by Stephen McHattie) is based on Hathcock. The Gunny is a Sniper Instructor at Quantico Virginia who believes that he is being "forced out of the service" short of his retirement. He makes the statement that he "wrote most of the book" on Sniper Operations. The character, Rabb, refers to an incident where the Gunny pins down an NVA unit by killing their officer with the first shot. Lastly, Gunny Crockett is a winner of The Wimbledon Cup.
- In the book Puerto Vallarta Squeeze by Robert James Waller, much of the background information of the character Price came from the real life experiences of Hathcock.
- In Volume II of the Illustrated novel 'GHOST' [ISBN 978-0-95580886-9], Carlos Hathcock is mentioned as the boyhood hero of the character 'Ajax'. Also the main character, Jennifer Rhys [aka GHOST] is illustrated using a 'Hathcock' model sniper rifle [pgs. 46-47 Volume II].[21][22]
Source - Wikipedia
