Even though he doesn't hold the records for most confirmed kills or longest shot, the legend of Carlos Hathcock endures. He's the Elvis of snipers, the Yeager; he's Yoda.
The highest award the Marines give for marksmanship is named after Hathcock; so is a shooting range at Camp LeJeune, N.C. In Washington, D.C. a Marine Corps library was dedicated in his honor. And a Virginia Civil Air Patrol unit decided to name themselves after Hathcock.
Hathcock, sometimes called White Feather because of the feather he wore in his hat, joined the Marines at 17. It didn't take the Corps long to realize that the dirt-poor kid from Arkansas was a gifted shot. He qualified as an expert rifleman while still in boot camp and began to win prestigious shooting competitions almost right away. But the military had more in mind for Hathcock than just winning cups; he was sent to Vietnam in 1966.
Hathcock volunteered for so many missions during his two tours of duty, that, according to the Los Angeles Times, his commanding officers had to restrict him to quarters to make him rest.
"It was the stalk that I enjoyed," he once told the Washington Post. "Pitting yourself against another human being. There was no second place in Vietnam -- second place was a body bag. Everybody was scared and those that weren't are liars. But you can let that work for you. It makes you more alert, keener, and that's how it got for me. It made me be the best."
And he was the best. Hathcock had 93 confirmed kills during his two tours of duty; the actual count may be higher. Hathcock's unconfirmed kills are believed to be in the 100s. Nevertheless, his confirmed tally was so high that North Vietnam once put a bounty of $30,000 on his head.
In the end, no bounty or enemy sniper could take down Carlos Hathcock. He died in 1999, at age 57, felled after a battle with multiple sclerosis.
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