Book Description
Marine Sniper is not only one of the most astonishing true stories to emerge from the Vietnam War, it has become a classic of military nonfiction, inspiring a sequel, Silent Warrior: The Marine Sniper's Vietnam Story Continues.
There have been many Marines. There have been many marksmen. But there has only been one Sergeant Carlos Hathcock. A legend in the Marine ranks, Hathcock stalked the Viet Cong behind enemy lines-on their own ground. And each time he emerged from the jungle having done his duty. His record is one of the finest in military history, with 93 confirmed kills.
This is the story of a simple man who endured incredible dangers and hardships for his country and his Corps. These are the missions that have made Carlos Hathcock a legend in the brotherhood of Marines.
"Highly readable." (Publishers Weekly)
Customer Reviews:
Carlos Hathcock, Sniper.......2007-10-19
Excellent narrative extolling the skills and accomplishments of a courageous soldier during the Viet Nam conflict. It's certainly worth reading as it documents the ingenuity and dedication of a brave scout/sniper in a largely unpopular war. Hathcock is representative of the type of young American we can admire.
Courageous Type of Warfare.......2007-09-24
This book is about Carlos Hathcock, the distinguished Marine Corp sniper of the Vietnam War. Honored in this country, with 93 confirmed enemy kills and having gained notoriety among the enemy as White Feather, because that is what adorned his cap and gained him a bounty on his head. The book is a good portrayal of what it takes to become proficient at sniper warfare, along with its effectiveness in warfare. Although often considered a cowardly method of warfare, the reader will pick up that Hathcock's time in the bush stalking the enemy's position days on end to obtain the perfect shot, but not too close to make escape impossible is a personally courageous act. The book highlights one incident where Hathcock goes one on one with an equally savvy Viet Cong sniper and another four-day stalk within a Viet Cong base camp to bring down a North Vietnamese General. The author's portrayal of Hathcock's banter is not all that humble when discussing himself, but this man can also walk the walk. It is a little sad about the adjustment problems Hathcock has to civilian life. Most civilian jobs pale in comparison to hunting and being hunted by humans., The book is a fast light read with some heart pounding entertainment. The book could have used some more sniper accounts.
Very pleased with product. Great book.......2007-09-13
Im very happy with this transaction and would do business with this seller again.The book is great and worth the money.Its a must to anyone that enjoys reading about snipers or vietnam
Marine Sniper: 93 Confirmed Kills.......2007-06-25
Very good book...I was in Vietnam in May of '67 till May of '68....This book is very very real !!!War is a varied mixture of total boredom and the mundane to the highest Adrenalin rush one can ever imagine !!!Many things described in this book present that...
Taste of What War is Like.......2007-06-08
This book gives you an idea of what it is like to be the hunter as well as the huntee. Brings home the brutality of war.
Book Description
In the United States Marine Corps, the record for individual casualties inflicted in combat stands at 93 confirmed kills. It has never been matched. And the man who holds it has become a legend in the world of fighting men....
That man was Carlos Hathcock.
In Marine Sniper, the true-life missions of United States Marine Corps sniper Carlos Hathcock were revealed in compelling detail. Now, this incredible story of a remarkable Marine continues -with harrowing, never-before-published stories of a man who rose to greatness not for personal gain or glory, but for duty and honor. This is a rare inside look at the U.S. Marine's most challenging missions-and the one man who made military history.
Download Description
In the United States Marine Corps, the most dangerous job in combat is that of the sniper. With no backup and little communication with the outside world, these men disappeared for weeks on end in the wilderness with nothing but intellect and iron will to protect them--as they would watch, wait, and finally strike. But of
Customer Reviews:
Something that must be said.......2007-09-26
This is a book that tells a story that is little known beyond the ranks of the military. It should be known by all as it is one of the things that has maintained our freedom thru the years. The book is well written and to the point.
Honor; Duty; Country ..........2007-08-05
I believe the following quote best speaks to Carlos Hathcock; the Marine; the man.
" The only guide to a man is his conscience; the only shield to his memory is the rectitude and sincerity of his actions. It is very imprudent to walk through like without this shield, because we are so often mocked by the failure of our calculation; but with this shield, however the fates may play, we march always in the ranks of honor".
I felt compelled to write the above after reading the dual 1-star posts from "a reader" who basically called Mr. Hathcock a liar, fraud and phony.
He starts out with one line of praise then basically says Mr. Hathcock was a phony and his story a con job.
Of course he offers no facts or evidence to support his claims.
Just another who disrespects and spits on those who have served; are serving and will serve.
He should be ashamed.
You sir/"a reader", will never walk among the ranks of honor.
Silent Warrior.......2007-01-09
Fills in lots of the details the Marine Sniper leaves out. Read Marine Sniper first then this and you will have to complete story. There is some repition but not enough to bore you.
Solid Writing, Exceptional Story, Enough Said.......2005-07-06
I purchased this book as I have always been interested in the stories behind war. I am not very interested in the war itself, but rather the stories of the people who fight the wars.
This book is a biography of Carlos Hathcock. Being born after the Vietnam War, the name typically would have meant nothing to me except I ran into the son of one of Hathcock's "trainees" and Hathcock's name always stuck with me.
Hathcock was just another Marine in Vietnam. He was an elite marksman with a rifle, yet this was ignored and upon arriving in Vietnam, Hathcock was assigned to a desk job in an MP battalion as a watch commander. After serving as an MP for a while, a "freak" occurrence required Hathcock to use his marksmanship skills to take out an enemy shooter who had attacked the base. The enemy solider was to be taken out at his village. From there, Hathcock's career rapidly progresses into becoming a sniper. The book covers Hathcock's legendary career as a sniper. During two tours of duty, Hathcock racked up almost 100 confirmed kills and numerous other unconfirmed kills. Hathcock became so good at what he did, the enemy offered a $20,000 bounty to the person who killed Hathcock or his partner. The enemy formulated several special groups and executed some brilliant strategies to try and take out the "white feather".
My meager words could never do justice to the author. Reading the book is like watching a poetic war drama. The eloquence the author uses in this book is mesmerizing. The scenes are described in such vivid detail, I felt like I was there, hearing bullets buzz above my head, listening to my heart pounding, watching the blood of an unfortunate soldier soak into the earth, as I see the person next to me squeeze the trigger to silence the enemy soldier's rifle. The stories in the book range from humorous, victorious, heroic, then to disheartening. To the people who are unfamiliar with Hathcock's story, the end of Hathcock's days in Vietnam is shocking, but not surprising. I was most impressed by the humanity Hathcock expressed. He never looked at it as killing an enemy solder, rather he saw his job as saving the lives of American soldiers. I also found some of the stories in the book familiar, as I recognized bits and pieces I've seen in movies over the years (probably the most well-known being the "scope" episode, which is in the movie "Saving Private Ryan". I'm guessing this is based on Hathcock's story).
This is by far one of the best books I have read that cover the life of a soldier. I would highly recommend this book to people interested in the life of a sniper or are interested in soldiers of the Vietnam War.
Henderson goes back to the well.......2004-08-07
And well done, Charles Henderson! They say that one's first book is always going to be a preparation for the second, and the book, Marine Sniper, that I read about Carlos Hathcock, just warmed me up for this second go-round of Hathcock adventures. In a way the two books were very similar, since it says in the introduction that they were carved out of the same UR-manuscript and written before Carlos' death five years ago.
SILENT WARRIOR gives a deeper perspective on some of the events and personalities depicted in MS93CK. The drawback for me is that I think to give the book more weight, Henderson resorts to some dubious devices to pump up the volume, including imagining what Carlos was thinking at such and such a time, and also frankly the worst offenders of the story, APACHE and PHILIP METZ, are turned into super-villainous caricatures that Ian Fleming might have dreamed up to torture James Bond. If they really existed, and Carlos killed them, good for him. But the writing is so over the top it's hard to be sure.
This would be a good introduction to the life and death of a great Marine, but we already had the other book which is also a good introduction, so it's a draw.
Average customer rating:
- Battalion level view of Combat
- Outstanding narrative of leadership during Falklands.
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Take That Hill!: Royal Marines in the Falklands War
Nick Vaux
Manufacturer: Brassey's (UK) Ltd
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Binding: Paperback
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The Battle for the Falklands
ASIN: 0080405681 |
Customer Reviews:
Battalion level view of Combat.......2005-07-17
Nick Vaux's memoir of his experiences as a Commando (battalion level) commander during the Falklands Island War should be mandatory reading for anyone aspiring to tactical command. His book, well written and entertaining, provides valuable insight into the stresses and strains that affect the commander. Battle focused training, hasty planning, and the effects of the environment on combatants are also topics that he addresses.
Outstanding narrative of leadership during Falklands........1998-02-08
Nick Vaux commanded the 42 Commando during the Falklands campaign and has written about it in this non-fiction work. This engaging, fast read follows his command from England to the Falkland Islands where the unit suffers appalling conditions and undergoes horrendous demands but has a spectacular fight in the final liberation of the island. This is highly recommended for members of the profession of arms and provides other readers a sense of the desperate conditions of modern war.
Book Description
First time in trade paperback, from the bestselling author of Marine Sniper and Goodnight, Saigon.
In 1965, the U.S. Marines landed in Vietnam. It was supposed to be just another deployment. America was going to do what the French could not: clean up that dirty little brush war in South Vietnam. But the Marines were experiencing a brand-new sort of enemy-the guerrilla fighter.That year, the war's carnage became frighteningly real to television audiences back home-but the Marines were already displaying the fighting courage of experienced heroes. They had quickly learned the first rule of combat: kill or be killed.
With the explosive firepower of his military classics Marine Sniper and Silent Warrior, Charles Henderson gives a startlingly realistic account of the Marines' hellish introduction to a new kind of warfare-and the raw truth about how it produced a new kind of American soldier.
Customer Reviews:
simply the best.......2006-06-28
my Father, a chopper pilot, was killed in the pre-'65 Vietnam era
Reading this book helped me understand what, where and WHY my Father was there. His sacrifice was not in vain!
Semper Fi
Laron D Shannon
It's a story everyone thinks they know about, until now.......1999-02-27
This is about a US Marine in Veitnam. A small man caught in a current that he couldn't recognize nor get out of. This book will challenge you, you'll be exhausted, perplexed, and asking why. Worst of all, you can see yourself doing the same. It's a very interesting work. One of the best examinations of Veitnam in several years.
Book Description
Special Warfare Series. U.S. Marine Corps amphibious reconnaissance patrols preceded every major landing in the Pacific during World War II, coming ashore on rubber boats from submarines and high-speed transports to recon enemy beaches. After the war better techniques were developed by a small group of highly trained, fearless Marines who in 1957 established the first of the Corps' now legendary Force Recon Companies. The story of those pioneering post-war years is told by Force Recon's first commanding officer, Bruce Meyers, a legend in his own right. Commissioned six months before the end of World War II to command a combat swimming platoon, Meyers later headed Gen. "Chesty" Puller's amphibious recon school, initiating new ideas for the insertion of small teams behind enemy lines by parachute and by buoyant ascent from submerged submarines. In 1955 Meyers joined the commandant's experimental Test Unit One as the project officer for its reconnaissance unit that led to the first Force Recon. The book chronicles many Force Recon firsts: HALO jumps from jets; operational parachute jumps from navy carrier aircraft; the locking out and underway recovery of recon patrols from navy fleet submarines; the live pickup by Fulton Skyhook of downed personnel; and the development and use of pathfinding tactics and equipment for Marine helicopter assaults. This groundbreaking work by Force Recon pioneers has never before been recorded in detail. Meyer's account makes it clear that the company earned the reputation it enjoys today.
Customer Reviews:
Too Much Fluff.......2006-08-06
Really not what I expected. A lot of auto-biographical info on the author's military career and little about real-world missions. I read the first 150 pages and had to put it down. I guess I was expecting something along the lines of Col. Beckwith's Delta Force or Pfarrer's Warrior Soul. I felt like I was having a conversation with a friend that was talking about all things I liked, but in a most sedate and unexciting fashion. Not very entertaining.
Average customer rating:
- outstanding treatise on the war,by the man who won it.
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No Picnic: 3 Commando Brigade in the South Atlantic : 1982
Julian Thompson
Manufacturer: Leo Cooper
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0850523044 |
Customer Reviews:
outstanding treatise on the war,by the man who won it........1999-04-09
Julian Thompson is described as the "man of the match"by Jenkins and Hastings.This was so true,as commander of 3 commando brigade he was the tactician that made the british victory happen,this book is a must read for all soldiers everywhere.Get the details of the amazing feat that was the greatest air/sea battle since WW2.
Book Description
In this first ever published account, learn what it takes to be an elite Recon soldier in America's toughest military service the Marine Corps. Enter the unknown world of Marine Force Recon and follow new recruits as they descend into the hell of "indoc"- a grueling 48-hour test where physical and mental failure lead to elimination and through the completion of advanced Jungle Environment Survival Training at Camp Schwab, Okinawa.Find out how these men are trained to carry out missions with stealth, speed, and accuracy; how they infiltrate enemy lines to gather intelligence and/or conduct search and destroy missions that only the finest of America's troops could accomplish. Delve into the history and uncover the founding origins of this elite unit. Read about the ten different training grounds, including the mentally challenging eight week Amphibious Recon School and the dangerous Combat Dive Training, just to name a few.
Customer Reviews:
Good buy........2007-06-07
If you want the latest pictures of FR guys doing their work-up, this book won't disappoint you. Not too long on the history or org chart. But no personal insights by actual FR member, past or present. Book mostly provides pictures of FR guys in training. I hope that author will consider doing another one as a follow-up in the future that will contain more shots from actual operation in Iraq and Afghan. Overall, not bad considering there is really no other literature of this kind other than memoirs from Vietnam.
shipping was very quick and accurate.......2007-05-09
a very informative book on force recon. it is a good reference for any person looking to be a member of this special unit. gives informative info for the requirements to become force recon
Yeah, it's that good.......2003-09-05
The Power series has been rather variable in quality, with some excellent books (like the Navy SEALs book) and some wretched ones (tha SAS book comes to mind). This one is first-rate. It takes the time to discuss the context of Force Recon, talking not just about them (although they make up the majority of the book) but what a MEU is, what the difference is between Force Recon and Battalion Recon, etc. Be aware that it is an overview book, so you're not getting 300 pages of info like, say, "Brave Men, Dark Waters" does for the SEALs. Hopefully, someday somebody will write such a book but until then, this is all that you've got and it's pretty darned good.
For someone who wants to know the basics of Force Recon or how Force Recon is different than the Navy SEALs, this is a great choice. There are other good books on Force Recon, such as the excellent "Inside Force Recon: Recon Marines in Vietnam"
by Michael Lanning, but they are more memoirs than overviews so often don't explain the basics that people might be interested in.
Matt
Misleading at best.......2003-08-10
This book may be titled Marine Force Recon, but it spends very little time talking about what it's like to be a Force Recon Marine. The selection process and training only receive bare-bones detail; the majority of the book is spent discussing the Marine Expeditionary Unit and its variants, as well as the equipment used by the Marines. As such, it reads more like a Cliff's Notes version of Tom Clancy's Marine rather than an in-depth guide to Force Recon.
It would be nice if there was a book written about Force Recon selection and training that was on the same level as Dick Couch's "The Warrior Elite", which focuses on Navy SEALs. Given the fact that most people don't even know that Force Recon exists, however, makes such a book unlikely. Anyone who wants to learn more about this unit has really no other option other than to read Bruce Norton's "Force Recon Diary."
Outstanding.......2003-06-13
The Power Series is without question the best line of books on America's Special Operations units. In particular, the books Fred Pushies has done for the Power Series line are excellent. This is the first comprehensive book on the Reconasance Marines. Everything from the history of the unit, the training they go through, the weapons and equipment they use, to the missions that they train for. This book combines all the information anyone would want to know, along with great photos, to produce a classic text on one of the United States' most elite military units.
Book Description
Who exactly are the Royal Marines Commandos? Based on interviews with members of the Corps, ex-Marine Nigel Foster shows what it is really like to serve in one of the toughest military units in the world. He vividly recreates the Marine experience in all its aspects, from the training of recruits and life in the legendary 3 Commando Brigade to the Corps' highly effective special forces role. He also describes the Marines in action in the second Gulf War and in Afghanistan, and looks forward to their future as the nature of warfare changes.
Book Description
The US Marine Raiders were an 'elite within an elite'. They were modeled on the British Commandos and, in the 2nd Battalion, also on Communist Chinese guerillas. They were organized to conduct long-range amphibious hit-and-run raids behind Japanese lines and trained to secure beacheads in advance of more conventional landings. Raiders were trained to land from submarines, specially converted high-speed destroyer transports, and small craft and rubber boats. They were expected to be skilled in watercraft, jungle survival, and jungle warfare. They were the earliest forerunners of the various Special Operations units of the modern US military.
Raider units would conduct operations with only the equipment they could carry on their backs, their heaviest weapons being light mortars and machine guns. They were the first American units to be issued with specially manufactured camouflage uniforms and rubber-soled boots developed for jungle warfare. Highly trained in close-in fighting, they carried many distinctive weapons such as the Fairbairn Commando dagger, the Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR), the Thompson submnachine gun and even the British Boys Anti-Tank Rifle.
The Raiders battle honors include Guadalcanal, as well as the Solomon Islands and the Dragon Peninsula campaign. This book follows two Raiders from different battalions through some of the toughest training ever experienced by a Marine and onto combat during the Makin Raid and the horrific jungle battles of the Solomon Islands giving a soldier's eye view of life, combat and death in this 'elite within an elite'.
Average customer rating:
- Good information, but one flaw (major or minor, you decide)
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ROYAL MARINE COMMANDOS: Britain's Green Berets (Spearhead 11)
Simon Dunstan
Manufacturer: Ian Allan Publishing
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Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0711029776 |
Book Description
The first British special forces were the Independent Companies sent to Norway to prevent the Germans setting up U-boat bases. Following the loss of Norway and Churchill's 'butcher and bolt' order of summer 1940, the first (army) Commandos were developed.
Other raids on the coastlines of occupied Europe would take place - including the disaster of Dieppe and the raid on St. Nazaire. The early amphibious raids by the Commandos between 1940 and 1942 pointed up to the obvious need for better intelligence and control on the beaches. So, specialized 'beach parties' were formed and tried during Operation 'Ironclad' to capture the port of Diego Suarez at the northern tip of Madagascar 5/7 May l942. This proved so successful that the RN Commandos (sometimes known as 'Beachhead Commandos') were formed.
They took part in all the main amphibious operations from then on - including Dieppe, Torch, Husky, taking the islands of Monte Cristo, and Pantelleria in June l943, Salerno and Anzio, the capture of the Island of Elba, landings on the Arakan coast, Overlord, the capture of Walcheren and crossing the Rhine at Arnhem, Elsewhere, Commandos performed with great glory in the Desert War and in the Middle East, where Nos. 50, 51 and 52 Commandos fought in the battle of Crete, and in actions in Eritrea and Abyssinia.
In the, by now, well established Spearhead format, this latest book is packed with images and data on one of Britain's premier elite units in the Second World War
Customer Reviews:
Good information, but one flaw (major or minor, you decide).......2004-12-07
The Spearhead series of books seem to be very informative and well-produced. They pack a lot of information into a very small package. However, one thing really makes these books (especially this one) appear laughably inept, and that is the photos of reenactors that are included. This book concerns an elite fighting unit, and when you flip through the reenactment photos (which are included so that you can study the equipment in use) the first thing you notice is that none of the people wearing the equipment could possibly be mistaken for members of any elite military unit. They are all at least 50lbs overweight, and I would say that some of them would need to lose 100lbs in order to accurately portray real commandos. I realise that reenactors aren't real commandos, and I also realise that the early 21st century lifestyle produces a lot more obese people (I'm one of them) than did that of the mid-20th century, but since these books are supposedly serious studies of WW2 military units, couldn't the authors find a reenactment group that was a little more serious in its authenticity standards?
I've flipped through a few of the books in this series, and I notice the exact same problem with all the ones I've seen so far. On the surface it may not appear to be a major flaw, but the lack of detail in this regard makes me suspicious about the overall quality of the series.
By the way, this book should be titled "The Royal Marines Commando", not "Royal Marine Commandos" - there's no such organization as "The Royal Marine". More evidence of mediocrity or a lack of attention to detail.
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Silent Warrior: The Marine Sniper's Story Vietnam Continues
One Shot One Kill: One Shot One Kill
Carlos Hathcock "Whitefeather"
Shooter: The Autobiography of the Top-Ranked Marine Sniper
Crosshairs on the Kill Zone: American Combat Snipers, Vietnam through Operation Iraqi Freedom
