13 Cent Killers: The 5th Marine Snipers in Vietnam

An interesting book, alook into the Vietnam War marine snipers life. Some of the principals told in this book would still apply today's world especially about politician's.

ATiger I am going to explain to the general uninformed readers that believe Carlos Hathcock really performed the fantastic events lied about in Charles Henderson's books for what they actually are: a series of made-up lies to make money off of readers who are foolish and totally ignorant about sniping in war and Vietnam combat truths. First of all, I was in Vietnam serving a point-scout for the 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines in Hotel Company in January 1967.Carlos Hathcock is reported by Charles Henderson (who wrote the book "White Feather" but never served in Vietnam) as having gone on patrol by himself and sneaking into an NVA camp and killing a VC General. If this had really happened this event would have made the news everywhery including the Vietnam "Sea Tiger" the US Navy newspaper. No one in Vietnam ever heard of such a ridiculous act and Hathcock's records do not mention any such mission nor was Hathcockever awarded a combat medal for this feat of daring. If it had really happened Hathcock would have won the Medal of Honor. However, Hathcock won no medal. Further, Hathcock won no mention or medal for supposedly killing the Cobra sniper with a single "circus" shot. There never was an Apache who tortured Marines. But the stupidest act reported by Henderson was the ridiculous claim that Hathcock and his spotter (?) were supposed to have pinned down and shot a company of NVAregulars over a five (5) day period without getting wounded, hungry, thirsty, or tired. Once again nobody witnessed Hathcock performing this miracle. The incident never was reportred in the Vietnam news or Hathcock's records. Hathcock was not awarded any medals or wounded in action. This feat along with the others is not recorded and unprovable. I know it never happened because I was costantly on patrol in the same area of Vietnam and never heard the name of Carlos Hathcock mentioned. Never once!. Finally, Charles Henderson failed to know that Happy Valley in Da Nang was the official site of the 1st Marine Division Sniper School taught by Gunnery Sergeant V D Mitchell and Sgt. Douglas DeHass. Mitchell was a two time National Rifle Champion and my personal friend and sniper coach. Hathcock never attended this school, although I list in "13 Cent Killers" the names of over forty snipers who attended 1st Marine Division Sniper School at Happy Valley under V.D. Mitchell. I don't hate Hathcock because I never met him, but Henderson is either stupid or a liar or both. His books are absolute fantasy and the readers who buy into this fraud are worse than fools.John J. Culbertson

I liked this book and have the highest respect for the author and his fellow snipers. I just wish he would have left politics and personal opinions of how the war was waged out of it. I've read books about Peleilu and the American invasion of the Philippines during WW2 without the author's opinion about whether the military attacks were necessary. I'd rather the author just told us about the snipers.

First and foremost, I respect the author's service to our country, especially in a conflict as convoluted as Vietnam.However, this book was very hard to make it through. I was hoping for another great sniper book out of Vietnam but this was not it. This was more about knocking other sniper/authors, even though this particular author does appear to have been a sniper, or at least had very little experience as one, even though he served with some and may have attended sniper school.And I get that in his opinion, other's might have blown their stories out of proportion (although he has no proof), but he only had to knock the likes of Carlos Hathcock Jr. once. But he goes on and on and on, all while using a photo of Carlos Hathcock on his cover. Just as I though I had read the last slam of another contemporary Vietnam sniper, sure enough he would go after it again. And all the while, he talks about shots hit the enemy and lifting them off the ground and slamming them back, which is a Hollywood movie trick, but not something that happens in real life.He also goes on and on about how Marines are a family and stick up for each other but then goes right against that grain and slams some fellow Marines.I was very disappointed in this book. Not only is it boring and deals very little with actual sniper work, but it just seems like a guy with an axe to grind for some reason, and against some of his own fellow Marines.

John Culbertson is in my opinion, a true patriot, and has an excellent way of presenting his stories. I have read his books and especially enjoyed this one as I, quite surprisingly, found my name mentioned as an F-4 pilot! Having always fantasized about how I would have performed as a grunt, rather than a pilot, I can, through the eyes of John, vicariously live the life I've always wondered about. His stories put me there as though I am living the part and appreciate his attention to detail. I sense his accounts are factual, not over dramatized, and leaves me with a real appreciation of not having had to experience the ordeals he and so many of his comrades had to endure. I highly recommend this as well as any other books or articles John has written. A job well done!!

Culbertson jumps around a considerable amount in this book, andbthe book just ends with out any sort of wrap-up. That being said these brave men put their lives on the line in a war, and then came back home to be chastised for fighting for our freedoms in battles they didn't create or choose. With a better editor this book could've been so much more, and could have shown a brighter light on a subject that doesn't get it's just due; and soldiers who deserve our utmost respect.

I enjoyed it, and it was very eye-opening for what our military went through in that hellish place. It reads kind of like a group of small stories, and there are areas where the narrative repeats oten enough that it bordered on irritating. Still...a very worthy read and I learned a lot.

My Uncle Thomas Casey is included in this biography he was a great man!

Excellent read. Well worth buying on Kindle. Shameful how these brave kids were treated when the lucky ones returned home. The politicians should hang their heads in shame.

OK, non fiction

I've read a fair few military history books although none that were exclusively about snipers. It's an area that interests me and I was hoping this book would be gripping and intense. Sadly it's neither. The cover suggests these snipers were singled out by people looking to score bounty, however this is then never really mentioned in the book. I was hoping for some cat-and-mouse narrative but it never came. The chapters are short and lack any kind of suspense. But what it lacks in suspense it more than makes up for in overt, vomit enducing jingoism. Each engagement is covered in brief detail which ****SPOILER ALERT***** always ends with the enemy soldier being violently killed by the sniper's bullet, usually having his head explode in crimson and his body being thrown backwards into the mud (or variations thereof). It's so predictable it's boring. As the book concentrates on this narrow band of men and some of their engagements there is never any real understanding of the wider events of the war and it lacks context. The surroundings are also poorly described and at times I forgot they were even in the Vietnam jungle. It would seem the author spent longer gazing into the eyes of his fellow servicemen than he did taking in the environment he was in. His comrades are described in nausiating detail that verges on hero worship. If you must buy this book then just read the first couple of chapters, it pretty much just repeats itself after that to become one of the most dull books I have ever read.

L'auteur, John J. Culbertson, lui-même ancien sniper du 5th Marines, dresse un portrait assez décapant de ces tueurs à 13 cents (le prix moyen d'une balle pendant la guerre du Viêtnam).C'est une source primaire, et comme toujours avec ce genre de témoignages, il y a les bons et les mauvais côtés. Les bons, ce sont les descriptions de la création d'une véritable "école de snipers" au sein de l'USMC dans la zone du Ier corps tactique. L'incorporation d'équipes de snipers travaillant en binômes ne s'est, en effet, pas faite sans mal, les Marines ne voyant pas très bien au départ l'utilité des tireurs d'élite. Or ceux-ci se révèleront inestimables pour contrer les embuscades, éliminer les redoutables snipers vietcongs ou protéger les installations américaines, en particulier la nuit, contre les attaques des sapeurs, autre corps d'élite de l'ennemi. Le témoignage de Culbertson apporte un regard "de l'intérieur" sur l'histoire de ces snipers au sein de l'USMC plongé dans la guerre du Viêtnam.Malheureusement, le récit de Culbertson est marqué par une espèce de "diatribe perpétuelle" du soldat moyen pendant la guerre du Viêtnam : pour résumer, les hommes politiques américains, et le président Johnson au premier chef, sont accusés de tous les malheurs qui peuvent arriver aux soldats sur le terrain, sans compter qu'en plus, ils se font de l'argent sur le dos des Marines, qui eux se font tuer au combat. Culbertson semble avoir développé une rancune particulière contre la compagnie d'hélicoptères Bell, que possédait en partie le président Johnson (!). Autre lourdeur du récit : une espèce d'autosatisfaction rampante qui remplit bien des lignes : les Marines sont les meilleurs, les snipers des Marines sont les meilleurs des meilleurs, et les snipers du 5th Marines sont les meilleurs des meilleurs des meilleurs... je caricature, mais ce n'est pas très éloigné de la vérité. Ce qui est dommage, ce que ce genre de discours prend la place de pages qui auraient pu être davantage consacrées à l'armement ou aux tactiques utilisées par l'unité.Une fois que l'on a à l'esprit ces quelques mises en garde, l'ouvrage se présente comme une source, à lire en tant que telle. Elle ne remplace pas le travail de l'historien, mais elle en fournit le matériau, en l'occurrence autant sur les snipers de l'USMC que sur leurs représentations de soldats engagés au Viêtnam.

Another excellent read with none of the usual "Gung Ho" that some of the books written by Americans contain. A real down to earth story with a considerable amount of history on the selection and training of the snipers. Well worth the purchase. I could put my Kindle down.