One For the Team
Victoria Fimple
Chris Kyle, a retired Navy SEAL, is better known as The Legend; the deadliest sniper in U.S. military history. Though Kyle was killed on February 2, 2013, his legacy continues as his book (American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History, published in 2012) remains a bestseller and became the basis for one of 2015’s breakout movies.
Chris Kyle was a cowboy at heart; Texas blood running through his veins. He grew up with a passion for guns, hunting, and sports. In 1999, at only 25 years old, Kyle joined the U.S. Navy SEALs as a sniper. With a total of 4 tours in Iraq, the official Pentagon report credits Kyle with 160 kills. However, according to the accounts of both Kyle and his teammates, the number was closer to 320.
The Legend’s first kill overseas was not a well-known terrorist leader, or even an official member of a terrorist group. No, Kyle’s first kill was a woman. In a post-novel release interview, he stated that he never regretted any of his kills. “I [only] regret the people I couldn’t kill before they got to my boys,” he said.
While American Sniper, the movie based on his military career, shows Kyle’s teammates applauding him and building him up as The Legend, Kyle claims that he was nowhere close to being the best sniper on the SEAL teams. “I’m probably middle of the pack,” he said. “I was just in the right spots at the right times.”
Was he merely being modest? That answer depends on one’s perception. However, the fact remains that Kyle earned two Silver Stars and five Bronze Stars with Valor. He survived six IED attacks, three gunshot wounds, two helicopter crashes, and dozens of surgeries. Yet this man, the man known to his brothers, friends, and the American public as The Legend, was murdered by a fellow veteran.
Chris Kyle was known for taking his fellow veterans out to the shooting range to practice their trigger finger. After he retired, these outings were similar to group therapy; a bit of relaxation came from being around people who shared a general understanding of what they’d all been through. Kyle believed that this day, February 2, 2013, would be no different.
Kyle and his friend Chad Littlefield thought that they were taking veteran Eddie Ray Routh out for a fun day of shooting. However, the only targets that were shot were Kyle and Littlefield themselves. Routh was charged with two counts of capital murder and is now awaiting trial.
American Sniper, released January 16, 2015, follows Kyle throughout each of his deployments and their resulting aftermath. While the ratings were high, the reviews were mixed.
While one of Mascoutah’s resident Driver’s Ed and PE teachers, Ms. Kolda, believes that the movie gave great insight into our country’s military operations and the lives of our soldiers, many critics are quick to disagree.
After comparing Chris Kyle to a Nazi, saying that he was part of a war of aggression against the Iraqi people, Sheldon Richman comments: “With this perspective, we can ask if Kyle was a hero.”
MHS sophomore Meghan Best was quick to respond. “People like that are just ignorant and don’t understand what our soldiers really sacrifice for us.”
Fellow sophomore Mariah Flores chimes in, adding that “if they’re blaming the snipers, then they’re blaming the wrong people. The snipers are only following the orders of their commanders.”
Dictionary.com defines a hero as “a man of distinguished courage of ability, admired for his brave deeds and noble qualities.” Putting all criticism aside, there is no denying that in the face of danger, Chris Kyle was willing to lay down his life for his brothers and for his country; a very brave and noble quality indeed.
Whether or not the movie was an accurate portrayal of war, PTSD, or a hero, I think that we can all agree that when Kyle and Littlefield died, they were taking one for the team.
