The Patriot Post® · Chris Kyle, RIP
Former Navy SEAL Chris Kyle, a Patriot from Texas and author of the outstanding book, “American Sniper,” was killed Saturday while assisting fellow veterans suffering from PTSD. Chris served with the SEAL Team 3 Sniper Element Charlie platoon, and was the most lethal sniper in U.S. history. He accumulated 160 confirmed kills and another 95 probables, and was known to his enemies as Al-Shaitan Ramad (The Devil of Ramadi).
During his four combat tours, Chris was shot twice and survived six IED explosions. His longest shot was taken in 2008 near Sadr City, where he neutralized an RPG-carrying insurgent at more than 2,000 meters with his Lapua Magnum .338 PGM. He left military service three years ago after earning two Silver Stars, five Bronze Stars with Valor, two Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals, and one Navy and Marine Corps Commendation. He has devoted much of the last three years to working with fellow vets suffering from PTSD.
Chris leaves behind his wife Taya, two children, and a long list of family and friends. Kyle was a tireless defender of Liberty and the Second Amendment, and he will be sorely missed.
Here are a few excerpts from his book, “American Sniper”: “At another location, we found barrels of chemical material that was intended for use as biochemical weapons. Everyone talks about there being no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, but they seem to be referring to completed nuclear bombs, not the many deadly chemical weapons or precursors that Saddam had stockpiled. … The rules are drawn up by lawyers who are trying to protect the admirals and generals from the politicians; they’re not written by people who are worried about the guys on the ground getting shot. … I didn’t risk my life to bring democracy to Iraq. I risked my life for my buddies, to protect my friends and fellow countrymen. I went to war for my country, not Iraq. My country sent me out there so that bull—t wouldn’t make its way back to our shores. … People tell me I saved hundreds and hundreds of people. But I have to tell you: it’s not the people you saved that you remember. It’s the ones you couldn’t save. Those are the ones you talk about. Those are the faces and situations that stay with you forever. … Another question people ask a lot: Did it bother you killing so many people in Iraq? I tell them, ‘No.’ And I mean it. The first time you shoot someone, you get a little nervous. You think, can I really shoot this guy? Is it really okay? But after you kill your enemy, you see it’s okay. You say, Great. You do it again. And again. You do it so the enemy won’t kill you or your countrymen. You do it until there’s no one left for you to kill. That’s what war is. … Just because war is hell doesn’t mean you can’t have a little fun. … I’ve lived the literal meaning of the ‘land of the free’ and ‘home of the brave.’ It’s not corny for me. I feel it in my heart. I feel it in my chest. Even at a ball game, when someone talks during the anthem or doesn’t take off his hat, it pisses me off. I’m not one to be quiet about it, either.”
On Obama’s gun control agenda, Kyle said last month, “I know he is against the Second Amendment and he is trying to ban everything. … The ban is just opening the door to take more of our rights. Our Founding Fathers had the same weapons the military did, and we don’t even have that today, but don’t try to take what I have.”