Every year on this date, February 2,
we, the comrades of Unit 1012, will celebrate Chris Kyle Day. Let us learn
about this American Sniper, whom is one of our heroes. We will post information
about him from Wikipedia and other links.
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Chris Kyle (April 8, 1974 to February 2,
2013)
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Navy SEAL Sniper Chris Kyle signs a copy of
his new book “American Sniper” for a Camp Pendleton sailor at the base’s
Country Store, Jan. 13. “American Sniper” is Kyle's first person account of how
he went from a Texas cowboy to one of the most distinguished snipers in the
military. The book also offers a view of modern warfare and one of the most
in-depth looks into the secret world of special operations.
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Birth
name
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Christopher
Scott Kyle
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Nickname(s)
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"Chris",
"Shaitan Al-Ramadi" ("The Devil of Ramadi"),
"Legend"
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Born
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April
8, 1974
Odessa, Texas, U.S. |
Died
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February
2, 2013 (aged 38)
Erath County, Texas, U.S. |
Buried at
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Texas State Cemetery, Texas, U.S.
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Allegiance
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Service/branch
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United
States Navy
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Years of
service
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1999–2009
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Rank
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Chief
Petty Officer
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Unit
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United
States Navy SEALs
Sniper
element, platoon "Charlie", SEAL Team 3
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Battles/wars
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Iraq
War
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Awards
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Spouse(s)
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Relations
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Wayne
Kenneth Kyle (father)
Deby Lynn Mercer (mother) Children: 2 |
Other work
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American
Sniper (2012)
American Gun (2013) |
Christopher Scott "Chris"
Kyle
(April 8, 1974 – February 2, 2013) was a United States Navy SEAL and the most
lethal sniper in U.S. military history with 160 confirmed kills. Kyle served
four tours in the Iraq War and was awarded several commendations for acts of
heroism and meritorious service in combat. He received two Silver Star Medals,
five Bronze Star Medals, one Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, and two
Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals. Iraqi insurgents dubbed him the
"Devil of Ramadi" and placed a series of ever increasing bounties on
his head, purported to have eventually reached the low six figures.
Kyle was honorably discharged from the
U.S. Navy in 2009 and wrote a bestselling autobiography, American Sniper,
which was published in January 2012. On February 2, 2013, Kyle was shot and
killed at a shooting range near Chalk Mountain, Texas, along with friend Chad
Littlefield. The man accused of killing them is awaiting trial for murder. A
film adaptation of Kyle's autobiography, directed by Clint Eastwood, was
released in December 2014.
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In this April 6, 2012,
photo, former Navy SEAL and author of the book “American Sniper” poses in
Midlothian, Texas. A Texas sheriff has told local newspapers that Kyle has been
fatally shot along with another man on a gun range, Saturday, Feb. 2, 2013. (AP
Photo/The Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Paul Moseley)
[PHOTO SOURCE: http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2014/07/29/jesse-ventura-wins-1-8-million-in-damages-against-chris-kyle-slain-navy-seal-sniper/]
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Early life
Kyle was born in Odessa, Texas, the
son of Deby Lynn (née Mercer) and Wayne Kenneth Kyle, a Sunday school teacher
and a deacon. Kyle's father bought his son his first rifle at eight years old,
a bolt-action .30-06 Springfield rifle, and later a shotgun,
with which they hunted pheasant, quail, and deer. Kyle attended high school in
Midlothian, Texas, where he played football and baseball. After school, Kyle
became a professional bronco rodeo rider and worked on a ranch, but his
profession ended abruptly when he severely injured his arm.
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Quote by Chris Kyle
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Military career
After his arm healed, Kyle went to a
military recruiting office, interested in joining the U.S. Marine Corps with a special
interest in special operations. Kyle signed up, but was rejected because of the
pins in his arm. Kyle met with a U.S. Army recruiter next, who told him about the
Special Forces and the Rangers. A U.S. Navy recruiter told him about the U.S. Navy SEALs as he was leaving the
recruiting office. After initially being declined, he received a call to BUD/S (Basic
Underwater Demolition SEAL school). He joined the U.S. Navy in 1999.
Assigned to SEAL Team 3,
sniper element, platoon "Charlie" (later "Cadillac"),
within the Naval Special Warfare
Command, and with four tours of duty, Kyle served in many major battles of
the Iraq War.
His first long-range kill shot was taken during the initial invasion when he
shot a woman approaching a group of Marines while carrying a hand grenade. An
article by CNN
reported that the woman was cradling a toddler in her other hand. As ordered,
he opened fire, killing the woman before she could attack. He later stated,
"the woman was already dead. I was just making sure she didn't take any
Marines with her." Because of his track record as a marksman during his
deployment to Ramadi,
the insurgents named him Shaitan Ar-Ramadi (English: 'The Devil of
Ramadi'), and put a $21,000 bounty on his head that was later increased to
$80,000. They posted signs highlighting the cross on his arm as a means of
identifying him.
In 2008, outside Sadr City, Kyle made his longest successful shot after
spotting an insurgent who was about to fire a grenade at the U.S. Army convoy.
Kyle fired one shot from his .338
Lapua Magnum-chambered McMillan
Tac-338 sniper rifle from about 2,100 yards (1,920 m) away, killing
the insurgent.
During four tours of duty in the Iraq
War, Kyle was shot twice and caught up in six separate IED explosions. He accumulated 160
confirmed kills out of 255 probable kills. These numbers are based on
individual shooter logs, filled out at the end of a mission, and reported to
higher command. Kyle stated that he did not know his official kill record, and
only counted the lives he felt he could have saved. U.S. Special Operations Command
treats sniper kill counts as "unofficial". Confirmed kills must have
a witness. His other weapons included the Mk 11 7.62×51mm
NATO semi-automatic sniper rifle, the Mk 12 5.56×45mm NATO Designated Marksman
Rifle, the SIG Sauer P220 pistol, an M4 carbine
and a .300 Winchester Magnum-chambered sniper
rifle. He became known by the moniker "Legend" among the general
infantry and Marines whom he was tasked to protect. This title initially
originated in jest among fellow SEALs following his taking of a sabbatical to
train other snipers in Fallujah.
Brandon Webb of SOFREP, a website of news and
analysis to the Special Operations Forces, wrote an
article entitled ‘’The Long Shadow of Katrina’’ about the aftermath of 2005's Hurricane
Katrina. A State of Emergency had been declared and the U.S. Army was asked
to provide security in what became known as Operation Pelican. Webb discussed
the Operation with Kyle and wrote, “close contacts of his, many who were
apparently still serving on active duty, took leave to work for the
controversial PMC (Private Military Company), Blackwater. Chris went on to tell me that the
bulk of the guys he knew directly had racked up over thirty kills between them
near and around the Super Dome.” Kyle and Webb discussed the
morality of the operation, which both found troubling, and "the stuff a lot
of people in Washington want to put under the bed and forget about." Webb
noted "it clearly bothered him", and concluded, “now all we are left
with is rumor and a few courageous individuals who are slowly coming out of the
shadows to tell the truth.”
Nicholas Schmidle, whose narrative
account of the death of Osama bin Laden was completed
without ever interviewing any members of SEAL Team 6,
posthumously wrote an article entitled ‘’In the Crosshairs’’ in The New
Yorker. Schmidle sought out his own sources, ignoring Webb’s interview with
Kyle’s comments. Schmidle claimed that at a late night drinking binge three
unnamed sources told him Kyle personally shot 30 looters; none of the three
agree in details, and one barely remembered anything. An urban
legend appeared having Kyle shoot 30 looters above the Super Dome and was
widely dispersed within mainstream media sources and on the internet.
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Making the shot:
Chris Kyle takes aim from on top of an overturned crib during the Second Battle
of Fallujah
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Four
tours: During his time in Iraq, he gained infamy among the insurgents, who
nicknamed him 'the Devil of Ramadi' and put a $20,000 price on his head
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Long shot: Mr Kyle
poses here with the rifle, a .338 Lapua Magnum, he used to kill an insurgent
from 2,100 yards away outside Sadr City
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Navy Seal Sniper Chris Kyle signs a copy of
his new book “American Sniper” for a Camp Pendleton sailor at the base’s
Country Store, Jan. 13. “American Sniper” is Kyle's first person account of how
he went from a Texas cowboy to one of the most distinguished snipers in the
military. The book also offers a view of modern warfare and one of the most
in-depth looks into the secret world of special operations.
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Post-military life
Kyle left the U.S. Navy in 2009 and
moved to Midlothian, Texas, with his wife, Taya, and two children. He was
president of Craft International, a tactical training company for the U.S.
military and law enforcement communities.
Michael J. Mooney of D Magazine
claimed Kyle told him he was the victim of an attempted carjacking
of his Ford Super Duty truck at a gas station near highway 67
in Texas, sometime in January 2009, which resulted in the deaths of two armed
carjackers whom he shot. Kyle, who had bounties on his head from international jihadis, further
claimed that he gave the police that came to the scene a special phone number
which resulted in no record of an investigation of the incident.
In 2012, HarperCollins released Kyle's
autobiographical book American Sniper. Kyle had initially hesitated
to write the book but was persuaded to move forward because other books about
SEALs were underway. In his book, Kyle wrote bluntly of his experiences. Of the
battle for control of Ramadi he says "Force moved that battle. We killed
the bad guys and brought the leaders to the peace table. That is how the world
works." In the book and in interviews following, Kyle stated he had no
regrets about his work as a sharpshooter, saying, "I had to do it to
protect the Marines." American Sniper had a 37-week run on The
New York Times bestseller list and brought Kyle national attention.
Following its release, media articles challenged some of Kyle's anecdotes, but
the core of his narrative was widely accepted. "Tales of his heroism on
the battlefield were already lore in every branch of the armed forces."
Kyle paired with FITCO Cares
Foundation, a nonprofit organization which created the Heroes Project to
provide free in-home fitness equipment, individualized programs, personal
training, and life-coaching to in-need veterans with disabilities, Gold Star
families, or those suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. On
August 13, 2012, Kyle appeared on the reality television show Stars Earn Stripes, which features
celebrities pairing up with a special operations or law enforcement
professional who train them in weapons and combat tactics. Kyle was teamed with
actor Dean
Cain.
In interviews with the Opie and Anthony Show and Bill O'Reilly in January
2012, Kyle claimed to have punched former Minnesota Governor Jesse
Ventura at a bar in Coronado, California, in 2006 during a wake
for Mike Monsoor, a U.S. Navy SEAL and Medal
of Honor recipient killed in Iraq. The story parallels an incident in his
book which does not mention Ventura by name, and claims a character named
"Scruff Face" said that the SEALs "deserved to lose a few
guys." Ventura, who was in the bar that night, filed a lawsuit against
Kyle for defamation
in January 2012. After Kyle was killed the following year Ventura continued the
lawsuit against Kyle's estate. Witnesses disagreed years after the fact and a
jury awarded Ventura $1.8 million in July 2014. Kyle's widow is appealing the
verdict on behalf of Kyle's estate.
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Taya Kyle,
wife of slain Navy SEAL Chris Kyle, following the signing of Senate Bill 162 at
the Texas State Capitol, in Austin, Texas, Aug. 28, 2013. Senate Bill 162 has
been called the "Chris Kyle Bill" because it recognizes the
achievements of service members with special operations training, by allowing
them credit toward state law enforcement licenses.
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Death
On February 2, 2013, Kyle and a
companion, Chad Littlefield, were shot and killed at the Rough Creek
Ranch-Lodge-Resort shooting range in Erath County, Texas. The suspected shooter
was a 25-year-old U.S. Marine Corps veteran Eddie Ray Routh, whom Kyle and
Littlefield had reportedly taken to the gun range in an effort to help him with
what they were told by his mother was post-traumatic stress disorder. Local
police captured Routh after a short freeway chase, which ended when Routh, who
had left the scene of the shootings in Kyle's Ford F-350
truck, crashed into a police cruiser in Lancaster,
Texas. Erath County sheriffs said the motive for the killing was unclear.
Routh, from Lancaster, was arraigned February 2, 2013, on two counts of capital
murder and was taken to the Erath County Jail for holding under a $3
million bond. Routh's trial was set to begin May 5, 2014, but was delayed to
allow more time to comply with DNA test requirements; his trial is now set to
begin February, 2015.
A memorial service was held for Kyle
at Cowboys
Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on February 11, 2013. Kyle was
buried on February 12, 2013, at the Texas State Cemetery in Austin, Texas, after a
funeral procession from Midlothian, Texas, to Austin, stretching over 200
miles. Hundreds of local and out-of-state residents lined Interstate
35 to view the procession and pay their final respects to Kyle.
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Texas Gov. Rick Perry (seated) is surrounded
by legislators and supporters of Senate Bill 162, after he ceremoniously signed
the legislation at the Texas State Capitol, in Austin, Texas, Aug. 28, 2013.
Texas Gov. Rick Perry prepares to ceremoniously sign Senate Bill 162 at the
Texas State Capitol, in Austin, Aug. 28, 2013. Senate Bill 162 requires state
agencies that issue occupational licenses to recognize occupational licenses
issues by other jurisdictions - including the armed forces - and provide for
expedited licensure for military service members, spouses and veterans. The
bill's author, state Sen. Leticia Van de Putte (SD-26), is standing to Perry's
left, and the bill's House sponsor, state Rep. Dan Flynn (HD-2), is standing to
Perry's right.
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Legacy
In August 2013, Texas governor Rick Perry
signed Senate Bill 162, also known as the "Chris Kyle Bill", to
recognize military training in the issuance of occupational licenses. The bill had been
co-sponsored by Republican Representative Dan Flynn of Van and Democratic Senator Leticia Van de Putte of San Antonio.
The ceremony was attended by Kyle's widow Taya.
Sculptor Greg Marra created a memorial
statue of Kyle for presentation to his widow. Fundraising for production of the
statue has been provided by members of the Tea Party movement.
Clint
Eastwood's 2014 film American Sniper is based on Kyle's
autobiography. Kyle is portrayed by Bradley
Cooper and his wife Taya Kyle is portrayed by Sienna
Miller. For his portrayal of Kyle, Cooper was nominated for an Academy
Award for Best Actor, and the film was nominated
for Best Picture.
On February 2, 2015, exactly two years
after Kyle was killed, Texas Governor Greg Abbott
declared the day to be "Chris Kyle Day" in his honor.
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Chris Kyle Frog Foundation Logo
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Awards and decorations
See also
- List of snipers
- Longest recorded sniper kills
- Simo Häyhä, the record-holder for any major war with 505 confirmed kills
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This is the front cover art for the book American
Sniper written by Chris Kyle. The book cover art copyright is believed to
belong to the publisher, William Morrow and Company, or the cover artist.
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Bibliography
- Kyle, Chris; McEwen, Scott; DeFelice, Jim (2013). American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History. New York: W. Morrow, 2012. ISBN 0-062-08235-3 OCLC 733224029
- Kyle, Chris; Doyle, William (2013). American Gun: A History of the U.S. in Ten Firearms. New York: William Morrow, 2013. ISBN 0-0622-4271-7 OCLC 813286737
OTHER LINKS:
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