May 20, 1942

Carlos Hathcock was born in North Little Rock (Pulaski County), the only child of Carlos and Agnes Hathcock. Hathcock enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps in Little Rock in 1959 on his seventeenth birthday with his mother’s written permission. He is believed to have attained the highest number of recorded kills in the history of the corps. Known to his fellow soldiers as “Gunny,” Hathcock had ninety-three confirmed kills as a sniper during the Vietnam War. Others have had more confirmed kills, but his actual total is estimated to be more than 300. He was also instrumental in establishing the Marine Corps Scout/Sniper School at Quantico, Virginia, and he helped plan its syllabus.