US Marine Corps sniper Carlos Hathcock is often seen as one of the greatest snipers in history, standing alongside iconic figures like Vasily Zaytsev, Lyudmila Pavlichenko and Simo Häyhä. Throughout the Vietnam War, he achieved nearly 100 confirmed kills, with the possibility of many more unverified. His extreme accuracy and impressive reputation grew so infamous that the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) assigned a top sniper, known as “Cobra,” to a mission specifically aimed at taking him down.
Carlos Hathcock served valiantly with the US Marine Corps
Carlos Hathcock was born in 1942 in Little Rock, Arkansas. Growing up in a family that depended on hunting for their livelihood, he developed an early familiarity with firearms. From a young age, he dreamed of joining the US Marine Corps, a goal he realized at just 17.
In 1966, Hathcock was deployed to Vietnam as a military policeman. His exceptional shooting skills quickly caught the attention of his superiors, who transferred him to Capt. Edward James Land’s sniper platoon—a role he embraced with enthusiasm.
Taunting enemy soldiers with a white feather
Hathcock quickly gained a fearsome reputation, taking down numerous targets. He became known for wearing a white feather in his hat during missions, a bold taunt to enemy soldiers that earned him the infamous nickname “White Feather” among the North Vietnamese.
Due to his lethal effectiveness, the North Vietnamese Army placed a $30,000 bounty on his head, the highest of the war. Many snipers tried to claim the reward, but, as Marty Robbins’ song “Big Iron” says, “Many men had tried to take him and that many men were dead.”
Recounting his encounter with ‘the Apache woman’
Carlos Hathcock’s renown is partly due to the vivid detail he provided while sharing stories of his missions. One particularly harrowing account involved “the Apache woman,” a female sniper who had been active in the Vietnamese jungles long before Hathcock’s arrival, causing pain to captured Marines within range of their bases.
While on patrol, Hathcock encountered a group of Viet Cong fighters. Initially, everything seemed routine, but when one of them squatted to urinate, he identified her as the Apache woman and quickly eliminated her.
Carlos Hathcock vs. ‘Cobra’
Carlos Hathcock’s most renowned wartime story centers on his duel with “Cobra,” a skilled NVA sniper tasked with killing him. Recognizing Cobra’s skill, Hathcock braced for a high-stakes encounter, waiting to see who would take the first shot. While navigating the dense Vietnamese jungle, he tripped over a fallen tree. At that moment, Cobra fired, narrowly missing Hathcock and striking his spotter’s canteen instead.
After the shot, Cobra followed sniper protocol and changed position, prompting both snipers to relocate. However, Cobra made a fatal mistake by positioning himself with the sun at his back, inadvertently revealing his location. Seizing the moment, Hathcock took aim and eliminated Cobra before he could fire again.
How many enemy soldiers did Carlos Hathcock dispatch?
Carlos Hathcock ended his service in Vietnam with 93 confirmed kills and the world record for the longest sniper shot, which remained unbroken for 35 years. Due to the way kills were confirmed during the war, his tally is likely much higher, with he himself having estimated it to be between 300 and 400.
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The heroic Marine Corps sniper passed away on February 22, 1999, at the age of 56.
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