Master Sergeant A master sergeant is the military rank for a senior non-commissioned officer in the armed forces of some countries. Israel Defense Forces The (abbreviated "", master sergeant) is a non-commissioned officer () rank in the Israel Defense Force ...

Eric Roy England (April 15, 1933 – April 7, 2018) was a

sniper A sniper is a military or paramilitary marksman who engages targets from positions of concealment or at distances exceeding the target's detection capabilities. Snipers generally have specialized training and are equipped with telescopic si ...

for the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...

3rd Marine Division The 3rd Marine Division is a division (military), division of the United States Marine Corps based at Camp Courtney, Marine Corps Base Camp Smedley D. Butler in Okinawa Prefecture, Okinawa, Japan. It is one of three active duty infantry division ...

during the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

. He had 98 confirmed kills, and many more unconfirmed. Joining the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) in 1950, England was a Nationals rifle shooting champion by age 19 in 1952, and a long-range champion by 1968. He received his first competitive training in USMC bootcamp from his cousin James Harry Turner, at that time a Marine weapons instructor. This led to a 24-year career on the USMC rifle team, winning national and international competitions as participant and coach. Although little-known outside of sniper circles, England was highly respected, and was the subject of the book ''Phantom of Phu Bai'', written by J. B. Turner. A

sculpture Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

in England's honor was erected at the county

courthouse A courthouse or court house is a structure which houses judicial functions for a governmental entity such as a state, region, province, county, prefecture, regency, or similar governmental unit. A courthouse is home to one or more courtrooms, ...

Union County, Georgia Union County is a county in the Northeast region of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 24,632. The county seat is Blairsville. History Union County was originally a core part of the homeland of the native ...

, in 2006. Guest speakers included former

Governor of Georgia The governor of Georgia is the head of government of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and the commander-in-chief of the state's Georgia National Guard, National Guard, when not in federal service, and Georgia State Defense Force, State Defense Fo ...

and

U.S. Senator The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the ...

Zell Miller Zell Bryan Miller (February 24, 1932 – March 23, 2018) was an American politician who served as the 79th governor of Georgia from 1991 to 1999 and as a United States senator representing the state from 2000 to 2005. He was a member of the Dem ...

, a former Marine, and a cousin of England; and Maj. Edward James Land, USMC, (ret.), Carlos Hathcock's commanding officer and occasional fellow sniper in Vietnam. England married Glenda Sue Berrong of

Blairsville, Georgia Blairsville is a city in and the county seat of Union County, Georgia, Union County, on the northern border of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States. It was founded near the Nottely River, which was dammed in 1942 as part of the Tennessee ...

, in 1979, and they remained married until his death. He died at the V.A. Hospital in Decatur, Georgia on April 7, 2018, at the age of 84. He was survived by his son Howard Beck, and three grandchildren.

References

External links

Sniper Central
* {{DEFAULTSORT:England, Eric 1933 births 2018 deaths American military snipers United States Marine Corps non-commissioned officers United States Marine Corps personnel of the Vietnam War People from Union County, Georgia