Chuck Mawhinney
| Charles Benjamin Mawhinney | |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Chuck |
| Born | 1949 (age 67–68) Lakeview, Oregon, U.S. |
| Allegiance |
 United States of America
|
| Service/branch |  United States Marine Corps |
| Years of service | 1967–1970 |
| Rank |
 Sergeant
|
| Unit |
5th Marine Regiment HQ Scout Sniper Platoon |
| Battles/wars | Vietnam War |
| Other work | U.S. Forest Service, Public speaker |
Charles Benjamin "Chuck" Mawhinney (born 1949) is an Oregon-born American who served in the United States Marine Corps as a sniper during the Vietnam War. He holds the record for the most confirmed kills by a USMC sniper, having recorded 103 confirmed kills and 216 "probable kills" in his 16 months of action.
Mawhinney, the son of a World War II Marine Corps veteran, was born in 1949 in Lakeview, Oregon, and was an avid hunter in his youth. He graduated from high school in June 1967 and joined the U.S. Marine Corps later that year—after the deer season.
Following enlistment, he attended Scout Sniper School at Camp Pendleton and graduated in April 1968. From there he received orders to Vietnam where upon arrival he was assigned as a rifleman to 1st Marine Division, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Battalion Lima Company. He remained in this unit for 3 months until he was re-assigned to 5th Marine Regiment HQ Scout Sniper Platoon. There he worked as a scout sniper for different companies with the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Battalions. He also worked with the South Koreans (Rock Marines), Force Recon, Army CAG Unit, but the majority of his time was with Delta Company. During this tour he is credited with 103 confirmed NVA-VC kills and 216 probables. He spent 16 months in Vietnam, starting in early 1968.
On Valentine's Day 1969, Mawhinney encountered an enemy platoon and killed 16 North Vietnamese Army soldiers with head shots.
"It was the ultimate hunting trip: a man hunting another man who was hunting me," Mawhinney told the Los Angeles Times. "Don't talk to me about hunting lions or elephants; they don't fight back with rifles and scopes. I just loved it." Mawhinney sought to change the public perception about snipers, who he maintains save lives by sapping the enemy's will to fight. "My rules of engagement were simple: If they had a weapon, they were going down. Except for an NVA paymaster I hit at 900 yards, everyone I killed had a weapon," he said.
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