Adelbert Waldron
Adelbert F. "Bert" Waldron III (March 14, 1933 – October 18, 1995) was a United States Army sniper who served during the Vietnam War with the 9th Infantry Division. Until 2011, Waldron held the record for most confirmed kills by any American sniper (109 confirmed kills).[1][2]
Adelbert F. Waldron III | |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | "Bert" |
| Born | March 14, 1933 Syracuse, NY, U.S. |
| Died | October 18, 1995 (aged 62) California, U.S. |
| Buried | |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Service/ | United States Navy United States Army |
| Years of service | 1953–1965 (U.S. Navy) 1968–1970 (U.S. Army) |
| Rank | Staff sergeant |
| Unit | 9th Infantry Division, United States Army Marksmanship Unit |
| Battles/wars | Vietnam War |
| Awards | Distinguished Service Cross (2) Silver Star Bronze Star (3) Presidential Unit Citation |
Early life
Adelbert was born 14 March 1933 to Adeline Baxter Waldron and Adelbert F. Waldron, a parking lot operator, detective agency employee, fireman and school bus driver in Syracuse, New York. He had two sisters.[3]
Career
Prior to his time in the Army, Waldron spent 12 years in the US Navy. As a member of the 9th Infantry Division, he was assigned to PBR boats patrolling the Mekong Delta, at one point making a confirmed kill from a moving boat at 900 yards. He set his record of 109 kills in just 8 months. After leaving Vietnam he was assigned as a marksmanship instructor at Ft. Benning, GA but left the Army in 1970.
Waldron was one of the few two-time recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross, both awarded for separate actions in 1969. In addition to these he was awarded a Silver Star, multiple Bronze Stars, and a Presidential Unit Citation.[4][5]
Waldron is buried in Riverside National Cemetery in Riverside, California.[6]
See also
- Chris Kyle (United States Navy SEAL) was in 2011 credited with 160 kills.[7]
- Carlos Hathcock (United States Marine Corps) had 93 confirmed kills
- Eric R. England (United States Marine Corps) had 98 kills
- Chuck Mawhinney (United States Marine Corps) had 103 kills.
- Simo Häyhä, the record-holder for any major war with 505 confirmed kills.
- Longest recorded sniper kills
- List of snipers
References
- Fredriksen 2010, p. 306
- snipercentral.com (2010). "The Sniper Log Book". snipercentral.com. Archived from the original on 2 May 2010. Retrieved May 8, 2010.
- "Adelbert Waldron", Post Standard, Syracuse, New York, US 27 December 1966, p.9
- Kirchner 2009, pp. Contains a long chapter revealing little known details of Waldron's life.
- "MilitaryTimes Hall of Valor: Adelbert F. Waldron". Archived from the original on 2014-01-02. Retrieved 2013-05-18.
- Together We Served
- Buiso, Gray (January 1, 2012). "Meet the big shot – SEAL is America's deadliest sniper". New York Post. Retrieved 2012-01-03.
Bibliography
- Fredriksen, John C. (2010). The United States Army: A Chronology, 1775 to the Present (2010 ed.). ABC-CLIO. ISBN 978-1-59884-344-6.
- Kirchner, Paul (2009). More of the Deadliest Men Who Ever Lived (2009 ed.). Paladin Press. ISBN 978-1-58160-690-4.
- "Little Known Sniper" (website) accessed 18 August 2010 http://council.smallwarsjournal.com/archive/index.php/t-2178.html