sgt tony
11-10-08, 11:00 PM
The funeral for GySgt V.D. Mitchell will be held on Wednesday, November 12, 2008 at 2:00 PM at the Wilson-Little Funeral Home, 119 S. Canadian Ave., Purcell, (405) 527-6543.
While few outside the armed forces have heard of Gunnery Sergeant V.D. Mitchell USMC (Ret), he is a legend among Marine Corps snipers and special forces personnel in other branches of the armed services.
GySgt Mitchell, a Chickasaw born in Madill, Okla. in 1926, served with distinction as a World War II rifleman and sniper. He fought his way through the Japanese islands of Saipan, Tinian and Okinawa, and later served in China and on the frozen fields of Korea.
He also set several world records in shooting competitions, winning the National Service Rifle Championship in 1955 and 1958, as well as the Daniel Boone trophy, Dupont trophy and other awards too numerous to mention.
After retirement, he was called back into service to share the secrets of his shooting skills with young Marines in Vietnam.
“He was the only guy in the history of the Marine Corps ever to shoot a perfect score on the 250-point competition qualification course,” said John Culbertson, a former Marine and author of several books chronicling the exploits of Marine snipers in Vietnam. “All Marines have to shoot that. I shot a 232 on it, and that’s pretty good. Mitchell shoots a 250 out of 250. He’s done it several times.”
At Culbertson’s urging, Sgt. Mitchell donated trophies, photos, memorabilia, his uniform complete with medals and numerous other items to the Oklahoma Historical Society. These generous gifts, which will be displayed at the Oklahoma History Center currently under construction east of the state capitol, will give thousands of future visitors to the center some insight into the life and service of GySgt Mitchell.
GySgt Mitchell is to be inducted into the Oklahoma Military Hall of Fame later this month.
Semper Fidelis,
Oklahoma Marines
oklahomamarines@cox.net
US Marine Corps Coordinating Council of Oklahoma
http://www.oklahomamarines.org
While few outside the armed forces have heard of Gunnery Sergeant V.D. Mitchell USMC (Ret), he is a legend among Marine Corps snipers and special forces personnel in other branches of the armed services.
GySgt Mitchell, a Chickasaw born in Madill, Okla. in 1926, served with distinction as a World War II rifleman and sniper. He fought his way through the Japanese islands of Saipan, Tinian and Okinawa, and later served in China and on the frozen fields of Korea.
He also set several world records in shooting competitions, winning the National Service Rifle Championship in 1955 and 1958, as well as the Daniel Boone trophy, Dupont trophy and other awards too numerous to mention.
After retirement, he was called back into service to share the secrets of his shooting skills with young Marines in Vietnam.
“He was the only guy in the history of the Marine Corps ever to shoot a perfect score on the 250-point competition qualification course,” said John Culbertson, a former Marine and author of several books chronicling the exploits of Marine snipers in Vietnam. “All Marines have to shoot that. I shot a 232 on it, and that’s pretty good. Mitchell shoots a 250 out of 250. He’s done it several times.”
At Culbertson’s urging, Sgt. Mitchell donated trophies, photos, memorabilia, his uniform complete with medals and numerous other items to the Oklahoma Historical Society. These generous gifts, which will be displayed at the Oklahoma History Center currently under construction east of the state capitol, will give thousands of future visitors to the center some insight into the life and service of GySgt Mitchell.
GySgt Mitchell is to be inducted into the Oklahoma Military Hall of Fame later this month.
Semper Fidelis,
Oklahoma Marines
oklahomamarines@cox.net
US Marine Corps Coordinating Council of Oklahoma
http://www.oklahomamarines.org