Silent Warrior: The Marine Sniper's Story Continues [Hardcover]

Charles Henderson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 10, 2000

In the United States Marine Corps, the record for individual casualties inflicted in combat stands at 93 confirmed kills. It has never been matched. And the man who holds it has become a legend in the world of fighting men....

That man was Carlos Hathcock.

In Marine Sniper, the true-life missions of United States Marine Corps sniper Carlos Hathcock were revealed in compelling detail. Now, this incredible story of a remarkable Marine continues -with harrowing, never-before-published stories of a man who rose to greatness not for personal gain or glory, but for duty and honor. This is a rare inside look at the U.S. Marine's most challenging missions-and the one man who made military history.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Henderson, a retired Marine Corps officer, first told Hathcock's Vietnam-and-aftermath stories in his highly readable, highly hagiographic Marine Sniper: 93 Confirmed Kills (1986), which continues to be a favorite item at the PX. Sniper detailed how U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Carlos J. Hathcock II used his uncanny marksmanship in Vietnam to record more than 300 hits, and how he dragged six of his unconscious buddies away from a burning tank. After an arduous recovery from serious burns received then, Hathcock learned that he had multiple sclerosisAthe disease he succumbed to last year. Henderson frames Warrior by imagining what Hathcock was thinking on his deathbed. Waves of imagined dialogue, based on interviews Henderson conducted with Hathcock and with a raft of witnesses to his heroics, crash through page after page. The voices of former Vietcong and North Vietnamese soldiers, including the late Tran Van Tra, who commanded VC forces in South Vietnam, fill things out, along with Henderson himself. What he and the others say is sure to add to the Hathcock mythos and will thrill buffs and ex- and current servicemen alike. But few other readers will be able to countenance the overheated style and lack of journalistic care in sourcing the story, although Hathcock was doubtless an exemplary soldier. After an initial burst from fans of Sniper, whose sales it will revive, this book will sell steadily but probably less prolifically than its predecessor. (Oct.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Charles W. Henderson is a veteran of more than 23 years in the United States Marine Corps, with a distinguished career spanning from Vietnam to the Gulf War, after which he retired as a Chief Warrant Officer. His first book was the critically-acclaimed military classic Marine Sniper, which first chronicled the exploits of U.S.M.C. sniper Carlos Hathcock. He is also the author of Marshalling the Faithful.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 286 pages
• Publisher: Berkley Hardcover; 1st edition (October 10, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425176606
• ISBN-13: 978-0425176603
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (44 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #521,138 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I am a professional writer living near Colorado Springs, CO. Besides raising, breeding, and riding my quarterhorses, I love all kinds of music and movies. My taste ranges from Meat Loaf to George Strait, George Thorogood to Wagner.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars The epitome of all bad sequels, December 16, 2001

By 

Randall S. Smith (CA, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Silent Warrior: The Marine Sniper's Story Continues (Hardcover)

When I read Silent Warrior I was expecting to read about more experiences that Carlos Hathcock had while in Vietnam. I had already read Marine Sniper: 93 Confirmed Kills (of which I must say two things: 1- is an absolutely magnificent book, and 2- is necessary to get much of anything from this sequel) and found that this book did nothing to live up to my expectations. Instead of reading about new adventures, I found myself seemingly rereading Marine Sniper. Indeed, the only chapter which held my interest was chapter 12- The Valor of Corporal John R. Burke. Besides this, there wasn't another high-point for me.

In the preface, author Charles Henderson writes that over 300 pages were cut by the publisher of Marine Sniper for marketability due to length. Not being able to predict the success of this first novel, this was probably necessary. However, later taking the cut material and marketing it as a continuing story is not fair. The material in Silent Warrior seems to be the extraneous information which was cut, and though while it may add some degree of color and vitality to the event which it describes, does little on its own since the description of the major event is missing since it is in Marine Sniper. In my opinion, Henderson would have been better off to write an expanded version of Marine Sniper with the cut material added to it.

Overall, I would have settled for just reading Marine Sniper, which is a truely wonderful read. Silent Warrior has detail, and I LOVE detail, but this detail seems out of context to me since it is largely about the events in Marine Sniper, and the description of these events is not as complete as in Marine Sniper. I gave this book a 1 star rating because it was a great disappointment.

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars In Defense of Silent Warrior, December 7, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Silent Warrior: The Marine Sniper's Story Continues (Hardcover)

I read the really bad putdown that the reader from Oceanside hands Silent Warrior and its author. I have read both Marine Sniper and Silent Warrior and found their depictions very accurate. I was in Vietnam as a Marine and drank 333 Beer. I even had a T-shirt with the yellow, red and black 333 label on it. Corporal Burke was awarded the Navy Cross for his heroism at Khe Sanh. I have personally read the documentation, and know the Gunny who put Burke in for the Navy Cross (second to the Medal of Honor). Burke was not acting as a sniper at Khe Sanh, but as a rifle squad leader, and had several men on the hill under his leadership when overrun. He saved their lives, and died doing it. It is documented fact, easily obtainable through Marine Corps headquarters. Henderson draws Burke's death directly from what is written in the documentation used to award the Navy Cross to Burke. Did they get it wrong too? The reader's accusation that Burke's heroism and character are false is shameful. With time memories do fade, and Viet Vets like myself and Henderson may remember things differently. Little things like German Tape, so what!

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars B.R.A.S.S., November 30, 2000

By 

G.J. Burcher (Aurora, Colorado) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Silent Warrior: The Marine Sniper's Story Continues (Hardcover)

Breathe, Relax, Aim, Stop, Squeeze. The technique taught to all Marine recruits during marksmanship training and an appropriate metaphor for Charles Henderson's follow up to Marine Sniper. Thorough with it's attention to detail as well as enlightening, Henderson includes that material which was cut from his first book about Carlos Hathcock and additional information garnered from North Vietnamese military personnel, including those who had tried in vain to eliminate Hathcock and Jim Land on the battlefield over 30 years ago. I was pleasantly surprised to read about David Sommers who served as Sergeant Major of Second Battalion, Recruit Training Regiment, Marine Corps Recruit Depot, San Diego, California nearly 20 years ago when I made that transformation from slimy civilian to United States Marine and his relationship with Hathcock. The letter to Henderson from Jerry Burke Bouchard, sister of Corporal John R. Burke, will simply bring you to tears.

All Americans owe a debt of gratitude to Mr. Henderson for bringing Hathcock's story to print again. Every Marine whether active duty, reserve, former, officer or enlisted should have these books in their library. If you haven't read either, then read both. If you've already read them, then read them again.