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:
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.
Must Read.......2007-03-08
Henderson does a great job telling Hathcock's story. I couldn't put this book down. If Vietnam interests you, you have to read this book. Also, Silent Warrior the sequal is great to read as well because it tells a lot of the stories in this book more in depth because Henderson went and found out more info about certain battles. even going as far as interviewing NVA soldiers that were stalked by Hatchcock. One of my favorite books ever. Like the Military Channel? read this book!!!!!!!!
Book Description
With more than sixty confirmed kills, Jack Coughlin is the Marine Corps' top-ranked sniper. Shooteris his harrowing first-person account of a sniper's life on and off the modern battlefield G unnery Sgt. Jack Coughlin is a divorced father of two with an Ivy League background who grew up in the wealthy Boston suburb of Waltham. He had thirty-six kills in Iraq- thirteen in a twenty-four hour period during Operation Iraqi Freedom-and has one of the most successful records of any sniper on active duty.Now, after twenty years behind the scope of a long-range precision rifle, Coughlin has written a highly personal story about his deadly craft, taking readers deep inside an invisible society that is off-limits to outsiders. This is not a heroic battlefield memoir, but the careful study of an exceptional man who must keep his sanity while carrying forward one of the deadliest legacies in the U.S. military today.
Customer Reviews:
.....wow...........2007-08-10
Shortly into the story it becomes pretty evident that this wasn't the "confession" of an honored and admirable soldier. This is not a warrior who wanted to share his story with the world to ease the burden of killing men who were fighting for their beliefs, even if those beliefs where not the same as his.
Jack was a soldier and sniper who saw "the dumbest man in all of Iraq" in the first day of battle. The Iraqi fighter was not dumb to Jack because he watched him do something truly stupid, like load bullets into his AK47 backwards. This fighter was "the dumbest man in Iraq" because he was 1/2 mile away and felt secure and concealed enough behind a thick bush to attack from that position (remember that these soldiers are fighting based on experience and not from years of hardcore training like our Marines). Jack took this son/grandson/cousin/fathers/brother/friends/Iraqi soldier's life from his family. I honestly believe that the Iraqi fighter should have been killed because he was attacking our countrymen. However, I would respect Jack a little more if he treated a man that was so destitute in his beliefs he was brave enough to attack an entire force of American soldier, with a little more grace and respect. Instead, Jack takes credit for his cold bore 1000 meter (hahaha...oh but his rifle was already zeroed into the EXACT, no kidding he says it in the book, distance of the target haha) shot that saved an ENTIRE BATTALIONS MAIN COMMUNICATIONS HUBS from the ONE GUY ONLY PACKING AN AK47.
Sorry for the brief ramble, but this book is filled with complete ego. I am ex-military and have been hunting and shooting for 17 of my 25 years on this earth and I have more respect for the deer/elk/beer/mtn. lions that I harvest than Jack has for the soldiers he has killed in battle. Through the book I was trying to tell myself that a sniper has to have an inflated confidence in themselves, but this was ridiculous!
By the time I finished I thought of Jack as a supply and backline soldier who wanted to try to convince SOMEONE that he was good at his job as a sniper because he couldn't convince the Marines. It seemed that he killed not only because it was his job, but because he enjoyed it as well.
~Cam
Top Ranked Marine Sniper.......2007-08-05
Very realistic and updated perspective of what a modern day sniper might face in battle !!!!I have previously read the encounters of snipers in Vietnam.....and that was most interesting also ,but this book is the most recently published technology and tactics !!!
Coughlin.......2007-07-06
I didn't read this book yet but I knew Jack back in the day when I referred to him as a Sh** Bird. He actually was a good Marine as were most of us. If this book is anything like the Coughlin I knew back in the 80s, then I am sure it will be quite a read. Semper Fi.
RICK SHAQ GOLDSTEIN SAYS: "SUPERSTAR OF SNIPERS!".......2007-07-04
I would first, like to make a point about the title, that I picked for my review. Some people, might possibly find it offensive. But if you were watching a motion picture, or a TV program, that had Jack as one of the main characters, and his comrades referred to him in that exalted way, you would take it in stride. Imagine Jack, as the young sniper in "Saving Private Ryan". With that being said, let's continue with the review. I felt this was an excellent book, and one of the things that appealed to me, as a U.S. Veteran, is that Jack and his co-writers, wrote in the "language", that is truly spoken between men, not only in war, but in training for war. Another thing that I really liked, was the fact, that as bad as Jack wanted to be a sniper, he then had even higher goals. He had the desire, to not just be the best sniper, but he had the drive and vision, to try to improve the entire operating procedure of snipers. The battlefield, was not the same as in World War II. A couple of earlier Marine marksmen, Hathcock and Mawhinney, showed in Viet Nam, "that snipers could be much more aggressive and effective by getting out of their holes and going on the hunt." I know what Jack meant, when he describes the anguish, of not only keeping classified missions to yourself, but also, dealing with the uncontrollable memories of death you've created, that reverberate in your dreams, that you can't discuss with anyone, including your wife. Jack says: "If I awoke suddenly in the middle of the night, with a start so violent, that it shook the bed, Kim knew not to question why or what was going on in my head. She was careful not to startle me with a sudden touch." This passage, sent chills up and down my spine, since in my own life, twenty years after I was out of the service, I was a single father, who always wanted my young son to wake me, before he left for school, and give me a kiss. He got scared, at the way I would wake up, swinging and yelling, about things I never told anyone. We then used a procedure, where he would come into my bedroom, tap my shoulder, and then run to the doorway, and after I got back to normal, I would give him a hug and kiss goodbye. I would like to give one last comparison of Jack's stature, especially, for the benefit of people that weren't in the military. I was awarded the "Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon, (SAEMR) with an M-16. Comparing that, to what Jack did, is like you comparing your two-year-old son's, hitting a wiffle ball, off a plastic tee, to the accomplishments of Babe Ruth. There are three things I'm happy for, after reading this book: 1) That Jack was on our side. 2) That Jack got home alive. 3) That Jack and his cohorts wrote this book. God Bless America!
P.S. The 2007 movie with the same name, has absolutely nothing to do with this book.
I would have given zero stars if that was an option.......2007-05-19
Reading all the praise below, I had to double check to make sure I was reviewing the correct book. As an avid reader of military non-fiction, I found this to be among the worst I have read. Coughlin takes great pains to declare that he took no joy in his job, yet the book is peppered with with cliche'd macho phrases and terms, like "smoke-check" (used over and OVER again) and "invincible gunslinger persona". I actually laughed out loud a few times at the ridiculous ways that Coughlin refers to himself. The relentless back-talking to superior officers is also a pretty hackneyed feature of this work. And then there is the story, which is really just a loosely assembled account of some events that happened during the initial push to Baghdad. The author's poor command of prose couldn't even make that interesting in and of itself. By the end of the book I suspected that the author was really trying to convince himself, not the reader, that he wasn't getting off on every kill he logged. If you like reading arrogant, self-praising accounts that make use of every military cliche' ever penned, look no further. If you appreciate writing quality, humility, interesting content, and a believable author, seek elsewhere.
Customer Reviews:
Marine Review.......2007-08-07
I generally don't give negative reviews, but overall, I was disappointed. First, the book is written in Military "Class Outline" format, (and yes I knew this buying the book, and yes I was a Marine Corps Combat Instructor and VERY familiar with these type of outlines), but this means that almost half of the written content has nothing to do with accual useable information but about "instructor prompts" such as gaining attension of the class and how to motivate them to learn the material. The BIGGEST FLAW is that the book constantly references charts and slides (TP#1, TA#6 etc...) but DOESN'T INCLUDE THEM IN THE BOOK! It appears very DATED, if you are at all familiar with older military printouts, this is still one. I hope they (USMC SS School) have updated thier outlines, in look if not for material. If you looking for indidual skills you'll LEARN more just studing a Data Book or reading on line, but then the little info it does include I learned in basic Infantry school and am presuming if you are studing this type of material you already know most of it. For example, total amount of info on "Gillie Suit"; about one paragraph basicly saying to use one. If you are looking into weather or not to employ military snipers, or gain a basic knowledge of thier use in various operations, it may be interesting. Good Luck and Be safe.
Why USMC snipers r the best in the world.......2002-02-25
this book is everything i expected it to be. explains everything you would learn in the USMC sniper school. it's a little basic at first, but is a great source of knowledge on the subject.
Excellent book!.......2001-11-15
Excellent book with a systematic review of all aspect of scout / sniping; it does not just cover the shooting part, but also the tactics, camouflage, egress / ingress, etc... It is mainly aimed at military, not police or civilian use.
(...)
U.S. Marine Corps Scout/Sniper Training Manual.......2001-09-17
this is an excelent book it teaches you things you wouldnt know unless you when training to be a sniper!
Neat.......2000-04-03
What can i say? This is the official USMC Scout/sniper training manual. Here you'll find everything you need to be a good sniper, and all the informations you should have if you are interested in this field.
Average customer rating:
- Something that must be said
- Honor; Duty; Country ...
- Silent Warrior
- Solid Writing, Exceptional Story, Enough Said
- Henderson goes back to the well
|
Silent Warrior: The Marine Sniper's Story Vietnam Continues
Charles W. Henderson
Manufacturer: Berkley
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Similar Items:
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Marine Sniper: 93 Confirmed Kills
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One Shot One Kill: One Shot One Kill
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Dead Center: A Marine Sniper's Two-Year Odyssey in the Vietnam War
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Crosshairs on the Kill Zone: American Combat Snipers, Vietnam through Operation Iraqi Freedom
ASIN: 0425188647
Release Date: 2003-01-07 |
Book Description
In 1986, Charles Henderson first published Marine Sniper-the incredible story of Gunnery Sergeant Carlos Hathcock, whose 93 confirmed kills in Vietnam have never been matched by any sniper before or since.
Now, the incredible story of a remarkable Marine continues-with harrowing, never-before-published accounts of courage and perseverance. These are the powerful stories of a man who rose to greatness not for personal gain or glory, but for duty and honor. 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.
Book Description
WHEN YOU'RE IN THE DEATH BUSINESS,
EACH DAWN COULD BE YOUR LAST.
Raw, straightforward, and powerful, Ed Kugler's account of his two years as a Marine scout-sniper in Vietnam vividly captures his experiences there--the good, the bad, and the ugly. After enlisting in the Marines at seventeen, then being wounded in Santo Domingo during the Dominican crisis, Kugler arrived in Vietnam in early 1966.
As a new sniper with the 4th Marines, Kugler picked up bush skills while attached to 3d Force Recon Company, and then joined the grunts. To take advantage of that experience, he formed the Rogues, a five-sniper team that hunted in the Co Bi-Than Tan Valley for VC and NVA. His descriptions of long, tense waits, sudden deadly action, and NVA countersniper ambushes are fascinating.
In DEAD CENTER, Kugler demonstrates the importance to a sniper of patience, marksmanship, bush skills, and guts--while underscoring exactly what a country demands of its youth when it sends them to war.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent View into a soldier's life.......2006-11-29
I'm not much on reading a lot of military works. Ed Kugler does an awesome job bringing me inside his world. Writing in a conversational voice, he draws you in and speaks directly from his feelings and views regarding life as scout-sniper during the Vietnam War.
This memiore of his military life brings along side Ed Kugler in the tall grass. Taking and supporting the point as they navigate past booby traps and enemy snipers to hunting grounds. History buffs and military readers will find this book to be a must read.
Ed Kugler does not romanticise war. He gives a direct account with the courage to show his thoughts and feelings, uncaring of judgement. I finished this book with a much deeper respect for my country's military. Men and women live each day fighting for our country and struggle to survive another day. Anyone enjoying this reading of one personal history should feel thankful too.
As real as it gets.......2006-04-19
This book is an excellent choice for those seeking a good war story. It is truthfull to the core. Every aspect of war from the combat to the language used by the troops is graphic. This book is definitly not for the faint of heart. It is jam packed with mind numbing suspense, explosive action, and gripping emotions. You wont be able to put this book down once you pick it up, and beleive me you will have a much deeper appreciation for what our vetrans have done, once you have finished.
Good Story.......2006-02-18
It's about a small town boy who reads a book about the Marines, joins up, and then finds himself in Nam. It's very different from what he thought it would be. This book will keep your attention but it ends abruptly when his tours are over.
Excellent Marine 'Sniper' book .......2005-08-22
Unlike many of this type of book, it does not have dull or boring spots. But, it does a good job of sucking you in personally to what went on & what/how the author was thinking.
I felt it was a very honest book & definitely one of the best personal post-Vietnam books of the many that I have read.
I recommend this to anyone - novices or people very familiar with the genre.
Great Story.......2005-06-27
I met Ed Kugler while installing a vinyl floor in his kitchen and noticed he had a little magnet on his refridgerator of the book cover. I found it quite amazing that this nice soft spoken teddy bear of a man was a marine sniper. He ended up giving me an autographed copy of the book and I thought that was aweful nice of him to do.
I let the book sit for about 3 months only reading a couple of pages at a time. Once I started really getting into the book I was so immersed in the story of his marine tour that I had to remind myself that I met the guy in his house on a hill in montana and that this is a true story...no B.S. Just the fact that he is not dead or missing limb's proves the greek was right. The story's here are top notch and there's never a dull moment in the book. Ed's vivid recollection of events really helps someone that has never been in war really get a good idea what it was like and what kind of things you think about. Definitely reccomend this to anyone over 15 years old for some education on how vietnam was for this group of snipers.
Book Description
Gunnery Sgt. Jack Coughlin is the Marine Corps top-ranked sniper. Shooter is his harrowing and very human first-person account of one mans battle to remain sane and hold his family together while personally bringing Americas military muscle to the enemys front door. Coughlin is also a divorced father of two who grew up in a wealthy Boston suburb. At the age of nineteen, although he had never even held a gun, he joined the Marines, and would spend the next twenty years behind the scope of a long-range precision rifle. In that time, he accumulated one of the most successful sniper records in the Corps, ranging through many of the worlds hotspots. During Operation Iraqi Freedom alone, he recorded at least thirty-six kills, thirteen of them in a single twenty-four hour period. This highly personal story about his deadly craft, takes you deep inside an invisible society that is off-limits to outsiders.
Customer Reviews:
SHOOTER.......2007-08-23
VERY GOOD STORY, MODERN DAY CARLOS HATHCOCK, YOU GET THE IDEA HOW TIMES HAVE CHANGED AND HE ADAPTED WITHOUT A PROBLEM TO THE CHANGES NECESSARY . BEING A TARGET SHOOTER MYSELF I UNDERSTAND
KENNETH M. WADE
A Must Have !!!.......2007-07-20
First Book I Ever Read "To The End"
Its Great ,Its Real ,You Wont Put The Book Down
I Was Not Into Books Until I Read This One
A very good read, but more background would make it great.......2007-07-15
Jack Coughlin and company did a great job at writing the reader into the story, so that you are watching over Jack's shoulder in combat during the rush into Baghdad. Additionally, Coughlin's idea of a mobile sniper unit is unique to this book and satisfying to see the process unfold.
Other reviewers say this book is not worthy of highest praise because it lacks eloquence and Pulitzer-caliber prose. To that, I would say that any title covering military matters should be nothing more than simple, concise, and accurately gritty. "Shooter" has all of these qualities. Anything more or less would either dilute or glorify the nature of war--both of which are unwarranted and undervalue the sacrifices made by those that fight for us.
What would have taken this book from "very good" to an "epic" would be to cover more than the war in Iraq. Coughlin gave several hints of his past skirmishes, and it would have been immensely interesting to see his Marine sniper career solidify over time.
Shooter- the best war story ever told.......2007-04-19
Shooter is a action packed book about a top-ranked marine sniper, Gunnery Sgt. Jack Coughlin in Operation Iraqi Freedom 2002. Going through sandstorms and unexpected firefights in Iraq Coughlin one by one took down major targets. The invincible sniper takes you through the emotions of war because of family, friends, and the death of your favorite marines. Coughlin done a good job in Operation Iraqi Freedom and telling a story of his own war. I think anybody who is intrested in adventure, war, and violence or just the Iraqi war, should read this book!
Shooter is truely the best war story ever told.
lame.......2007-03-13
this is an awful book anyone who says other wise dosen't read much.
Big fan of first hand war accounts with the exception of this one.
Don't waste your money.
Book Description
“It’s not easy to stay alive with a $1,000 bounty on your head.”
In 1967, a bullet cost thirteen cents, and no one gave Uncle Sam a bigger bang for his buck than the 5th Marine Regiment Sniper Platoon. So feared were these lethal marksmen that the Viet Cong offered huge rewards for killing them. Now noted Vietnam author John J. Culbertson, a former 5th Marine sniper himself, presents the riveting true stories of young Americans who fought with bolt rifles and bounties on their heads during the fiercest combat of the war,
from 1967 through the desperate Tet battle for Hue in early ’68.
In spotter/shooter pairs, sniper teams accompanied battle-hardened Marine rifle companies like the 2/5 on patrols and combat missions. Whether fighting their way out of a Viet Cong “kill zone” or battling superior numbers of NVA crack troops, the sniper teams were at the cutting edge in the art of jungle warfare, showing the patience, stealth, combat marksmanship, and raw courage that made the unit the most decorated regimental sniper platoon in the Vietnam War. Harrowing and unforgettable, these accounts pay tribute to the heroes who made the greatest sacrifice of all–and leave no doubt that among 5th Marine snipers uncommon valor was truly a common virtue.
Customer Reviews:
Not what I was hoping for..........2007-04-20
I purchased this book hoping to get a detailed look at the legendary Marine snipers in Vietnam, and how they fought. And while Culbertson does well to honor the comrades he fought with, I found this book more of a recruiting pitch for the Corps, rather than a historical account. Even more annoying was Culbertson's attempts to revise military history... telling us how the Marine's won WWI for the French, or how Hanoi could have fallen if we'd just sent in an airborne division and a Marine Assault Force.
When the author manages to stick to the subject, we get to see Culbertson's ample knowledge of firearms, sniper tactics and the conditions these men fought in. But unfortunately for readers, we have to wade through pages of jingoistic and Christo-righteous tangents to find it.
John Misses the Bullseye.......2006-11-17
This book falls far short of it's target. While Culbertson was an in-country player and is writing as part of this elite group, his style is very melodramatic and jingolistic. I've had to roll my eyes John's many attempts to paint the 5th Marine Snipers as yah yah heroistic types and the bad guys as the incarnate of evil.
He gives some good info on rifles and ammo but continues to repeat this info throughout the book and I guess he needs to fill white space with this unnecessary additional information.
The author comes across as a narrow-minded, stuck in the mud, stereo-typing jarhead. He describes the Vietnamese as sneaky blah blah blah dirty Communists who were more likely trying to rid their country of the Americans as they had with the French, Japanese and Chinese. I find it distasteful to describe the 5th Marine Snipers as killers/murders who fought for the exitement of the hunt. If a human life and the sacrifice these people gave for their country is worth only 13 Cents, then the value of this book is far less. There are better books about those who fought but this is not one of them.
Perpetuates silly stereotypes and firearms myths.......2006-11-13
I am not an authority on Vietnam, but I am an avid hunter and competitive rifle shooter. Many of the details in this text are wildly inaccurate and more fitting for a hollywood b-movie than a book that claims to be historical. Just one example is the reference to Vietnamese soldiers being lifted off their feet and thrown backwards through the air by .308 or .30-06 rounds. This claim and many others like it are laughable to anyone who knows anything about firearms. Mr. Culbertson needs to stop watching re-runs of "The A-team" and research his facts, or else drop the pretense that he is writing history.
not very intruiging.......2006-10-20
I had a hard time finishing this book. It was very repetitive. Just simply two peoples accounts of the same incidents. It was only so so. The only thing I found to be of interest, was the mention of the Lake City Army Ammo plant here in Missouri.
Mr. Culbertson, please check facts.......2006-05-29
Charles Henderson is a veteran of more than 23 years in the United States Marine Corps, with a distinguished career spanning from Vietnam to the Gulf War, after which he retired as a Chief Warrant Officer. In addition to writing his own books and for various publications, he also runs his family's cattle enterprise in Peyton, CO.
Book Description
"Morning was always a welcome sight to us. It meant two things. The first was that we were still alive. . . ."
In 1967, death was the constant companion of the Marines of Hotel Company, 2/5, as they patrolled the paddy dikes, mud, and mountains of the Arizona Territory southwest of Da Nang. But John Culbertson and most of the rest of Hotel Company were the same lean, fighting Marines who had survived the carnage of Operation Tuscaloosa. Hotel's grunts walked over the enemy, not around him.
In graphic terms, John Culbertson describes the daily, dangerous life of a soldier fighting in a country where the enemy was frequently indistinguishable from the allies, fought tenaciously, and thought nothing of using civilians as a shield. Though he was one of the top marksmen in 1st Marine Division Sniper School in Da Nang in March 1967--a class of just eighteen, chosen from the division's twenty thousand Marines--Culbertson knew that against the VC and the NVA, good training and experience could carry you just so far. But his company's mission was to find and engage the enemy, whatever the price. This riveting, bloody first-person account offers a stark testimony to the stuff U.S. Marines are made of.
Customer Reviews:
Average Read.......2007-02-12
I am an avid reader of books based on snipers in Vietnam, however this book didn't quite meet my expectations. It was an alright read, but I wouldn't read it again.
"Grunt" In The Arizona, Not Sniper!.......2003-07-19
Although Mr. Culbertson was a trained Marine sniper, the book only covers the day to day grinds and missions of the Marines in Arizona Territory. It is excellent reading, the accounts are factual and gripping, but I was interested more in his sniping missions and encounters. I enjoyed the presented material and would recommend it to others. If your looking for "sniper" related material to read, this book is not for you! I salute Mr. Culbertson, and all American Forces, for their efforts in Vietnam!
Great Story--Bad Language.......2002-12-09
As a Marine Corps, Vietnam Vet I was very interested in, "A Sniper In The Arizona." The author did a great job of telling the Vietnam story like it really was. I was surprised, however, to find no mentioned of one of the mostly highly praised Marine snipers in Vietnam, Gunnery Sergeant Carlos Hathcock, a legend of Marine lore.
The author's use of four-letter words was totally unnecessary and grossly overdone. Nor did the four-letter words add anything to his story. Other authors have written about Marine Corps, Vietnam vets without using these garbage words and have received a five-star rating. Unless Culbertson cleans up his language, I will not read another one of his books.
Outstanding Factual Account.......2002-11-26
Sergeant John Culbertson has written a very detailed and factual account of the fierce combat in the An Hoa area of Vietnam. Much more enlighting was the descriptions of Platoon and Company snipers in the Marine Corps. The vast majority of snipers worked in direct support of Marine Infantry units and had additional roles. Sniping came as targets of opportunity, not CIA type "hunts" as depicted in so many other books.
The adverage Marine sniper often found himself on point, patrolling or setting in ambush. I fought in the same unit, 5th Marines, in the exact same areas as Sgt. Culbertson and can attest to his true life accounts of heroic combat against a determined enemy. Semper Fi John Culbertson.
really bad, [let down].......2002-10-16
I have read ALL the books on sniping in Vietnam and this one is without equal when it comes to being a lousy read. It has so little about actual sniping the title should be A GRUNT IN ARIZONA! I feel I have been seriously [let down] by buying this, and it's difficult for me to say the word 'book'. There are so many trully good sniping books out there, don't waste your time and money on this joke. I hope Culbertson was a better Marine than writer. If not, he surelly must have gotten many a good Marine killed. I recommend ONE SHOT, ONE KILL and THE LONG RANGE WAR over this piece of garbage.
Books:
- Masters of the Air: America's Bomber Boys Who Fought the Air War Against Nazi Germany
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- Now They Call Me Infidel: Why I Renounced Jihad for America, Israel, and the War on Terror
- O Jerusalem
- One Bullet Away: The Making of a Marine Officer
- Operation "Citadel", A Text and Photo Album, Volume 1: The South
- Panzer Leader
- Perceiving the Arts: An Introduction to the Humanities (8th Edition)
- Phantom: Chainfire Trilogy, Part 2 (Sword of Truth, Book 10)
- Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Fifth Edition
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