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DV is a format for recording and playing back of digital video. It was launched in 1995 with joint efforts of leading producers of video camera recorders.

The original DV specification, known as Blue Book, was standardized within the IEC 61834 family of standards. These standards define common features such as physical videocassettes, recording modulation method, magnetization, and basic system data in part 1. Part 2 describes the specifics of 525-60 and 625-50 systems.^[1] The IEC standards are copyrighted publications available for purchase from IEC or ANSI.

DV Compression[link]

DV is an intraframe video compression scheme, which uses the discrete cosine transform (DCT) to compress video on a frame-by-frame basis. Audio is stored uncompressed.

Closely following ITU-R Rec. 601 standard, DV video employs interlaced scanning with the luminance sampling frequency of 13.5 MHz. This results in 480 scanlines per complete frame for the 60 Hz system, and 576 scanlines per complete frame for the 50 Hz system. In both systems the active area contains 720 pixels per scanline, with 704 pixels used for content and 16 pixels on the sides left for digital blanking. The same frame size is used for 4:3 and 16:9 frame aspect ratios, resulting in different pixel aspect ratios for fullscreen and widescreen video.^[2][3]

Prior to the DCT compression stage, chroma subsampling is applied to the source video in order to reduce the amount of data to be compressed. Baseline DV uses 4:1:1 subsampling in its 60 Hz variant and 4:2:0 subsampling in 50 Hz variant. Low chroma resolution of DV (compared to higher-end digital video formats) is a reason this format is sometimes avoided in chroma keying applications, though advances in chroma keying techniques and software made producing quality keys from DV material possible.^[4][5]

Audio can be stored in either of two forms: 16-bit Linear PCM stereo at 48 kHz sampling rate (768 kbit/s per channel, 1.5 Mbit/s stereo), or four nonlinear 12-bit PCM channels at 32 kHz sampling rate (384 kbit/s per channel, 1.5 MBit/s for four channels). In addition, the DV specification also supports 16-bit audio at 44.1 kHz (706 kbit/s per channel, 1.4 Mbit/s stereo), the same sampling rate used for CD audio. In practice, the 48 kHz stereo mode is used almost exclusively.

Digital Interface Format[link]

The audio, video, and metadata are packaged into 80-byte Digital Interface Format (DIF) blocks which are multiplexed into a 150-block sequence. DIF blocks are the basic units of DV streams and can be stored as computer files in raw form or wrapped in such file formats as Audio Video Interleave (AVI), QuickTime (QT) and Material Exchange Format (MXF).^[6][7] One video frame is formed from either 10 or 12 such sequences, depending on scanning rate, which results in a data rate of about 25 Mbit/s for video, and an additional 1.5 Mbit/s for audio. When written to tape, each sequence corresponds to one complete track.^[2]

Baseline DV employs unlocked audio. This means that the sound may be +/- ⅓ frame out of sync with the video. However, this is the maximum drift of the audio/video synchronization; it is not compounded throughout the recording.

Variants[link]

Sony and Panasonic have created their proprietary versions of DV, which use the same compression scheme, but improve on robustness, linear editing capabilities, color rendition and raster size.

All DV variants except for DVCPRO Progressive are recorded to tape within interlaced video stream. Film-like frame rates are possible by using pulldown. DVCPRO HD supports native progressive format when recorded to P2 memory cards.

DVCPRO[link]

DVCPRO, also known as DVCPRO25, is a variation of DV developed by Panasonic and introduced in 1995 for use in electronic news gathering equipment.

Unlike baseline DV, DVCPRO uses locked audio and 4:1:1 chroma subsampling for both 50 Hz and 60 Hz variants to decrease generation losses.^[8] Audio is available in 16-bit/48 kHz precision.

When recorded to tape, DVCPRO uses wider track pitch - 18 μm vs. 10 μm of baseline DV, which reduces the chance of dropout errors when video is being recorded to tape. Two extra longitudinal tracks provide support for audio cue and for timecode control. Tape is transported 80% faster compared to baseline DV, resulting in shorter recording time. Long Play mode is not available.

DVCAM[link]

In 1996 Sony responded with its own professional version of DV called DVCAM.

Like DVCPRO, DVCAM uses locked audio, which prevents audio synchronization drift that may happen on DV if several generations of copies are made.^[9]

When recorded to tape, DVCAM uses 15 μm track pitch, which is 50% wider compared to baseline. Accordingly, tape is transported 50% faster, which reduces recording time by one third compared to DV. Because of the wider track and track pitch, DVCAM has the ability to do a frame accurate insert tape edit, while DV may vary by a few frames on each edit compared to the preview.

DVCPRO50[link]

DVCPRO50 was introduced by Panasonic in 1997 for high-value electronic news gathering and digital cinema, and is often described as two DV-codecs working in parallel.

The DVCPRO50 doubles the coded video data rate to 50 Mbit/s. This has the effect of cutting total record time of any given storage medium in half. Chroma resolution is improved by using 4:2:2 chroma subsampling.

DVCPRO50 is used in many productions where high definition video is not required. For example, BBC used DVCPRO50 to record high-budget TV series, such as Space Race (2005) and Ancient Rome: The Rise and Fall of an Empire (2006).^[10]

A similar format, D-9, offered by JVC, uses videocassettes with the same form-factor as VHS.

Comparable formats include Sony's Digital Betacam, launched in 1993, and MPEG IMX, launched in 2001.

DVCPRO Progressive[link]

DVCPRO Progressive was introduced by Panasonic for news gathering, sports journalism and digital cinema. It offered 480 or 576 lines of progressive scan recording with 4:2:0 chroma subsampling and four 16-bit 48 kHz PCM audio channels. Like HDV-SD, it was meant as an intermediate format during the transition time from standard definition to high definition video.^[11][12]

The format offered six modes for recording and playback: 16:9 progressive (50 Mbit/s), 4:3 progressive (50 Mbit/s), 16:9 interlaced (50 Mbit/s), 4:3 interlaced (50 Mbit/s), 16:9 interlaced (25 Mbit/s), 4:3 interlaced (25 Mbit/s).^[13]

The format has been superseded with DVCPRO HD.

DVCPRO HD[link]

DVCPRO HD, also known as DVCPRO100 is a high-definition video format that can be thought of as four DV codecs that work in parallel. Video data rate depends on frame rate and can be as low as 40 Mbit/s for 24 frame/s mode and as high as 100 Mbit/s for 50/60 frame/s modes. Like DVCPRO50, DVCPRO HD employs 4:2:2 color sampling.

DVCPRO HD uses smaller raster size than broadcast high definition television: 960x720 pixels for 720p, 1280x1080 for 1080/59.94i and 1440x1080 for 1080/50i. Similar horizontal downsampling is used in many other HD formats. To maintain compatibility with HDSDI, DVCPRO100 equipment upsamples video during playback.

Variable framerates (from 4 to 60 frame/s) are available on VariCam camcorders. DVCPRO HD equipment is backward compatible with older DV/DVCPRO formats.

When recorded to tape, DVCPRO HD uses the same 18 μm track pitch as other DVCPRO flavors. A long play variant, DVCPRO HD-LP, doubles the recording density by using 9 μm track pitch.

DVCPRO HD is codified as SMPTE 370M; the DVCPRO HD tape format is SMPTE 371M, and the MXF Op-Atom format used for DVCPRO HD on P2 cards is SMPTE 390M.

While technically DVCPRO HD is a direct descendant of DV, it is used almost exclusively by professionals. Tape-based DVCPRO HD cameras exist only in shoulder mount variant.

A similar format, Digital-S (D-9 HD), is offered by JVC and uses videocassettes with the same form-factor as VHS.

The main competitor to DVCPRO HD is HDCAM, offered by Sony. It uses a similar compression scheme but at higher bitrate.

Progressive recording[link]

Tape-based DV variants, except for DVCPRO Progressive, do not support native progressive recording, therefore progressively acquired video is recorded within interlaced video stream using pulldown. The same technique is used in television industry to broadcast movies. Progressive-scan DV camcorders for 60 Hz market record 24-frame/s video using 2-3 pulldown and 30-frame/s video using 2-2 pulldown. Progressive-scan DV camcorders for 50 Hz market record 25-frame/s video using 2-2 pulldown.

Progressive video can be recorded with interlaced delivery in mind, in which case high-frequency information between fields is blended to suppress interline twitter. If the goal is progressive-scan distribution like Web videos, progressive-scan DVD-video or filmout, then no filtering is applied. Video recorded with 2-2 pulldown and no vertical filtering is conceptually identical to progressive segmented frame.

Consumer-grade DV camcorders capable of progressive recording usually offer only 2-2 pulldown scheme because of its simplicity. Such a video can be edited as either interlaced or progressive and does not require additional processing aside of treating every pair of fields as one complete frame. Canon and Panasonic call this format Frame Mode, while Sony calls it Progressive Scan recording. 24 frame/s recording is available only on professional DV camcorders and requires pulldown removal if editing at native frame rate is required.

DVCPRO HD supports native progressive recording at 50 or 60 frame/s in 720p mode. To record video acquired at 24, 25 or 30 frame/s frame repeating is used. Frame repeating is similar to field repeating used in interlaced video, and is also called pulldown sometimes.

Recording media[link]

Magnetic tape[link]

DV cassettes: DVCAM-L, DVCPRO-M, MiniDV

DV was originally designed for recording onto magnetic tape. Tape is enclosed into cassettes of four different sizes: small, medium, large and extra-large. All DV cassettes use tape that is ¼ inch (6.35 mm) wide.

Small cassettes, also known as S-size or MiniDV cassettes, had been intended for amateur use, but have become accepted in professional productions as well. MiniDV cassettes are used for recording baseline DV, DVCAM as well as HDV.

Medium or M-size cassettes are used in professional Panasonic equipment and are often called DVCPRO tapes. Panasonic video recorders that accept medium cassette can play back from and record to medium cassette in different flavors of DVCPRO format; they will also play small cassettes containing DV or DVCAM recording, via an adapter.

Large or L-size cassettes are accepted by most standalone DV tape recorders and are used in many shoulder-mount camcorders. The L-size cassette can be used in both Sony and Panasonic equipment; nevertheless, they are often called DVCAM tapes. Older Sony decks would not play large cassettes with DVCPRO recordings, but newer models can.

Extra-large cassettes or XL-size have been designed for use in Panasonic equipment and are sometimes called DVCPRO XL. These cassettes are not widespread, only two models of standalone Panasonic tape recorders can accept them.

Technically, any DV cassette can record any variant of DV video. Nevertheless, manufacturers often label cassettes with DV, DVCAM, DVCPRO, DVCPRO50 or DVCPRO HD and indicate recording time with regards to the label posted. Cassettes labeled as DV indicate recording time of baseline DV; another number can indicate recording time of Long Play DV. Cassettes labeled as DVCPRO have a yellow tape-door and indicate recording time when DVCPRO25 is used; with DVCPRO50 the recording time is half, with DVCPRO HD it is a quarter. Cassettes labeled as DVCPRO50 have a blue tape-door and indicate recording time when DVCPRO50 is used. Cassettes labeled as DVCPRO HD have a red tape-door and indicate recording time when DVCPRO HD-LP format is used; a second number may be used for DVCPRO HD recording, which will be half as long.

Panasonic stipulated use of a particular magnetic tape formulation — Metal Particle (MP) — as an inherent part of its DVCPRO family of formats. Regular DV tape uses Metal Evaporate (ME) formulation, which was pioneered for use in Hi8 camcorders. Early Hi8 ME tape was plagued with excessive dropouts, which forced many shooters to switch to more expensive MP tape.^[14] After the technology improved, the dropout rate was greatly reduced, nevertheless Panasonic deemed ME formulation not robust enough for professional use. Tape-based Panasonic camcorders do not use small DV cassettes, effectively preventing use of ME tape.

DV cassettes can come with a memory-in-cassette (MIC) low capacity EEPROM memory chip. Using the I²C protocol, cameras and recording decks can record any data desired onto this chip like contents list, times and dates of recordings, camera settings or video thumbnails, taken each time the record button on the camcorder is pressed. MIC functionality is optional and is not widely used in consumer equipment. Most tapes available to consumers do not include the MIC chip. Almost every recorder and camcorder includes the hardware to read and write to the MIC, but the firmware does not always have the code to actually perform the task.

A disassembled MiniDV cassette.

In 1999 Sony retrofitted its 8-mm camcorders with DV encoding scheme, creating Digital8. This allowed recording 60 minutes of DV video onto two-hour Video8/Hi8 cassette. Digital8 did not get as widespread acceptance as MiniDV and Sony discontinued Digital8 camcorders in 2007.

File-based media[link]

With proliferation of tapeless camcorder video recording, DV video can be recorded on optical discs, solid state flash memory cards and hard disk drives and used as computer files. In particular:

• Sony XDCAM family of cameras can record DV onto either Professional Disc or SxS memory cards.
• Panasonic DVCPRO HD and AVC-Intra camcorders can record DV (as well as DVCPRO) onto P2 cards.
• Some Panasonic AVCHD camcorders (AG-HMC80, AG-AC130, AG-AC160) record DV video onto Secure Digital memory cards.
• JVC GY-HM750 records DV video onto either Secure Digital or SxS memory cards.
• Most DV and HDV camcorders can feed live DV stream over IEEE 1394 interface to an external file-based recorder.

Video is stored either as native DIF bitstream or wrapped into an audio/video container such as AVI, QuickTime and MXF.

• DV-DIF is the raw form of DV video. The files usually have extensions *.dv or *.dif.
• DV-AVI is Microsoft's implementation of DV video file, which is wrapped into an AVI container. Two variants of wrapping are available: with Type 1 the multiplexed audio and video is saved into the video section of a single AVI file, with Type 2 video and audio are saved as separate streams in an AVI file (one video stream and one to four audio streams). This container is used primarily on Windows-based computers, though Sony offers two tapeless recorders, the HDD-based HVR-DR60^[15] and the CompactFlash-based HVR-MRC1K,^[16] for use with DV/HDV camcorders that can record in DV-AVI format either making a file-based copy of the tape or bypassing tape recording altogether. Panasonic AVCHD camcorders uses Type 2 DV-AVI for recording DV video onto Secure Digital memory card.^[17]
• Quicktime-DV is DV video wrapped into Quicktime container. This container is used primarily on Apple computers.
• MXF-DV wraps DV video into MXF container, which is presently used on P2-based camcorders (Panasonic) and on XDCAM/XDCAM EX camcorders (Sony).

Connectivity[link]

Nearly all DV camcorders and decks have IEEE 1394 (FireWire, i.LINK) ports for digital video transfer. When video is captured onto a computer it is stored in a container file, which can be either raw DV stream, AVI, WMV or Quicktime. Whichever container is used, the video itself is not re-encoded and represents a complete digital copy of what has been recorded onto tape. If needed, the video can be recorded back to tape to obtain full and lossless copy of the original footage.

Some camcorders also feature a USB 2.0 port for computer connection. This port is usually used for transferring still images, but not for video transfer. Camcorders that offer video transfer over USB usually do not deliver full DV quality - usually it is 320x240 video (except for the Sony DCR-PC1000 camcorder and some Panasonic camcorders providing transfer of a full-quality DV stream via USB).

High end cameras and VTRs may have additional professional outputs such as SDI, SDTI or analog component video. All DV variants have a time code, but some older or consumer computer applications fail to take advantage of it.

Usage[link]

DV enabled filmmakers to produce movies inexpensively, and became strongly associated with independent film and citizen journalism^{[citation needed]}.

The high quality of DV images, especially when compared to Video8 and Hi8 which were vulnerable to an unacceptable amount of video dropouts and "hits", prompted the acceptance by mainstream broadcasters of material shot on DV. The low costs of DV equipment and their ease of use put such cameras in the hands of a new breed of videojournalists. Programs such as TLC's Trauma: Life in the E.R. and ABC News's Hopkins: 24/7 were shot on DV.

Professional television reporters such as Anderson Cooper and Katie Couric seem to shoot some of their stories themselves.^[18]

DVCPRO HD has become the preferred high definition standard of the BBC Factual. This format will be replaced with AVC-intra when it becomes viable.^[19]

Application software support[link]

Most DV players, editors and encoders only support the basic DV format, but not its professional versions. DV Audio/Video data can be stored as raw DV data stream file (data is written to a file as the data is received over FireWire, file extensions are .dv and .dif) or the DV data can be packed into container files (ex: Microsoft AVI, Apple MOV). The DV meta-information is preserved in both file types.

Most Windows video software only supports DV packed into AVI containers, as they use Microsoft's avifile.dll, which only supports reading avi files. A few notable exceptions exist:

• Apple Inc.'s iMovie: iMovie allows importing from HDV cameras since iMovie HD, which import in full quality, and DV cameras since iMovie 1, which decodes to half of the original quality.
• Apple Inc.'s Final Cut Pro: Final Cut Pro allows importing from DV and HDV cameras. It supports rewinding, fast-forwarding, pausing, stopping and playing from the computer.
• Apple Inc.'s QuickTime Player: QuickTime by default only decodes DV to half of the resolution to preserve processing power for editing capabilities. However, in the "Pro" version the setting "High Quality" under "Show Movie Properties" enables full resolution playback.
• DVMP Basic & DVMP Pro: full decoding quality. Plays AVI (inc DVCPRO25 and DVCAM) and.dv files. Also displays the DV meta-information (e.g. timecode, date/time, f-stop, shutter speed, gain, white balance etc.)
• The VLC media player (Free software): full decoding quality
• MPlayer (also with GUI under Windows and Mac OS X): full decoding quality
• muvee Technologies autoProducer 4.0: Allows editing using FireWire IEEE 1394
• Quasar DV codec (libdv) - open source DV codec for Linux
• DVswitch - open source linear editor for DV streams, with live streaming capabilities
• DV Streamer - Shareware to use a DV drive as a backup tape drive for PCs

Mixing tapes from different manufacturers[link]

There is controversy over whether or not using tapes from different manufacturers can lead to dropouts.^[20][21][22] A research undertaken by Sony claimed that there was no hard evidence of the above statement. The only evidence claimed was that using ME tapes in equipment designed for MP tapes can cause tape damage and hence dropouts.^[23]

The perpetuation of this controversy, based solely on hearsay, is misleading to end users. Sony has done a significant amount of internal testing to simulate head clogs as a result of mixing tape lubricants, and has been unable to recreate the problem. Sony recommends using cleaning cassettes once every 50 hours of recording or playback. For those who are still skeptical, Sony recommends cleaning video heads with a cleaning cassette before trying another brand of tape.

External links[link]

• Adam Wilt's DV page with in-depth technical information
• Technical Documentation on the storage of DV data in AVI files: [1]

This article needs auditing for compliance with the Manual of Style. Please improve this article if you can. (September 2011)

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (March 2007)

Donald James "Don" Moen^{[citation needed]} (born June 29, 1950 in Minneapolis, Minnesota) is an American singer-songwriter, pastor, and producer of Christian worship music.

Before Moen was hired to work for Integrity Music, he attended Oral Roberts University and became a Living Sound musician for Terry Law Ministries and traveled with Terry Law for ten years.^[1] He produced 11 volumes for the Hosanna! Music series of worship albums. His first album under his own name, Worship with Don Moen, was released in 1992. His music has total global sales of over five million units.^[2]

Moen worked for Integrity Media for over 20 years, serving as creative director and president of Integrity Music, president of Integrity Label Group, and an executive producer of Integrity Music albums.^[2] He left Integrity Media in 2008 to start a new initiative, The Don Moen Company.^[3] The Don Moen Company acquired MediaComplete, the church software company that created MediaShout. Moen became a radio host for Don Moen & Friends in 2009. Moen received a Dove Award for his work on the musical God with Us in addition to amassing nine nominations for his songs. Moen is also a prolific songwriter, having worked with Claire Cloninger, Paul Overstreet, Martin J. Nystrom, Randy Rothwell, Ron Kenoly, Bob Fitts, Debbye Graafsma, Paul Baloche, Tom Brooks, among many others. He has also worked with talented musicians, Abraham Laboriel, Alex Acuna, Paul Jackson, Jr., Lenny LeBlanc and Carl Albrecht. His name is associated with some of the most well-known songs in Contemporary Christian Music.^[4]

Notable recordings[link]

Moen's first album for Hosanna! Music, Give Thanks, became the label's bestseller. He followed this with a number of successful albums of his own including two, En Tu Presencia and Trono De Gracia, in Spanish. God with Us won Dove Award for Best Musical. On an Asian tour in 1999 he recorded The Mercy Seat at Singapore Indoor Stadium in Singapore and Heal Our Land at Yoido Park in South Korea, which was released in 2000. One of Moen's albums, I Will Sing, was recorded at Christian Broadcasting Network.

God Will Make a Way: The Best of Don Moen was released in 2003 and features 19 greatest hits. The title song was written for his wife's sister and her husband, who lost their oldest son in an auto accident while three other children were seriously injured. Moen's album, Hiding Place, became his first studio album which was recorded at Paragon Studios in Franklin, Tennessee and was released in the autumn of 2006. I Believe There Is More released on fall 2008. His third studio recording titled Uncharted Territory (funded successfully through Kickstarter) released on March 27, 2012.^[5] His third Christmas album is expected to release on 2012.^{[citation needed]} Moen will release a new album titled Hymnbook as a celebration of reaching over 1 million likes on his Facebook page.^[6][7]

Personal life[link]

He lives in Tennessee with his wife Laura and their five adult children.^{[citation needed]}

Discography[link]

Other recordings[link]

Awards and nominations[link]

See also[link]

• Christian music
• Christian music industry

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Integrity Music Artists - Don Moen

Carlos Hathcock
Carlos Hathcock in 1996
Nickname	Lông Trắng du Kich (White Feather Sniper)
Born	(1942-05-20)May 20, 1942 Little Rock, Arkansas
Died	February 23, 1999(1999-02-23) (aged 56) Virginia Beach, Virginia
Allegiance	United States
Service/branch	United States Marine Corps
Years of service	1959–1979
Rank	Gunnery Sergeant
Unit	1st Marine Division
Battles/wars	Vietnam War
Awards	Silver Star Purple Heart Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal

Carlos Hathcock (May 20, 1942 – February 23, 1999) was a United States Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant sniper with a service record of 93 confirmed kills. Hathcock's record and the extraordinary details of the missions he undertook made him a legend in the Marine Corps. His fame as a sniper and his dedication to long distance shooting led him to become a major developer of the United States Marine Corps Sniper training program. He was honored by having a rifle named after him: a variant of the M21 dubbed the Springfield Armory M25 White Feather.

Early life[link]

Hathcock was born in Little Rock, Arkansas on May 20, 1942. He grew up in rural Arkansas, living with his grandmother after his parents separated. He took to shooting and hunting at an early age, partly out of necessity to help feed his poor family. He would go into the woods with his dog and pretend to be a soldier and hunt imaginary Nazis in his "own little Germany". He would hunt at that early age with a rifle that his father had brought back from Europe during World War II. Hathcock dreamed of being a Marine throughout his childhood, and so on May 20, 1959, at the age of 17, he enlisted in the Marine Corps.^[1] Hathcock married Jo Winstead on November 10, 1962.^[1] Jo gave birth to a son, whom they named Carlos Norman Hathcock III.

Marine Corps career[link]

Before deploying to Vietnam, Hathcock had won shooting championships, including matches at Camp Perry and the Wimbledon Cup. In 1966 Hathcock started his deployment in Vietnam as an MP and later became a sniper after Captain Edward James Land pushed the Marines into raising snipers in every platoon. Land later recruited Marines who had set their own records in sharpshooting; he quickly found Hathcock, who had won the Wimbledon Cup, the most prestigious prize for long-range shooting, at Camp Perry in 1965.^{[citation needed]}

Statistics of confirmed kills[link]

During the Vietnam War Hathcock had 93 confirmed kills of North Vietnamese Army and Viet-Cong personnel.^[2] (During the Vietnam War, kills had to be confirmed by an acting third party, who had to be an officer, besides the sniper's spotter. Snipers often did not have an acting third party present, making confirmation difficult, especially if the target was behind enemy lines, as was usually the case.)

Confrontations with NVA snipers[link]

The North Vietnamese Army placed a bounty of $30,000 on Hathcock's life for killing so many of their men. Rewards put on U.S. snipers by the N.V.A. typically ranged from $8 to $2,000. Hathcock held the record for highest bounty and killed every Vietnamese marksman who sought it.^[3] The Viet Cong and N.V.A. called Hathcock Lông Trắng, translated as "White Feather", because of the white feather he kept in a band on his bush hat.^[4] After a platoon of trained Vietnamese snipers was sent to hunt down "White Feather", many Marines in the same area donned white feathers to deceive the enemy. These Marines were aware of the impact Hathcock's death would have and took it upon themselves to make themselves targets in order to confuse the counter-snipers.^[5]

One of Hathcock's most famous accomplishments was shooting an enemy sniper through the enemy's own rifle scope, hitting him in the eye and killing him.^[6] Hathcock and John Roland Burke, his spotter, were stalking the enemy sniper in the jungle near Hill 55, the firebase from which Hathcock was operating. The sniper had already killed several Marines and was believed to have been sent specifically to kill Hathcock.^[5] When Hathcock saw a flash of light (light reflecting off the enemy sniper's scope) in the bushes,^[6] he fired at it, shooting through the scope and killing the sniper.^[6] Surveying the situation, Hathcock concluded that the only feasible way he could have put the bullet straight down the enemy's scope and through his eye would have been if both snipers were zeroing in on each other at the same time and Hathcock fired first, which gave him only a few seconds to act.^[5] Given the flight time of rounds at long ranges, both snipers could have simultaneously killed one another.^[6][7] Hathcock took possession of the dead sniper's rifle, hoping to bring it home as a "trophy", but after tagging the rifle it was stolen from the armory.^[8]

A female Viet cong sniper, platoon commander, and interrogator known as "Apache", because of her methods of torturing US Marines and ARVN troops and letting them bleed to death, was killed by Hathcock. This was a major morale victory as "Apache" was terrorizing the troops around Hill 55.^[9]

Assassination of a NVA commanding general[link]

Hathcock only once removed the white feather from his bush hat while deployed in Vietnam.^[10] During a volunteer mission days before the end of his first deployment, he crawled over 1,500 yards of field to shoot an NVA commanding general.^[4][10][11] He was not informed of the details of the mission until he accepted it.^[7] This effort took four days and three nights, without sleep, of constant inch-by-inch crawling.^[4][10][11] Hathcock said he was almost stepped on as he lay camouflaged with grass and vegetation in a meadow shortly after sunset.^[1] At one point he was nearly bitten by a bamboo viper but had the presence of mind to avoid moving and giving up his position.^[11] As the general exited his tent, Hathcock fired a single shot that struck the general in the chest, killing him.^[4][10][11] He had to crawl back instead of run when soldiers started searching, and later regretted taking the mission, for in the aftermath of the assassination the NVA doubled their attacks in the area, apparently in retaliation for their general being killed and leading to an increase in American casualties.^[4][10][11]

After the arduous mission of killing the general, Hathcock returned to the United States in 1967.^{[4][7][10][11]} However, he missed the Marine Corps and returned to Vietnam in 1969, where he took command of a platoon of snipers.^[5]

Medical evacuation[link]

Hathcock's career as a sniper came to a sudden end along Route 1, north of LZ Baldy in September 1969, when the amtrack he was riding on, an LVT-5, struck an anti-tank mine. Hathcock pulled seven Marines off the flame-engulfed vehicle and was severely burned before jumping to safety. While recovering, Hathcock received the Purple Heart. Nearly 30 years later, he would receive the Silver Star for this action.^[5] All eight injured marines were medevac-ed to the USS Repose (AH-16), then to a Naval Hospital in Tokyo, and ultimately to the burn center at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas.

After the Vietnam War[link]

After returning to active duty, Hathcock helped establish the Marine Corps Scout Sniper School, at the Marine base in Quantico, Virginia. Due to his extreme injuries suffered in Vietnam, he was in nearly constant pain, but he continued to dedicate himself to teaching snipers. In 1975, Hathcock's health began to deteriorate, and he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. He stayed in the Corps, but his health continued to decline, and was forced to retire just 55 days short of the 20 years that would have made him eligible for full retirement pay. Being medically retired, he received 100% disability. He would have received only 50% of his final pay grade had he retired after 20 years. He fell into a state of depression when he was forced out of the Marines, because he felt as if the service had kicked him out. During this depression, his wife Jo nearly left him, but decided to stay. Hathcock eventually picked up the hobby of shark fishing, which helped him overcome his depression.^[12]

Hathcock provided sniper instruction to police departments and select military units, such as SEAL Team Six.^[13]

Civilian life[link]

Hathcock once said that he survived in his work because of an ability to "get in the bubble", to put himself into a state of "utter, complete, absolute concentration", first with his equipment, then his environment, in which every breeze and every leaf meant something, and finally on his quarry.^[14] After the war, a friend showed Hathcock a passage written by Ernest Hemingway: "Certainly there is no hunting like the hunting of man, and those who have hunted armed men long enough and like it, never really care for anything else thereafter." He copied Hemingway's words on a piece of paper. "He got that right", Hathcock said. "It was the hunt, not the killing."^[10] Hathcock said in a book written about his career as a sniper: "I like shooting, and I love hunting. But I never did enjoy killing anybody. It's my job. If I don't get those bastards, then they're gonna kill a lot of these kids dressed up like Marines. That's the way I look at it."^[15]

Hathcock's son, Carlos Hathcock III, later enlisted in the Marine Corps;^[16] he retired from the Marine Corps as a Gunnery Sergeant after following in his father's footsteps as a shooter, and became a member of the Board of Governors of the Marine Corps Distinguished Shooters Association.^[17]

Carlos Hathcock died on February 23, 1999, in Virginia Beach, Virginia, after a long struggle with multiple sclerosis.^[18]

Decorations[link]

•   Silver Star. Hathcock was awarded a Silver Star in 1996 not for his sniping, but for his act in 1969 of saving the lives of seven fellow Marines after the amphibious tractor (AMTRAC) on which they were riding struck a landmine. Hathcock was knocked unconscious, but awoke in time to race back through the flames to rescue his injured comrades.^[19]

•   Purple Heart

•   Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal

Legacy[link]

Hathcock remains a legend in the U.S. Marine Corps. The Gunnery Sergeant Carlos Hathcock Award is presented annually to the Marine who does the most to promote marksmanship training.^[20] A sniper range is named for Hathcock at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.

In 1967 Hathcock set the record for the longest combat kill. He used a M2 Browning machine gun mounting a telescopic sight at a range of 2,500 yd (2,286 m), taking down a single Vietcong guerilla.^[21] This record was broken only in 2002, by Canadian snipers from the 3rd Bn. PPCLI during the War in Afghanistan. Hathcock was one of several individuals to utilize the M2 Browning machine gun in the sniping role. This success led to the adoption of the .50 BMG cartridge as a viable sniper round. Sniper rifles have since been designed around and chambered in this caliber since the 1970s. The Canadian Army snipers from the PPCLI also used the .50 BMG round in their record-breaking shots.

Springfield Armory designed a highly accurized version of their M1A Supermatch rifle with a McMillan Stock and match grade barrel and dubbed it the "M-25 White Feather". The rifle had a likeness of Hathcock's signature and his "white feather logo" marked on the receiver.^[22]

Turner Saddlery similarly honored Hathcock by producing a line of leather rifle slings based on his design. The slings are embossed with Hathcock's signature.^[23]

On March 9, 2007 the rifle and pistol complex at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar was officially renamed the Carlos Hathcock Range Complex.^[24]

Books[link]

Hathcock was the subject of a number of books including:

• Chandler, Roy F. (1997). White feather: Carlos Hathcock USMC scout sniper : an authorized biographical memoir (1997 ed.). Iron Brigade Armory Publishing. ISBN 978-1-885633-09-5.  - Total pages: 277
• Henderson, Charles (2001). Marine Sniper: 93 Confirmed Kills (2001 ed.). Berkley Books. ISBN 978-0-425-18165-2.  - Total pages: 315
• Henderson, Charles W. (2003). Silent Warrior (2003 ed.). Berkley Books. ISBN 978-0-425-18864-4.  - Total pages: 336
• Sasser, Charles; Roberts, Craig (1990). One Shot, One Kill (1990 ed.). Pocket Books. ISBN 978-0-671-68219-4.  - Total pages: 288

Weaponry[link]

Hathcock generally used the standard sniper rifle: the Winchester Model 70 .30-06 caliber rifle with the standard 8-power Unertl scope. On some occasions, however, he used a different weapon: the M2 Browning machine gun, on which he mounted a 10X Unertl scope, using a bracket of his own design.^[4] Hathcock made a number of kills with this weapon in excess of 1,000 yards, including his record for the longest confirmed kill at 2,500 yards.^[4][25] Hathcock carried a Colt M1911A1 pistol as a sidearm.^[9]

In fictional works[link]

Hathcock's career as a sniper has been used as a basis for a variety of fictional snipers from the "shooting through the scope incident" to the number of kills he made. There is a reference to Hathcock in the television show NCIS during the episode "One Shot One Kill", when a small white feather is found at the crime scenes of a sniper's victims. Gibbs, a former Marine, credits Hathcock with "39 confirmed kills", apparently having transposed the digits of Hathcock's actual 93 confirmed kills.^[26]

The protagonist of Stephen Hunter's Bob Lee Swagger Series consisting of the novels Point of Impact, Black Light, Time to Hunt and I, Sniper is loosely based on Carlos Hathcock (Hathcock is alluded to in the book as "Gunny Sgt Carl Hitchcock").^[27][28]

The 1993 movie Sniper, featuring actor Tom Berenger, is loosely based on some of Hathcock's exploits in Vietnam.^[29]

In JAG, Season 1, Episode 16 ("High Ground"), Gunnery Sergeant Ray Crockett (portrayed by Stephen McHattie) is based on Hathcock. The Gunny is a sniper instructor at Quantico Virginia who believes that he is being "forced out of the service" short of his retirement. He makes the statement that he "wrote most of the book" on sniper operations. The character, Rabb, refers to an incident where the Gunny pins down an NVA unit by killing their officer with the first shot. In Beirut, Crockett used a Browning .50 to take down an enemy sniper at about 2500 m. Lastly, Gunny Crockett is a winner of The Wimbledon Cup.^[30]

In the fourth episode of the first season of the CBS show Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior, the criminal being chased by the Behavioral Analysis Unit's red cell team is a long-distance sniper killer, played by Noel Fisher. Fisher sends Mick Rawson (played by Matt Ryan) of the BAU team a package containing a pager which he uses to notify Rawson of his next kills; he signs the package "Carlos Hathcock", which Rawson explains by sharing the tale of Hathcock's 93 kills and an incident during the Vietnam War in which he was put up against the best sniper of the NVA, known only as 'Cobra' (thus mimicking the incident, since Rawson is also a skilled sniper shooter).^[31]

In Barry Eisler's fictional series based on his character John Rain, the third installment 'Rain Storm' contains a scene between Rain and a fellow Vietnam veteran Dox. Dox was a marine sniper who had difficulties with a superior whom was suspicious of his unsniper like demeanour. He tells Rain of several kills of over a thousand yards and states: " Not bad for someone temperamentally unsuited, I'd say. Carlos Hathcock would be proud." Rain informs Dox he met Hathcock in Vietnam, to which Dox exclaims: " No! You met the man!".

See also[link]

	Biography portal
	United States Marine Corps portal

• Jack Coughlin, a retired Marine sniper with over 60 confirmed kills whose service includes Iraq and Somalia
• Chris Kyle, who holds the current record for the most confirmed kills in U.S. military history, with 160 kills in the Iraq War
• List of historically important U.S. Marines
• Longest recorded sniper kills
• Chuck Mawhinney holds the highest number of confirmed kills (103) for any USMC sniper in history
• Adelbert Waldron, who held the record for the most confirmed kills in U.S. military history, with 109 kills in Vietnam

References[link]

Citations

Bibliography[link]

External links[link]

• Marine Corps Sniper Carlos N. Hathcock, Marine Corps Heroes.
• Carlos Hathcock, Sniper Central.

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