US Marine Corps reconnaissance snipers were among the best trained soldiers in Vietnam. With their unique skills, freedom of movement, and the deadly long-range Remington 700 rifle, scout snipers were in demand in every Marine unit - and so feared by the enemy that the Viet Cong reward for scout snipers was higher than for any other American elite soldier. units. Letters Joseph Ward wrote home reveal a rarely seen side of the war. Whether under nightly mortar fire, with a company of Marines in the fire-swept jungle, on secret missions in Laos, or on dangerous "free hunts" in teams of two, Ward lived the war in a way that few others had. And he fought as only a few fought - face to face with the enemy.