In many conflicts throughout the military history of the United States, snipers have proven themselves time and again to be invaluable assets on the battlefields.
They excel at taking down opposing forces with precision, gathering intelligence, and eliminating enemy officers.
Even in an age where battles are fought using million-dollar laser-guided missiles, stealth fighter jets, and military-grade UAVs, one soldier’s ability to eliminate an imminent threat with a 20-cent bullet remains a highly-prized advantage.
In most battlegrounds, a sniper has specific duties to intimidate and harass the enemies, preventing them from launching an attack in the open and regrouping.
An invisible sniper yields a remarkable impact. In the old days, snipers were the unsung heroes of many wars.
When the battles ended, the military often failed to properly acknowledge their roles and build a program to pass down the skills to recruits.
The paradigm changed after the Vietnam War. Charles “Chuck” Mawhinney was an American sniper during the conflict.
Until recently, no one knew that he was among the deadliest snipers to have served the USMC.
10 /10 An Oregon Hunter
Chuck Mawhinney enlisted in June 1967 and was deployed to Vietnam in April 1968. He spent almost a year and a half in Vietnam before returning home in 1969 to Oregon, where he grew up as an avid hunter.
After leaving the military in 1970, he kept details of his service a well-guarded secret.
Except for a handful of people who served with him in Vietnam, no one knew about his remarkable skills as a sniper. It only took him two decades to share some of the most memorable stories from the days gone by.
9 /10 Lesson To Learn
It is not like Chuck wanted to talk about it either, and he needed some encouragement from a fellow serviceman to begin opening up about his combat abilities.
In 1991, Joseph Ward – a friend and former Marine sniper- released a book that credits Chuck with 101 confirmed kills.
Modern Marine Corps scout snipers are now required to study the history of former snipers and learn valuable skills they could implement during various battle situations.
The lessons will help them become more effective as soldiers and stay alive to tell their own stories.