Vietnam Veteran Recalls Choosing Tear Gas Over Lethal Force on Sniper Hunt

In a video from JackCarrUSA, a Vietnam veteran recounts the one counter-sniper mission he ran during the war, against a shooter who took occasional potshots at American vehicles traveling the road known as QL14.

Key points

• The setup: The veteran split his team into three elements and moved into the jungle before dawn, waiting for enough light to safely identify and engage the shooter.
• Contact: A shot rang out before the team was fully in position, and they spotted a Vietnamese civilian running down a hillside after ditching his rifle.
• The discovery: The veteran tracked him to a small hut and found him eating breakfast with his wife and child. He suspected the man had been coerced into shooting at Americans.
• The decision: Rather than kill the man in front of his family, he swapped his M79 round for tear gas and fired it into the hut.
• The outcome: The sniping stopped entirely after that.

Quick take

The veteran calls the choice one of his few "acts of foolish compassion" in the war. He credits the end of the sniping to the man realizing the Americans now knew where he was.

Watch the full video: JackCarrUSA