Chuck Mawhinney
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| Charles Benjamin "Chuck" Mawhinney | |
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 Chuck Mawhinney |
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| Nickname | Chuck |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Service/branch | United States Marine Corps |
| Years of service | 1967-1970 |
| Battles/wars | Vietnam War |
| Other work | U.S. Forest Service, Public speaker |
Charles Benjamin "Chuck" Mawhinney is an Oregon-born American who served in the United States Marine Corps as a sniper during the Vietnam War. His skill as a sniper resulted in a record number of kills for USMC snipers, exceeding that of legendary Marine sniper, Carlos Hathcock.
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[edit] Service in the Vietnam War and later life
Mawhinney, the son of a World War II Marine Corps veteran, was an avid hunter in his youth. Mawhinney joined the U.S. Marine Corps in 1967, spending sixteen months in Vietnam starting in 1968. Although less well known than his more famous counterpart, fellow Marine sniper and legend Carlos Hathcock, Mawhinney currently holds the record for confirmed kills for Marine snipers, with 103. He had another 216 that are listed as "probables" by the U.S. Marine Corps.
Mawhinney left the Marine Corps in 1970. He slipped into obscurity, and went without notice for his number of confirmed kills for more than two decades, which was his preference. He returned home to Oregon, married, and began working for the U.S. Forest Service, where he worked until his retirement in the late 1990s.
Mawhinney never spoke of his exploits as a sniper, and found himself exposed unwittingly in a book titled Dear Mom: A Sniper's Vietnam, written by fellow Marine sniper and author Joseph T. Ward.[1] After the book recognized him as having 101 confirmed kills, many disputed the claim. However, research revealed that Mawhinney actually had 103 confirmed kills and 216 "probable kills", which led to his replacing Carlos Hathcock, who had 93 confirmed kills, as the leading USMC sniper of all time.
After this, Mawhinney slowly came into the limelight. Following his retirement from the Forest Service, he began speaking at conventions and public events, as well as attending national sniper shooting competitions. As of 2006, Mawhinney continues to speak to classes of professional snipers in training. His rifle that he used during his service in Vietnam is now on display in the Vietnam Gallery of the National Museum of the Marine Corps.[2][3]
[edit] Notes
- ^ Ward, Joseph T. (1990). Dear Mom: A Sniper's Vietnam. Ballentine Books. ISBN 0804108536.
- ^ M-40A1 Sniper Rifle. National Museum of the Marine Corps Iconic Artifacts. National Museum of the Marine Corps. Retrieved on 2007-02-04.
- ^ Smith, Leff. "A Salute to Duty and Sacrifice: Thousands Gather for Dedication of Museum Honoring Marine Corps History", Washington Post, November 11, 2006, p. B01. Retrieved on 2007-02-04.
[edit] References
- Chuck Mawhinney — Deadly at any distance: a sniper's story. Sniper legends. www.nordicsniper.com.
- Perry, Tony. "Chuck Mawhinney", Los Angeles Times, 2000.
- Bruner, Thomas W. (2001). Confirmed Kills, It's not a competition. Sniper's Paradise.
- 2005 Idaho Sniper Championships. Retrieved on 2007-02-01. (Includes photos of Mawhinney at the competition.)
[edit] External links
- Winter, LCpl Christian B. (April-June 2005). Legendary Marine Recounts Life as Sniper (PDF). Marine Magazine. United States Marine Corps. Retrieved on 2007-02-04.
- Sniper Rifles. GlobalSecurity.org. Retrieved on 2007-02-04.
- Smith, Clint (January 2004). Of myths and legends - Ranging Shots. Guns Magazine. Retrieved on 2007-02-04.
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