The 5 most lethal and heroic US snipers

5. CARLOS HATHCOCK

Carlos Norman Hathcock II (20th May 1942 - 22th February 1999) was a sniper US Marine Corps with a service record of 93 confirmed deaths. Hathcock's record and the extraordinary details of the missions made him a legend in the Marine Corps.

His fame as a sniper and dedication to long-range shooting led him to become a major promoter of the training program United States Marine Corps shooter. He was honored by having a rifle that bears his name: a variant of the M21 dubbed the Springfield Armory M25 White Feather, by the nickname 'White Feather' Hathcock given by the NVA.

4. CHUCK MAWHINNEY

Benjamin Charles 'Chuck' Mawhinney (born 1949) is an American born in Oregon who served in the Marine Corps United States as a sniper during the Vietnam

War. He holds the record for most deaths confirmed by a USMC sniper having recorded 103 confirmed deaths and 216 'probable' deaths in its 16 months of action.

3. ADELBERT WALDRON

Adelbert F. 'Bert' Waldron III, (Marz. 14th, 1933 to Oct. 18th, 1995) was a sniper US Army who served during the Vietnam War with the ninth Infantry Division.

Though little known until 2011 Waldron had the record confirmed by any American sniper in history in 109 deaths Although Chris Kyle later acquired more confirmed kills, Waldron worked in a jungle environment, where opportunities target were less common, while Kyle worked in a rich urban environment objectives where combat rules were more lax.

2. RANDY SHUGHART & GARY GORDON

Although it not classified in terms of number of confirmed deaths, sargento Gary Gordon and Sergeant First Class Randy Shughart are notable for their heroic action while assigned to a sniper Delta Force team during the events of Operation Gothic Snake a mission of assault joint force to apprehend key advisers to the Somali war lord Mohamed Farrah Aidid. This operation was made famous by the book and movie 'Black Hawk Down'.

After the Super Six Four Blackhawk was shot down by Aidid's militia, Gordon and Shughart extract the pilot, Warrant Officer Durant Mike, Bill Cleveland, Ray Frank, Tommy and established defensive positions around the crash site. Despite having inflicted heavy casualties against the Somalis, the two Delta snipers were very outnumbered. Its almost out of ammunition, Gordon and Shughart were shot. It is believed that Gordon was the first to be killed. Shughart team mate. Shortly thereafter, Shughart Durant died and the pilot was captured alive.

Shughart respect and Gordan, Durant made the comment "Without a doubt, I owe my life to these two men and their courage…"

1. CHRIS KYLE

Scott Christopher 'Chris' Kyle (April 8th 1974 until February 2th, 2013) was a Navy SEAL that the most lethal sniper proclaimed in military history, accumulating 160 confirmed deaths and 255 likely deaths. These figures are based on records of individual shooter, completed at the end of a mission, and informed the superior command. Confirmed deaths must have a witness.

Kyle served four services in the Iraq war and was awarded several medals for acts of heroism and meritorious service in combat. He received two medals Silver Star, Bronze Star five medals, one of the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, two Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals. Iraqi insurgents nicknamed him the 'Devil of Ramadi'. He became known by the nickname 'Legend' among the general infantry and marines who had the task of protecting. This title was initially originated in jest peer SEALs after taking a sabbatical to train other snipers in Falluja. He was wounded twice and participated in six IED attacks.

Kyle was honorably discharged from the US Navy in 2009 and wrote a bestseller, American Sniper autobiography, which was published in January 2012. On February 2, 2013, Kyle was shot dead in a shooting near Chalk Mountain, Texas, with his friend Chad Littlefield. The man accused of killing is awaiting a murder trial.