USMC Shooting Team 1969??

[TheLongshot00]

I'm trying to locate information online about the USMC Shooting team in 1969 but havn't been able to locate anything and was hoping someone could point me in the right direction.
An old friend of the family just found out I was building my M1 and offered to take me out to the range and teach me to shoot it (If your wondering about my handle it refers to my odds and not my marksmanship skills, so I didn't take the offer as a slight in anyway ) he had always said that his marksmanship had kept him out of Vietnam but I didn't realize untill now that it was because he was on the USMC shooting team with guys like Carlos Hathcock, and was in compitions and not in rice paddys. Thanks for the help.

Information

Warning: This is a relatively older thread This discussion is older than 360 days. Some information contained in it may no longer be current.

[Devil Dog]

Mr. Hathcock was in the rice paddys.

[TheLongshot00]

I never said that he wasn't. I think I pretty clearly stated that it was my friend who never spent any time over there.

[Devil Dog]

You and I both know that, but I didn't want any other readers to think that being on the USMC rifle team would keep them from serving in Viet Nam. Gunny Hathcock served just under twenty years in the Marine Corps with two tours in Viet Nam.

[TheLongshot00]

I can understand that. I don't think anybody can go through any branch of the services and not read "Marine Sniper", but not everybody that checks the forums is a Veteran I guess.

[RobSmith]

I suppose he have been assigned as a marksmanship instructor ... This have kept him "safe" from serving in RVN as there just wouldn't have been too many of those around.

[Griff Murphey]

Not true. Hathcock had multiple tours in Viet Nam; and was combat wounded. He was at the 1969 Texas NRA regionals in San Antonio (Camp Bullis) and all geared up to shoot, when he was directed to report for embarkation to Vietnam. That was either his second or third tour. The incident is well detailed in Charles Henderson's original book, MARINE SNIPER. On the saturday of that shoot (Team Day), incidentally, my friend S/Sgt John D. Stanfield, platoon sergeant of the 4th USMCR sniper platoon, led me over to Hathcock and introduced me to him. I thought he was very remote and cold. It wasn't until I read Henderson's book until I understood why he was kind of zoned out. Eventually he has badly burned when a vehicle he was in took an RPG; he never fully recovered and developed MS on top of his injuries. Ironically he was sent back to Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio. Other USMC friends of mine, Col. and Mrs. Bill Dickman (CO of the USMCR Sniper School at Camp Bullis) took personal charge of taking care of him and attending to him. Col. Dickman recently passed away, incidentally.

[Bob Womack]

I think the OP was simply trying to say that his friend was on the shooting team and was held back to shoot in competition. Perhaps his MOS wasn't sniper, so he didn't end up in Vietnam. We all know that Carlos served over there and and I feel certain the comparison to him by the OP was casual and not the point.

Bob

[TheLongshot00]

Man, this can be a great source of info but a lot of times these posts just seem to go in completely a different direction, Informative for sure, But back to the original question...Does anyone know a website with info about the USMC shooting team in 1969???? Either way thanks guys

[campperrykid]

I don't know about the USMC , but I can say that many of the US Army competition shooters , including at least two National Champions served as snipers in the RVN. The two Service Rifle Champions that come to mind are Joe Gaipo ( sp ) and Earl Waterman.
Many other top Army shooters served in SE Asia in other jobs.