The Sniper - “The Sniper.” Untold story of Chuck Mawhinney. Only a teenager, Chuck racked up the most confirmed kills of any Marine before or after his tours in Viet Nam.
INTERVIEWS & PODCASTS
Robert Child sits down with author, Jim Lindsay. Lindsay's The Sniper reveals, for the first time ever, the full story of the deadliest sniper in Marine Corps history, Chuck Mawhinney, who served in the Vietnam war at age 18―written with his full cooperation and participation.
INTERVIEW with Jim Lindsay - Author of his new book, The Sniper.
America Lost A Great Hero Yesterday, Born And Raised In Oregon…
In this episode, we welcome Jim Lindsay to the show. He is the author of The Sniper: The Untold Story of the Marine Corps’ Greatest Marksman of All Time, which is a biography of United States Marine Corps Sniper Chuck Mawhinney.
The Sniper - REVIEWS
"Great sniper craft stories told with an insider's knowledge. The lessons learned and the stories told still apply to today's sniper."
—Howard Wasdin, retired Navy SEAL Team Six sniper and New York Times bestselling author of SEAL Team Six
"An uncomfortable look behind the scope of one of the USMCs most accomplished but previously unknown snipers. Reading this book will send chills down your spine."
—Brandon Webb, former Navy SEAL sniper course manager and New York Times bestselling author of The Red Circle
"As someone who has the honor of holding the title, Sniper, it's amazing and truly humbling to be able to finally hear the astonishing and gripping history of one of the most lethal snipers in US military history. Chuck's story and his remarkable success as a sniper will be discussed and studied for generations to come, as it should be. With 103 confirmed kills, Chuck is the deadliest sniper in Marine Corps history. A nearly impossible feat, only made possible by the most lethal man in Vietnam."
—Nicholas Irving, U.S. Army special operations sniper and New York Times bestselling author of The Reaper and Ghost Target
"I feel Jim has done an excellent job of the book and telling my story. I’m just a simple person and in Vietnam I was just doing my job."
—Chuck Mawhinney, Marine Corps sniper (ret.)
“Readers who enjoy listening to soldiers telling their war stories over a few drinks or in a casual setting (like this reviewer) will likely enjoy the style in which the book is written...”
Fans of sniper stories will likely be excited to read this account of the life of Chuck Mawhinney, the top scoring U.S. Marine sniper to date. Mawhinney joined the U.S. Marines at age 18 and served in Vietnam from 1967-69, where he made 103 confirmed kills over a period of 16 months, killing four enemies a week on average.
The book, penned by writer Jim Lindsay based on in-depth interviews with Mawhinney, is written in a down-to-earth style that is easy to read. Readers will feel like they are getting to know Mawhinney as they progress through the book, which recounts the famed sniper’s early life and his postwar experiences in addition to his time in Vietnam. Readers who enjoy listening to soldiers telling their war stories over a few drinks or in a casual setting (like this reviewer) will likely enjoy the style in which the book is written, because it is very much as if you are listening firsthand to Mawhinney’s stories.
Readers looking for an in-depth account of Mawhinney’s war in Vietnam may be somewhat disappointed because the narrative is not a complete account of his experiences. The Vietnam War portion of the book consists of several Vietnam War stories from Mawhinney rather than a complete chronicle of his time in country. There are probably many more stories that will forever remain untold. Mawhinney himself was satisfied with the book. “This is the whole story. I think Jim did a good job,” he told Oregonian newspaper The Baker City Herald. Some readers, however, may be left wanting more.
Obviously one of the qualities of a good sniper is a certain degree of ruthlessness. This is evident in Mawhinney’s actions described throughout the book, from shooting animals in his youth, ambushing enemies throughout the Vietnam War, and in his postwar life exterminating coyotes. The passages dealing with these matters are not gory but matter-of-fact. Some readers may admire Mawhinney’s proficiency at killing while others may find it disturbing. Readers who are sniper fans or familiar with snipers’ memoirs will likely not be bothered by these anecdotes.
Mawhinney has a sense of humor which is reflected in many of the stories he chose to tell. One passage that stood out for its ironic humor related how Mawhinney struggled to adjust after being sent to assist an ROK Marine unit. He went on daily patrols with the South Koreans, with whom he could not communicate due to the language barrier. He remembered the Koreans as “ornery” fellows who at first surreptitiously swatted him with sticks to annoy him while he was walking. He had difficulty adjusting to patrol duty since the ROK men did not set up a perimeter when resting. “Instead of creating a perimeter, they dropped wherever—maybe in the hut of an abandoned village or they’d just curl up along a trail, leaving Chuck wide-eyed and sleepless,” author Lindsay writes. “If a sound woke the Koreans, they’d grab their weapons and run out into the dark to investigate. If an enemy was caught alive they just beat him to death and went back to bed.” While the Koreans eventually gained respect for Mawhinney due to his sniper skills, he also “considered the ROK some bad-ass dudes and was glad they were on his side.”
All in all, Mawhinney is a rather reserved character which is reflected by the material included in book; the Vietnam War takes up a significantly smaller portion of the book than one might expect. The narrative is engaging and reflective. Readers hoping for a sensational shooting saga or a blow-by-blow account of a sniper’s lethal achievements in Vietnam will feel let down. Readers eager to read and appreciate the memories and experiences of a humble Vietnam War veteran and Marine who happens to have been a sniper will be more than satisfied.
TELLING A SNIPER’S STORY
Chuck Mawhinney is the highest scoring sniper in the U.S. Marine Corps. A new book explores his Vietnam War experiences.
“Lindsay proudly shows how Mawhinney dedicated his life to becoming the best version of himself, not intent on becoming the Marine Corps most deadly sniper, but becoming the epitome of the U.S.M.C. motte, Semper Fidelis”
Chuck Mawhinney was just a small town kid in Lakeview, Oregon, making the same mistakes that a lot of the young men in the United States make. He was adventurous, wild, and dedicated to learning all that he could. Little did he know that his past would shape him into the United States Marine Corps most deadly sniper.
Growing up in a small community in Oregon afforded Chuck plenty of freedoms, many that involved the outdoors and love of family. It all began in the slow-paced town where young Chuck grew up on barstools, the boardwalk buying candy, and hanging out with his grandfather on the farm protecting the cherry trees from the blackbirds. He didn’t have a problem with a hard day’s work and putting traditional blue color work ethic to the test. What he didn’t have was a path forward to growing into a man. Enter the U.S.M.C. They are a fierce bunch of tough men and Mawhinney was given the chance to clear his juvenile record when he signed on to become a Marine.
Chuck Mawhinney was a licensed pilot, a crack shot with a rifle, and also a very mature man once he entered the service. What he wanted was to succeed at whatever he chose to do and you can tell he was very determined. Lindsay proudly shows how Mawhinney dedicated his life to becoming the best version of himself, not intent on becoming the Marine Corps most deadly sniper, but becoming the epitome of the U.S.M.C. motte, Semper Fidelis (“Always Faithful”).
Through numerous nighttime sniper interdictions, daytime patrols, and some questionable women and drug scenarios, Mawhinney’s time in Vietnam is portrayed admirably. In keeping with tradition of the men and women that were forced to endure the dark and gloomy days abroad, only to come home and be chastised by the American brethren, many of the people close to Chuck didn’t even know what he had to do to stay alive. As time heals most things, those people began to see what the Vietnam war had done to America's sons and daughters and move forward. Mawhinney is just one man in the many that had to bear the brunt of war in that God forsaken land, but with Lindsay at the helm you will greatly enjoy this one.
Jim Lindsay delicately navigates Chuck Mawhinney’s journey from small town troublemaker to the United States Marine Corps deadliest sniper. An adventure Mawhinney wasn’t planning for, but one that he didn’t back down from through three tours in Vietnam. Lindsay, with Mawhinney’s permission and exorbitant knowledge, shows the violent side of Vietnam, and the war that many soldiers and marines couldn’t escape. Accepting that the battlefield was his place to shine, Mawhinney performed his job to the fullest extent possible to keep the American warfighter alive.
“It's rare that I read a book in only a sitting or two anymore, but The Sniper was one of those books.”
The Sniper is a brilliant biography of one of the greatest marksmen to ever walk the planet. A blend of coming-of-age, thriller, military history, and comedic tales, The Sniper perfectly weaves the story of Vietnam sniper Chuck Mawhinney in a fascinating read that will fly by as fast as a bullet out of a Remmington.
This story kicks off with the one story I had heard about Mawhinney - in the Arizona Territory in Vietnam, on a peninsula in a river with dozens and dozens of Vietnamese soldiers wading across the river in his direction. From here, you get to learn about everything that led to this moment - from Mawhinney's childhood, to his tales of adolescence, his first kill in the Marines, and everything in between. Author Jim Lindsay dove deep into Mawhinney's life and recounts the moments with crystal clear clarity, bringing Mawhinney's life into a beaming spotlight. This novel has inklings of Lindsay's debut non-fiction novel, The Little Bastards, with hilarious childhood tales of small town living, but also blends the action of a modern military thriller. It is a book that has you nervous, laughing, astonished, and bewildered all within its pages.
It's rare that I read a book in only a sitting or two anymore, but The Sniper was one of those books. I felt like I was sitting at the Idle Hour in Baker City right next to them, sipping Coors Light, enveloped by the stories. Lindsay made this book feel like you were in the room, talking with Mawhinney, right next to him, as he recounted his life story. A brilliant, fascinating, and real tale of heroism from one of the top marksmen to ever live.
Epilogue from the reviewer: Sometime between 2016-2018, I was repairing computers in Corvallis, Oregon, and I received a phone call from a gentleman who needed some help with his computer. I went to his house, and upon entering, saw a giant poster board covered with sticky notes with different words or phrases on it. It was semi-obvious what it was about, as I saw phrases like "Chuck's childhood," "Vietnam," etc. I asked this man, Mr. Lindsay, about what he was working on - it was a book he was outlining about a man named Chuck Mawhinney. At the time, I had heard of Mawhinney from a documentary on the History Channel about snipers. Jim began to recount the novel, told me about Chuck, and I was fascinated. I was praying I would get to see this book on a shelf one day, as the story sounded incredibly interesting. I'm thankful that day has finally arrived, and I am grateful that I got the opportunity to give it a read.
ALSO AVAILABLE IN AUDIO BOOK
Google Play Books is a global digital bookstore offering ebooks, audiobooks, comics, and manga. Discover book recommendations personalized just for you.
— ABOUT THE AUTHOR JIM LINDSAY is a writer and farmer living in Corvallis, Oregon. He befriended Chuck Mawhinney while living in Oregon and knew he had to tell his story. After much research, including travelling to Vietnam, and many interviews, Jim wrote the narrative nonfiction account of Chuck's life: The Sniper.
Jim Lindsay's The Sniper reveals, for the first time ever, the full story of the deadliest sniper in Marine Corps history, Chuck Mawhinney, who served in the Vietnam war at age 18—written with his full cooperation and participation.
Charles "Chuck" Mawhinney is a United States Marine who holds the Corps' record for the most confirmed sniper kills (and the second most of any US service member in history), having recorded 103 confirmed kills in 16 months during the Vietnam War. He was also the youngest—killing the enemy as a teenager.
In 1967, at the age of 18, Mawhinney joined the Marines and began his assent from recruit to the Marine Corps’ deadliest sniper. During his tours—in one of the most dangerous war zones of Vietnam—his character and charisma helped him deal with life and death in a hell hole with other young men a long way from home.
After Vietnam, Mawhinney married and settled into his post-war life, raised a family, and was content that no one knew of his accomplishments in war. Then in 1991 he was startled and dismayed when outed by a fellow Marine sniper, Joseph Ward, who spoke of Mawhinney’s number of kills in his book, Dear Mom. Newspapers picked up the story and Mawhinney’s life changed forever. The notoriety troubled him at first, but then he accepted the fame and used the opportunity to train service men and lawmen in the art of long-distance shooting.
At last, Chuck's full story is told, including his heroic exploits in battle and the terrible toll that taking a life exerts on a human being. A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin’s Press.