Carlos Hathcock: a Marine legend lives on

MARINE CORPS AIR STATION MIRAMAR, Calif. -- One shot, one kill, a saying that all Marines learn while conducting marksmanship training, is a slogan all scout snipers live by.

Gunnery Sgt. Carlos Hathcock, a Marine Corps sniper known Corps-wide for his service during the Vietnam War, enlisted into the service at the age of 17 and worked his way up the ranks. Raised by his grandmother, he enjoyed the outdoors. By the age of 10, he was bringing food home to the table, using his .22 rifle with open sights to kill wild game.

In his first years in the Marines, he participated in multiple shooting championships, which led to his winning the esteemed Wimbledon cup award in 1965.

Known as a proficient Marine sniper with 93 confirmed kills during the war, Hathcock’s actual number of kills is unknown.

According to a LA Times piece written by Jon Thurber Feb. 1999, his number of kills was thought to be well over 100.

The article also said that the Vietnamese once held a bounty of $30,000 on his life.

It’s later described in the article that, during a patrol, Hathcock covered more than 1,000 meters of open terrain during three days and nights of constant crawling, sometimes only an inch at a time. Throughout that patrol, the enemy came within 20 feet or less of him.
In 1969, Hathcock’s amphibious vehicle was ambushed.

After the deadly attack on his vehicle, he pulled seven Marines from the flame-engulfed vehicle before jumping to safety.

Hathcock was recommended awards for his bravery but rejected them.

The attack left him with burns on more than 90 percent of his body.

Unable to perform his duties as a rifleman in combat, his career changed paths.

“I had only done what anyone there would have done if they were awake,” he said in response to the incident.

Once Hathcock recovered from his burns, he returned to active duty and helped establish a scout sniper school at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va.

In 1975, he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, an incurable degenerative nerve disorder.  He maintained his enlistment in the Marine Corps until two months shy of his 20 years of service, when he was forced to retire.

His legacy lives on through the Corps and an award, named the Gunnery Sgt. Carlos Hathcock award, is given annually to the Marine who exemplifies the best traits of a Marine rifleman.
Along with the range dedication here, a sniper range at Camp Lejeune, N.C., is named after him.