With 103 confirmed kills, Charles Benjamin Mawhinney holds the record for the most enemies taken down by a sniper in U.S. Marine Corps history. As a prominent sniper of the Vietnam War, Chuck Mawhinney was an expert marksman who achieved the highest number of confirmed kills in the Marine Corps and the second-highest of any American soldier. In one instance, Mawhinney had 16 confirmed kills in just 30 seconds, all headshots.
After the war, Chuck Mawhinney retired from the Marine Corps and worked in the U.S. Forest Service, keeping his Vietnam career a secret, even from his wife. This is the incredible story of Chuck Mawhinney, the legendary sniper known for both his deadly skill and humility.
Why Chuck Mawhinney Was Destined To Be A Sniper
Born in 1949 in Lakeview, Oregon, Charles Benjamin Mawhinney was the son of a World War II Marine Corps veteran who hoped his son would follow in his footsteps. And that’s exactly what he did: Shortly after deer-hunting season ended in June 1967, Mawhinney graduated high school and enlisted in the Marines.
Before heading to war, Mawhinney attended Scout Sniper School at Camp Pendleton, California, graduating in April 1968. The role of a sniper came naturally to Mawhinney, who had grown up doing what sniper school trained him to do.
“My father was a Marine during World War II,” Chuck Mawhinney told American Rifleman in 2012. “I started shooting at a very young age, and he taught me to shoot like the Marines taught him, so there wasn’t any big transition from hunting in Oregon to becoming a sniper.”
With his training complete, Mawhinney was sent to Vietnam during one of the war’s bloodiest periods.
Becoming A Deadly Legend In Vietnam
Initially deployed as a rifleman to Lima Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Marines, 1st Marine Division, Mawhinney quickly proved his marksmanship. After three months, he was transferred to several battalions before joining Delta Company, where he achieved his 103 confirmed kills. He later described Vietnam as “the ultimate hunting trip.”
On Valentine’s Day 1969, near Da Nang, Mawhinney received word that a large North Vietnamese Army platoon was advancing toward them. Due to a monsoon, air support was impossible, so Mawhinney volunteered to sneak forward and cover a river the enemy was expected to cross.
As the first wave of North Vietnamese soldiers entered the river, Mawhinney, positioned with his spotter, started shooting. In just 30 seconds, he fired 16 shots, all headshots, stopping the enemy attack.
“I got 16 rounds off that night as fast as I could fire the weapon,” Mawhinney said, according to Business Insider. “Every one of them was headshots, dead center. I could see the bodies floating down the river.”
Throughout the war, only one enemy entered Mawhinney’s scope and survived, a regret he carried. During an intense battle, an armorer was adjusting his rifle when Mawhinney spotted an enemy. He grabbed the rifle and fired 16 shots, all missing the target.
“It’s one of the few things that bother me about Vietnam,” he told The Los Angeles Times. “I can’t help thinking about how many people he may have killed later, how many of my friends, how many Marines.”
Chuck Mawhinney’s Legacy As The Deadliest Sniper In Marine Corps History
After Chuck Mawhinney retired from the Marine Corps in 1970, he returned to his hometown of Lakeview, Oregon. He got married and began a career with the U.S. Forest Service, where he worked for more than 20 years. In the late 1990s, Mawhinney retired again, expecting to live the rest of his life in quiet anonymity in rural Oregon.
That changed in 1991. Joseph Ward’s best-selling book, “Dear Mom: A Sniper’s Vietnam,” detailed Mawhinney’s exploits in Vietnam. Initially, Ward’s claim was contested, as Carlos Hathcock was believed to hold the record with 98 confirmed kills.
However, further investigation confirmed that Mawhinney had the most confirmed kills in Marine Corps history and the second-most in U.S. armed forces history, behind Adelbert Waldron of the U.S. Army with 109 confirmed kills. It’s believed that Mawhinney actually killed over 200 combatants, though not all were confirmed.
As of 2022, Chuck Mawhinney lives a quiet life as a retiree, occasionally speaking to sniper training classes. His M40 rifle is displayed in the National Museum of the Marine Corps. He was also featured in a History Channel special, “Sniper: The Anatomy of the Kill,” which recreated one of his remarkable headshots. Mawhinney offers simple advice to aspiring snipers: “Practice, practice, and more practice,” he told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
Whether due to practice, upbringing, natural talent, or a combination, Chuck Mawhinney proved to be one of the most effective snipers in modern warfare history.
Now that you’ve learned about Chuck Mawhinney, read about Hiroo Onoda — the soldier who kept fighting World War II for nearly 30 years after it ended. Then, read about Adrian Carton de Wiart, the soldier who fought in four wars over six decades and simply could not be killed.