Chapters 15, 16, and 17 Summary and Analysis

Chapters 15 and 16, dealing with Hathcock's approximately year-long break, are two of the shortest chapters in the text. Hathcock returns home and the war in Vietnam passes through the peak activity period of United States involvement, with 543,400 American servicemen committed to combat in April, 1969. At home, Hathcock obtains a routine civilian job but detests the daily grind and is unable to assimilate into civilian life. His restlessness eventually leads him to active duty and he begins a rigorous touring schedule of competition shooting with Marine teams. While stateside, Hathcock receives a letter from Land that contains devastating news—Burke has been killed in action. Hathcock learns the details only much later—Burke's position had been overrun by enemy infantry, and Burke had coordinated the last-ditch defense of the command-post which was full of wounded men. For valor in...