Carlos Hathcock facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids Carlos Hathcock
Hathcock in November 1996
Birth name	Carlos Norman Hathcock II
Nickname(s)	"White Feather"
Born	(1942-05-20)May 20, 1942 Little Rock, Arkansas, U.S.
Died	February 22, 1999(1999-02-22) (aged 56) Virginia Beach, Virginia, U.S.
Buried	Woodlawn Memorial Gardens
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	United States Marine Corps
Years of service	1959–1979
Rank	Gunnery sergeant
Unit	1st Marine Division
Battles/wars	Vietnam War
Awards	Silver Star Navy Commendation Medal Purple Heart
Spouse(s)	Josephine Bryan (née Broughton) Hathcock (m. 1962)
Children	Carlos Norman Hathcock III

Carlos Norman Hathcock II (May 20, 1942 – February 22, 1999) was a famous United States Marine Corps (USMC) sniper. He was known for his amazing skills and bravery during the Vietnam War. Hathcock had 93 confirmed kills, meaning his actions were officially verified.

His incredible missions made him a true legend in the U.S. Marine Corps. A special rifle was even named after him. It was called the Springfield Armory M25 White Feather. This name came from his nickname, "White Feather," given to him by the North Vietnamese army.

Early Life and Becoming a Marine
Military Career and Sniper Training
Later Life and Passing
Awards and Decorations
Hathcock's Lasting Legacy
- Books About Hathcock
Weapons Hathcock Used
See also

Early Life and Becoming a Marine

Carlos Hathcock was born in Little Rock, Arkansas, on May 20, 1942. He spent his early years in Wynne, Arkansas, often living with his grandmother. From a young age, he loved shooting and hunting. This helped his family, who didn't have much.

He would go into the woods with his dog. He would pretend to be a soldier, hunting imaginary enemies. He used a small .22-caliber rifle for hunting. Carlos always dreamed of joining the Marines. On his 17th birthday, May 20, 1959, he joined the United States Marine Corps.

Carlos married Josephine "Jo" Bryan on November 10, 1962. They had a son, whom they named Carlos Norman Hathcock III.

Military Career and Sniper Training

Before going to South Vietnam, Carlos Hathcock was already a champion shooter. He won many shooting contests, including the famous Wimbledon Cup. In 1966, Hathcock went to the Vietnam War. He first worked as a military policeman.

Later, he became a sniper. This happened after Captain Edward James Land pushed for more snipers in the Marines. Captain Land looked for Marines who were excellent shooters. He quickly found Hathcock, who had won the Wimbledon Cup in 1965.

Confirmed Kills in Vietnam

During the Vietnam War, Hathcock had 93 confirmed kills. These were enemy soldiers from the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) and Viet Cong. For a kill to be "confirmed" in Vietnam, it had to be seen by Hathcock's spotter and an officer.

It was often hard to get this confirmation. Hathcock himself believed he had killed between 300 and 400 enemy soldiers.

Facing Enemy Snipers

The PAVN put a huge reward of $30,000 on Hathcock's life. This was because he had killed so many of their soldiers. Most rewards for U.S. snipers were much smaller. Hathcock had the highest bounty on his head. He also managed to defeat every enemy sniper who tried to hunt him down.

The Viet Cong and PAVN called Hathcock Lông Trắng, which means "White Feather." This was because he wore a white feather in his hat. To confuse the enemy, many other Marines in his area also started wearing white feathers. They knew how important Hathcock was. They wanted to protect him by making themselves targets too.

One of Hathcock's most famous achievements was shooting an enemy sniper through his own rifle scope. He hit the sniper in the eye, killing him instantly. Hathcock and his spotter, John Roland Burke, were tracking this enemy sniper. The sniper, known as the "Cobra," had already killed several Marines. He was believed to be hunting Hathcock specifically.

Hathcock saw a tiny glint of light from the sniper's scope in the bushes. He fired a single shot, which went right through the scope and killed the sniper. Hathcock wanted to keep the enemy sniper's rifle as a souvenir. But it was stolen from the armory after he turned it in.

Hathcock also spoke about killing a female Viet Cong leader. She was known as "the Apache woman." She had a reputation for harming captured U.S. Marines.

Hathcock only removed his white feather once during his time in Vietnam. This was for a very dangerous mission. Days before his first tour ended, he volunteered to crawl over 1,500 yards (about 1.4 kilometers) to shoot a PAVN general. This mission took four days and three nights. He didn't sleep and crawled inch by inch.

He said he was almost stepped on by enemy soldiers. At one point, a poisonous snake almost bit him. But he stayed perfectly still to avoid being seen. When the general came out of his camp, Hathcock fired one shot. It hit the general in the chest, killing him.

After this mission, Hathcock returned to the United States in 1967. But he missed the Marine Corps. He went back to Vietnam in 1969 to lead a group of snipers.

Injuries and Medical Evacuation

On September 16, 1969, Hathcock's sniper career ended suddenly. The vehicle he was riding in hit an anti-tank mine. The vehicle caught fire. Hathcock bravely pulled seven other Marines out of the burning vehicle. He suffered severe burns to his face, arms, and legs.

He was so focused on saving others that he didn't realize how badly he was hurt. Someone eventually pulled him away and put him in water. While recovering, Hathcock received the Purple Heart medal. Nearly 30 years later, he was also awarded the Silver Star for his heroic actions that day. Hathcock and the seven Marines he saved were taken to a hospital ship. Then they went to a naval hospital in Tokyo, and finally to a burn center in Texas.

Life After Vietnam

After recovering, Hathcock helped start the Marine Corps Scout Sniper School. This school is at the Marine base in Quantico, Virginia. Even though he was in constant pain from his injuries, he dedicated himself to teaching new snipers.

In 1975, Hathcock's health got worse. He was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, a disease that affects the body. He stayed in the Marine Corps, but his health kept declining. He was medically discharged, just 55 days before he would have completed 20 years of service. This meant he received full disability pay.

Being forced to leave the Marines made him very sad. He felt like the service had "kicked him out." During this tough time, his wife Jo almost left him but decided to stay. Hathcock eventually found a new hobby: shark fishing. This helped him overcome his depression.

Hathcock also taught sniper skills to police departments and special military units.

Later Life and Passing

Hathcock once explained how he succeeded as a sniper. He said he could "get in the bubble." This meant he could focus completely on his equipment and surroundings. Every breeze and every leaf meant something to him. He focused entirely on his target.

After the war, a friend showed Hathcock a quote by writer Ernest Hemingway. It said, "Certainly there is no hunting like the hunting of man, and those who have hunted armed men long enough and like it, never really care for anything else thereafter." Hathcock copied these words. "He got that right," Hathcock said. "It was the hunt, not the killing."

Hathcock explained his feelings in a book about his career. He said, "I like shooting, and I love hunting. But I never did enjoy killing anybody. It's my job. If I don't get those bastards, then they're gonna kill a lot of these kids dressed up like Marines. That's the way I look at it."

Carlos Hathcock's son, Carlos Hathcock III, also joined the U.S. Marine Corps. He became a Gunnery Sergeant, just like his father. He followed in his father's footsteps as an excellent shooter.

Carlos Hathcock II passed away on February 22, 1999, in Virginia Beach, Virginia. He was 56 years old. He died from problems related to his multiple sclerosis. He is buried at Woodlawn Memorial Gardens in Norfolk, Virginia.

Awards and Decorations

Carlos Hathcock received many awards for his bravery and service. These awards show his dedication and heroism.

1st row	Silver Star
2nd row	Purple Heart	Navy Commendation Medal		Navy Achievement Medal with "V" device
3rd row	Combat Action Ribbon	Navy and Marine Corps Presidential Unit Citation with 1 Service star		Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal with 1 Silver star (5 awards)
4th row	National Defense Service Medal	Vietnam Service Medal with 4 Campaign stars		Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Gold star
5th row	Vietnam Gallantry Cross with palm and frame	Vietnam Civil Actions Medal with palm and frame		Vietnam Campaign Medal with 1960- device
Badges	Marine Corps Rifle Expert Marksmanship Badge		Marine Corps Pistol Expert Marksmanship Badge

Hathcock's Lasting Legacy

Carlos Hathcock is still a legend in the U.S. Marine Corps. Several honors are named after him. The Gunnery Sergeant Carlos Hathcock Award is given each year. It recognizes people who have greatly improved military or law enforcement weapons.

The Marine Corps League also gives out the Gunnery Sergeant Carlos N. Hathcock II Award. This award goes to a Marine who has helped improve marksmanship training. There is also a sniper range named after Hathcock at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.

In 1967, Hathcock set a record for the longest sniper kill. He used a powerful M2 .50 Cal Browning machine gun with a special scope. He made a kill from 2,500 yards (about 2,286 meters) away. This record was later broken in 2002 by Canadian snipers.

Hathcock was one of the first to use the M2 Browning machine gun for sniping. His success showed that the .50 BMG bullet could be used for long-range sniper shots. Springfield Armory designed a very accurate rifle called the "M-25 White Feather". It had Hathcock's signature and his "white feather logo" on it.

On March 9, 2007, the rifle and pistol range at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar was officially renamed the Carlos Hathcock Range Complex.

Books About Hathcock

Many books have been written about Carlos Hathcock's life and military career. Some of these include:

Henderson, Charles W. (1986). Marine Sniper: 93 Confirmed Kills. Stein and Day. ISBN 0-8128-3055-5. https://archive.org/details/marinesniper93co00hend.
Sasser, Charles; Roberts, Craig (1990). One Shot, One Kill. Pocket Books. ISBN 978-0-671-68219-4.
Chandler, Roy F. (1997). White Feather: Carlos Hathcock USMC scout sniper: an authorized biographical memoir. Iron Brigade Armory Publishing. ISBN 978-1-885633-09-5.
Henderson, Charles W. (2003). Silent Warrior. Berkley Books. ISBN 978-0-425-18864-4. https://archive.org/details/silentwarrior00char.

Weapons Hathcock Used

Carlos Hathcock usually used a standard sniper rifle. This was the Winchester Model 70 rifle. It used .30-06 Springfield bullets and had an 8-power Unertl scope.

Sometimes, he used a different weapon: the M2 Browning machine gun. He attached an 8X Unertl scope to it using a special bracket. Hathcock made many kills from over 1,000 yards with this machine gun. This included his record-setting shot from 2,500 yards away. Hathcock also carried a Colt M1911A1 pistol as a sidearm.