Summary- The Viet Cong retreated after the assault because back up was arriving for the Americans. This event has left a scar on Hathcock. The inhumane torture of the captured soldier lead him to have a hate for this Viet Cong woman in particular. The Viet woman sent a message to the NVA, North Vietnamese Army, commander. The United States had bombed the NVA base and Viet Cong stronghold earlier, but little did they know that the commander and the real headquarter was hidden in the mountains of Vietnam and Laos. The message was a warning that the United States now had snipers on their side, one in particular, Long Tra'ng, was to be watched for. Long Tra'ng was Vietnamese for White Feather which was Hathcock's nickname. During this time, the Marines were recovering from the attack. Hathcock awoke to the sound of his comrades complaining about the bugs of Vietnam. Hathcock, Land, and the sniping crew were going out to keep watch of a area 3 miles from their base. They see a black clad man, a scout. That meant that the Viet were close. They soon saw the woman who had tortured marines walk into the opening that Hathcock and Land were watching. She was looking around in preparations of another attack. One swift shot from Hathcock put an end to that plan. There was celebration for all who have their comrades tortured by the woman. The death of the woman was a heavy loss to the Viet Cong and NVA. Hathcock has been assigned to participate in Rio Blanco with his fellow snipers. Rio Blanco was an ongoing operation to secure the wide valley that the river Song Tro Khuc runs through. It was an important NVA territory. The patrol that Hathcock did next lead him to kill an innocent old man who was forced by the Viet Cong to shoot the Americans. The headshot that Hathcock placed upon the man was the most gruesome yet. The shot and the events after were described in detail. The sniper's operations and kills have convinced many, that snipers were important, which was Land's goal. The higher ups in the military hierarchy were reluctant to accept that a single man could kill as many people as a whole battalion in the same amount of time. Division Cp has asked Hathcock to kill a man, French in descent. He was never given why he had to kill this man, but his Commanders had asked him to do so. They said that he held valuable information and had to die. Hathcock did a shoot and run operation when he killed the French man. A group of Viet Cong were suddenly shooting at him. He barely managed to escape with his life as he boarded the helicopter in a clearing with Burke, who had accompanied him. After these successful missions, Hathcock was requested by many other divisions, and he could barely keep up with the request for snipers. Hathcock goes on to kill many others alone in the mountains of Vietnam. He sent his colleagues back to his base for their well being. Land is furious about his actions and send an order to arrest him. When taken back to base Hathcock asks what he did wrong. Land replies that he needed a break, he had worried about everyone's well being except for his own. Land reveals that Hathcock has a bounty on him, one worth several Grand. Hathcock was welcomed back warmly to base.
Quote- "Hathcock rolled on his back, blinking sweat from his eyes as it streaked through the green greasepaint that covered his face. His chest heaved and his head pounded. With his hand, he felt Burke's shoulder and arm at his side, and smiled triumphantly. All was well."(Henderson 137).
Reaction- As the story progresses, I as the reader am starting to see more and more patterns in Charles Henderson's writing. He describes events with such detail. This especially applies to the most gory and gruesome scenes. Tortures and headshots are depicted vividly. The quote shows more detail into Hathcock's personality. This quote shows the optimistic side of him. Hathcock and Burke had just finished a mission, one where they barely escaped. Hathcock is completely happy because he knows that all is well even though it isn't. This quote really caught my attention because it produced a warm and happy picture in my mind. It was sort of like a fairytale ending to a mission. All seemed well until the next mission.
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