Swift, silent, deadly. The M40 sniper rifle with the Redfield 3x9x40 scope has been the standard Marine sniper rifle since 1966. This rifle has been used by countless Marines to defeat our nation’s enemies. To honor the impressive precision marksmanship of this weapon, Stone Bay will be designated with the call word “Redfield” during a ceremony held by Weapons Training Battalion (WTBN) at building RR120 at Stone Bay, on Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, Feb. 19, 2020.
“Redfield” will be used as the call word when communicating by range controls and firing desks across the Department of Defense. As WTBN specializes in marksmanship, it is appropriate to select a device that has made historical impacts such as the Redfield scope.
This rifle and scope was used by Marines such as Sgt. Charles “Chuck” Mawhinney, who recorded 103 confirmed kills and 216 probable kills with this rifle and scope, while serving in the Vietnam War. Mawhinney holds the record for the most confirmed sniper kills during the Vietnam War.
Mawhinney, a Lakeview, Oregon, native was born in 1949, graduated high school in 1967 and enlisted into the Marine Corps the same year. He completed Scout Sniper School in April 1968 and was sent to Vietnam the next month.
Following his Marine Corps career, Mawhinney returned to his hometown in Oregon, got married and worked for the U.S. Forest Service until his retirement in the late 1990s.
Mawhinney’s public persona grew when Joseph T. Ward’s book “Dear Mom: A Sniper’s Vietnam” was released in 2010. Ward, a scout sniper, spoke about Mawhinney’s accomplishments during the Vietnam War. Mawhinney began speaking at conventions and public events, as well as attending national sniper shooting conventions. Since 2006, the National Museum of the Marine Corps has displayed a rifle Mawhinney used during the Vietnam War.
“This Marine is a silent professional, a humble Marine with impressive accomplishments involving precision marksmanship,” said Chief Warrant Officer 4 Eric M. Brown, battalion gunner with WTBN. To see imagery of the WTBN Redfield Dedication Ceremony on Feb. 19 please go to https://www.facebook.com/camp.lejeune/
Date Taken: | 02.12.2021 |
Date Posted: | 02.12.2021 11:54 |
Story ID: | 388974 |
Location: | STONE BAY, NORTH CAROLINA, US |
Web Views: | 521 |
Downloads: | 2 |
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