Rating: 
Summary: Whether for or against Vietnam this is a true hero story
Review: If you are going to read only one book on snipers this is the one. Not too technical and not too personal this one has just the right mix to be a good story even if you are not interested in the military or are not a shooter. Be warned though, once you read this book it is very hard to find other sniper books that compare. I have read and enjoyed them all but this is the one that makes movies in my head. This is the story of a true American hero. As far as the main character is concerned I have rarely read of any soldier putting as much on the line and giving as much of himself in order to save his fellow countryman's lives. The Gunny was a top of the line soldier. He was not in it for the glory or for the killing. He knew that he was the best and knew that he could save lives by not only training up and coming snipers but also by taking on the hardest assignments and successfully completing them. If he knew a mission was close to impossible he would take it knowing that he could never live with himself if he let someone else take it and they didn't make it back alive. He truly is a hero and never falls for the macho crap that makes a lot of military books a little on the dumb side. The sniping in this book is some of the best I have ever read about. Some other books skip around from war to war which can be interesting when looking at it from a development over time aspect but it is very interesting to read about one mans journey both physically and mentally through this war.
Rating:
Summary: Gunnery Sergent Carlos N. Hathcock II, A Real American Hero
Review: One of the greatest heroes of the Vietnam War, I'm sure their were many but this man stands apart from the crowd. I know he gave it all he had and more, truely a real sniper. He really cared that the job he did was for his country and fellow GI's, and he was the BEST at what he did! He sacrificed everyday many things we all take for granted, his family, his health, his life. When you start this book and see how this man so unselfish did his job you will come to realize he was indeed A REAL AMERICAN HERO of our time. My only regret is that I never got the opportunity to thank him or shake his hand. This man was very very special and I know he would never admit it, that is what Gunnery Sergent Carlos N. Hathcock II was.
Rating:
Summary: a book about the best sniper ever trained
Review: There is no better history of a sniper account ever wrote. The man did everything but invent the art of sniping. The man has done more for the Marine Corps sniper school and in turn for the Army than anyone. This book is an account of the history of the greatest sniper ever. It takes you through every hunt, stalk, and kill with such detail it makes you feel as though you are laying next to him as his spotter. The book goes over how the sniper rifles for Vietnam came about, and also the things that became basic sniper training that he invented out in the field. It takes you over some of his most famous hunts and shots and finishes with his grand final hunt days before he was due to leave Vietnam. It goes over some accounts of some of the famous NVA snipers that were in the same field as he was, just not as lucky to return home. Once you pick up the book you will not want to put it down as your interest grows in the book, just as the price on his head grew in Vietnam by the NVA. The only disappointment of the whole book is the end, and the fact that you run out of book to read about this great man. The man is a hero, and should have won the Medal of Honor for the amount of lives he saved with his "93 confirmed kills".
Rating:
Summary: Gunnery Sergent Carlos N. Hathcock II, My Friend, My Hero.
Review: This is a well written book about one of the greatest heroes of the Vietnam War or any other war for that matter. (I will be adding more to this review shortly)
Rating:
Summary: A Must Read
Review: I read this book several years ago when I was in the Marine Corps. It was on a reading list that was recommended for all Marines. I am glad I read it because it is the best book on war ever.
Rating: 
Summary: A Professional
Review: Without being too interested in the Vietnam War, I stumbled across this book during a trip in the US. Hathcock is definitely a master at what he does. And the book reveals that much about a man who has a job to do, and who does it with the thoroughness, concentration and craft probably equal to Stradivarius' when he was building violins.Of course, one can object that Hathcock was just coldly killing men. But is any soldier in time of conflict supposed to do so ? The only difference is that a sniper brings a more subtle death, silent and distant. Hathcock is a survivor, living by his own rules and principles,beyond the military regs he's got to obey. A man I wish I couldve met and have a beer with.
Rating: 
Summary: My book review on "Marine Sniper"
Review: The book "Marine Sniper" is an Auto-Biography about a Marine Sniper named Sgt. Carlos Hathcock during the Vietnam war. He had 93 confirmed kills and that made him the most famous American sniper since World War I. Before he had gone to Vietnam, he was the U.S. Long Range Rifle Champion in 1965. When he went to Vietnam his job was to go as deep as possible in enemy territory. To do that he had to hide, wait and shoot when ordered to at enemy officers, soldiers, etc.. By reading this book you will learn new things that you have never heard about the Vietnam war, for example: Vietnamese wiring three and four year old children as booby traps, and the marines that accepted cold sodas that had been poured into cups filled with tiny shards of broken glass, mixed with chipped ice. After Marines heard of these stories they learned to stay clear of children. Children were also used as Vietcong resupply "mule's", carrying guns and ammunition to an enemy patrol. Under one circumstance, Hathcock had to shoot one of these mules or else the enemy would have gotten those weapons and turned them onto Marines. Hathcock never wanted to kill men, much less children, but under orders, he had to. Hathcock had to make some risky decisions that could have cost him his life during the war. For instance, He was assigned an assignment which was to kill a general who lived in a North Vietnamese army camp, guarded by lots of security and patrols by soldiers and officers. After 3 days and nights and crawling 1,500 yards across the open plains he killed the general. He also dragged 6 fellow unconscious marines out of a burning armored vehicle which was struck by an antitank mine. He suffered second and third degree burns over 90% of his body. When Hathcock shot, his victims never knew what hit them when his brand of "Whispering Death" struck, they only heard the heavy bullet's impact when he missed. When the Marines were doing a sweep on a certain area to get Vietcong soldiers as prisoners, but the ones that decided to run had to get past the sniper ( Carlos Hathcock) who was named "Long Tra'ng" or White Feather. He was know as White Feather because he had a White Feather on his hat. If those men wanted to get past him, they had to cross several hundred yards of open rice fields, ankle deep in water. Those men were shot dead by Hathcock. Hathcock also had wife named Josephine and a son, Carlos Norman Hathcock III. Jo and Carlos got married in 1962. Hathcock was born in a little town near Little Rock Arkansas. In that town is where he got his shooting skills. His grandmother had got him a little rifle for his birthday and he used to go out and hunt for food with it. On May 20 (Hathcock's Birthday), Hathcock and his mother went to the Marine recruiters office to sign Carlos into the U.S. Marines. Carlos was fit because after dropping out of High School after 15, he went to work for a Little Rock Concrete Contractor, Shoveling Cement ten hours a day, six days a week.
Rating:
Summary: Nothing else can capture your attention like this
Review: Nothing else could possibly keep your attention like GySgt Carlos Hathcock's biography. As an active duty Marine, I found this book, truly inspiring and most of all motivating. To see what a Marine would go through for the love of his Corps and more of all the love of his fellow Marines, is amazing. Perfectly written by Charles Henderson.
Rating:
Summary: Interesing Account of A Man Dedicated to His Craft
Review: This book describes a quiet legend of the armed forces- the antithesis of the blustery, bombastic type like Richard Marcinko (Rogue Warrior). Hathcock made enormous contributions to America's involvement in the Vietnam war, and to the art of sniping as a military tactic in general. Sniping is an under-appreciated form of engagement, to be sure, and this book's description make it almost seem like a work of art, supported with convincing evidence of its efficacy. To say that Hathcock was dedicated to his task is a gross understatement; he is clearly the stuff that military heroes are made of. At times he evoked pity, so despondent was he when he found himself in civilian life for one reason or another. He calls to mind the tortured genius that cannot dedicate himself enough to his life's work to ever be satisfied. In addition to describing an fascinating character, the book was fairly well written, though I often had time conceptualizing the landscapes that were described.
Rating:
Summary: C. Hathcock is one awesome man!
Review: My first thougt was "this can't be real!" Carlos Hathcock did some awesome things! I can't imagine spending weeks at time laying in the jungle with bugs and God knows what else crawling all over me. Something that I didn't care to much for was how Charles Henderson included the "charlie" conversations. It made this true account of Hathcock seem like a fictional story. For the most part I really enjoyed it. Carlos Hathcock I salute you.
|
