Just an added note from the same A.O., and yet not taking one thing from Carlos Hathcock. He didn't have the highest KIA's on record for the Marine snipers. Can't remember the name but the guy had around 120 confirmed kills. J.T. Ward had 107 confirmed kills, but operated mostly a little east of our A.O. There was a kid attached to the 1st CAV a few miles to the south (still close) that had a 900+ yard one shot kill with a National Match M14 that had N.M. peep sights. The distance was measured off the range finder on an M48 tank, and they are known to be very accurate. The guy he shot was sitting in a tree watching them at about five in the afternoon. The shadows were moving all over the place, and it actually took him a few minutes to shoot the guy (a double sucking chest wound). There was an S.F. team that probably had well over a hundred kills on an un-named hill that was later known as LZ Melon. All these guys amazed me
gary
I was Marine for 1960 till 1965 and Carlos Hathcock was a legend in the corp before Vietnam and if there was no Vietnam I'm sure he would only of been known to the Marines.
No question there was more KIA's.