A Marine's Story: Sergeant Carlos Norman Hathcock


Sergeant Carlos Norman Hathcock was born in Little Rock, Arkansas, on May 12, 1942. He was an avid hunter and accomplished shooter. Before he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps, he won several shooting competitions, including the Wimbledon Cup.

Initially assigned to Military Police, Sergeant Carlos Hathcock's shooting accuracy quickly earned him reassignment as a sniper, and he deployed to the Vietnam War with the First Marine Division.

While in Vietnam, Sergeant Carlos Hathcock eliminated 93 confirmed targets, including his most famous shot, in which he shot an enemy through the enemy's own rifle scope. As a result, the North Vietnamese Army placed a bounty of 30,000 dollars on his head.

Sergeant Carlos Hathcock was severely wounded on September 16, 1969, when the AMTRAC he was in struck an anti-tank mine, and while pulling other Marines to safety, sustained 3rd-degree burns. Despite his injuries, Sergeant Carlos Hathcock remained with the Marine Corps and helped establish the Marine Corps Sniper School.


Eventually, Sergeant Carlos Hathcock's health deteriorated to the point where he could no longer serve and was medically retired. However, he continued to teach sniping skills to police forces and several military units. He also began shark fishing as a hobby.

Sergeant Carlos Hathcock died on February 22, 1999, from Multiple Sclerosis and rests in Wood Lawn Memorial Garden in Norfolk, Virginia.

In his honor, the M-25 rifle was named White Feather, and the scope shot was recreated in Robocop 2 and Saving Private Ryan.

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a.d. elliott is a wanderer, photographer, and storyteller living in Salem, Virginia. 

In addition to her travel writings at www.takethebackroads.com, you can also read her book reviews at www.riteoffancy.com and US military biographies at www.everydaypatriot.com

Her online photography gallery can be found at shop.takethebackroads.com

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Location: Little Rock, AR, USA

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