Charles” Chuck” Mawhinney, a Marine students from Camp Pendleton’s Scout Sniper School, passed away earlier this year at his apartment in Baker City, Oregon, at the age of 75. Mawhinney earned the distinction of the deadliest rifle in the Corps for 103 dies, with an extra 216 “probable” dies.
Mawhinney made all of his dies before he was 20 years old, while attached to Camp Pendleton’s 5th Marine Regiment in 1968 to 1969 in Vietnam. He apparently carried a Remington M40 weapons and fired from a distance of 300 to 700 feet, although some data mark the photographs as taken from 1, 000 miles. Despite his extraordinary skill, Mawhinney’s deeds were practically unrecognized until Joseph T. Ward’s publication,” Dear Mother: A Sniper’s Vietnam”, was published.
According to Sun Sentinel, Ward, a fellow Marine, and Mawhinney were companions. Mawhinney, who served in the forest services for 30 years before retiring, was somewhat embarrassed by the distinction.
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” I simply did what I was trained to do”, Mawhinney said. I spent a lot of time in the country in a very popular place. I did n’t do anything special”.
Mawhinney made the decision to tell his story in his own thoughts after Ward’s book was published. After,” The Sniper: The Untold Story of the Marine Corps ‘ Greatest Sniper of All Time” was published by Jim Lindsey, a personal friend of Mawhinney. The preface to the book was written by Mawhinney.
Mawhinney was a guest of honor at national sniper-shooting competitions as well as education and consulting programs for SWAT squads and military personnel. Eventually, he repeated his” three guidelines” at each function: practice, practice, practice.
Mawhinney attributed his talent to his lifelong passion for looking, a game he had enjoyed before enlisting. Although Mawhinney’s father was a fight sea who had served in World War I, he had originally intended to join the Navy before being told by a recruiter that he could postpone boot camp until the hunting season. His education at Camp Pendleton Sniper School was aided by his mastery of marksmanship at boot station.
After his travels in Vietnam, Mawhinney worked as an instructor in the tent for a short time, however, hallucinations of his visit plagued him. He left the Marines and made his Oregon town his home. His wife and three children survive him.
