Chris Kyle: My life inspiration and a personal hero
Among the many inspirational stories of American heroes lies quite possibly my favorite, the story of Chris Kyle. A truly amazing story of a man I look up to. Chris Was a navy SEAL and served 10 years in the teams and survived 4 tours in not so friendly places around the world. Chris is most famous for his kill count as the most lethal sniper in American history. Chris officially has 160 confirmed and another 255 probable kills. His stories documented in his book American Sniper are extremely real and very inspirational when it comes to combat, being married, your fellow SEAL’s and raising children at the same time.
Born in Odessa, Texas, the son of a Sunday school teacher and a deacon. Chris’s father bought him his first gun at 8 years old, a bolt-action .30-06 Springfield rifle, and later a shotgun. They hunted pheasant, quail, and deer together. During high school Chris worked summers on a ranch and found his love for bronc riding. After school, Kyle became a professional bronc rider, but his profession ended abruptly when he severely injured his arm. After his arm healed, he went to a military recruiting office. Chris was originally interested in joining the United States Marine Corps. A Navy recruiter got ahold of him and told him about the Navy SEALs. Kyle signed up, but was rejected because of the pins in his arm. A little while later, he received a call and he had the chance to go to BUD/S (Basic Underwater Demolition SEAL school), finally joining the United States Navy in 1999.
After completing basic training and the blood, sweat and tears of hard work training in BUD/S Chris was first deployed to Iraq. Chris’s first kill was possibly the largest ethical decision of his life. Operators say that your first kill is always the hardest and you always question why you're taking a life. Chris’s first kill was a woman in streets of Iraq. She was holding a grenade in one hand and approaching a platoon of Marines, in the other hand was a toddler. Chris received the order to shoot. He stuttered but pulled the trigger, saving the lives of countless Marines.
After that first shot the rest is history. In his book Chris explains how he received so many shot opportunities, he claimed that it was all luck. Fellow snipers became jealous and would force Chris to show them his hiding spots. Chris would do so and they would not send a single shot down range. Chris would move on and send three or four rounds down range. Over the mic you could hear his fellow snipers cursing at him. Chris was assigned to SEAL team 3, Sniper Element Charlie platoon.
Following a tour in Iraq and leave time with his wife Taya, Chris was sent to Ramadi. Ramadi at the time was the calmest city in Iraq. His platoon would prove that wrong. Chris shot most of his confirmed kills and his longest kill in Ramadi. While serving the insurgents named him Shaitan Ar-Ramadi (The Devil of Ramadi), and put a $20,000 bounty on his head that was later increased to $80,000. Taya explained jokingly that she thought of claiming that bounty herself because of how large the sum was.
Kyle left the U.S. Navy in 2009 and moved to Midlothian, Texas, with his wife and two children. Chris began working on project for himself. He loved working in the teams and needed a transition to civilian life. Chris Kyle had the dream of forming Craft upon completion of his last enlistment so that he could continue to serve this great nation by helping those headed into harm's way. When he founded Craft, he pulled together a remarkable team who share in his vision to provide the best training to those who need it the most. He was President of Craft International until his death. The story behind the Craft Skull logo combines several meaningful pieces of Chris Kyle's life and service to this great nation but mainly honors his fallen teammates. As part of SEAL Team 3, Chris and his fellow teammates painted similar skulls on their gear in order to strike fear in the enemy. The crosshair symbolizes his time spent on a sniper rifle and is also in the form of a templar cross to symbolize his faith. Lastly, the crosshair is on the right eye to honor Ryan Job a SEAL who served with Chris. Ryan was critically wounded when he was shot in the right eye while on deployment to Iraq in 2006.
Earlier last year on February 2, 2013 Chris and close friend Chad Littlefield were shot and killed at the Rough Creek Lodge shooting range in Erath County Texas by 25-year-old fellow veteran Marine Eddie Ray Routh. Chris and Chad had brought him to the gun range in an effort to help him with his post traumatic stress disorder. Local police captured Eddie after a short freeway chase, which ended when Eddie crashed into a police cruiser in Chris’s truck. Eddie was arrested just before 9 p.m. the same day in Lancaster, Texas. Erath County sheriffs said the motive for the killing was unclear. Eddie from Lancaster was arraigned February 2, 2013, on two counts of capital murder according to Sgt. Lonny Haschel of the Texas Department of Public Safety. He was taken to the Erath County Jail for holding under a $3 million bond. A memorial service was held for Kyle at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on February 11, 2013. Kyle was buried on February 12, 2013, in Austin, Texas, after a funeral procession from Midlothian, Texas, to Austin, stretching over 200 miles. Thousands of local residents lined Interstate 35 to view the procession and pay their final respects to Kyle.
Chris Kyle is quite the American hero. It is sad that someone would be willing to end such a life. Chris lived by the gun and ironically died from the gun. Its strange to think that Chris could survive being shot once in the back and once in the head and blown up an additional six times in IED attacks and die on a gun range. Chris is a true success story, an average joe who became one of our most elite men serving our country. Men like Chris are hard to come by in any standard. The past details and stories all come straight from Chris’s book. Personally I'm shipping out with the Marine Corps and my job will be very similar to that of Chris’s job. This book has taught me lessons in life during combat and family relations. I wish I could've met such a man of heroism.
"Achievement Medal." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 05 Feb. 2013. Web. 26 May 2014.
"Amazon Prime Free Trial." American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History: Chris Kyle, Scott McEwen, Jim DeFelice: 9780062082350: Amazon.com: Books. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 May 2014.
"Book Review: 'American Sniper'" NewsAdvance.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 May 2014.
"Bronze Star Medal." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 26 May 2014. Web. 26 May 2014.
"Category:Recipients of the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 26 May 2014. Web. 26 May 2014.
FERRAN, LEE. "Who Was Chris Kyle, America's Deadliest Sniper?" ABC News. ABC News Network, 26 May. 2014. Web. 26 May 2014.
"Silver Star." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 26 May 2014. Web. 26 June 2014.
Born in Odessa, Texas, the son of a Sunday school teacher and a deacon. Chris’s father bought him his first gun at 8 years old, a bolt-action .30-06 Springfield rifle, and later a shotgun. They hunted pheasant, quail, and deer together. During high school Chris worked summers on a ranch and found his love for bronc riding. After school, Kyle became a professional bronc rider, but his profession ended abruptly when he severely injured his arm. After his arm healed, he went to a military recruiting office. Chris was originally interested in joining the United States Marine Corps. A Navy recruiter got ahold of him and told him about the Navy SEALs. Kyle signed up, but was rejected because of the pins in his arm. A little while later, he received a call and he had the chance to go to BUD/S (Basic Underwater Demolition SEAL school), finally joining the United States Navy in 1999.
After completing basic training and the blood, sweat and tears of hard work training in BUD/S Chris was first deployed to Iraq. Chris’s first kill was possibly the largest ethical decision of his life. Operators say that your first kill is always the hardest and you always question why you're taking a life. Chris’s first kill was a woman in streets of Iraq. She was holding a grenade in one hand and approaching a platoon of Marines, in the other hand was a toddler. Chris received the order to shoot. He stuttered but pulled the trigger, saving the lives of countless Marines.
After that first shot the rest is history. In his book Chris explains how he received so many shot opportunities, he claimed that it was all luck. Fellow snipers became jealous and would force Chris to show them his hiding spots. Chris would do so and they would not send a single shot down range. Chris would move on and send three or four rounds down range. Over the mic you could hear his fellow snipers cursing at him. Chris was assigned to SEAL team 3, Sniper Element Charlie platoon.
Following a tour in Iraq and leave time with his wife Taya, Chris was sent to Ramadi. Ramadi at the time was the calmest city in Iraq. His platoon would prove that wrong. Chris shot most of his confirmed kills and his longest kill in Ramadi. While serving the insurgents named him Shaitan Ar-Ramadi (The Devil of Ramadi), and put a $20,000 bounty on his head that was later increased to $80,000. Taya explained jokingly that she thought of claiming that bounty herself because of how large the sum was.
Kyle left the U.S. Navy in 2009 and moved to Midlothian, Texas, with his wife and two children. Chris began working on project for himself. He loved working in the teams and needed a transition to civilian life. Chris Kyle had the dream of forming Craft upon completion of his last enlistment so that he could continue to serve this great nation by helping those headed into harm's way. When he founded Craft, he pulled together a remarkable team who share in his vision to provide the best training to those who need it the most. He was President of Craft International until his death. The story behind the Craft Skull logo combines several meaningful pieces of Chris Kyle's life and service to this great nation but mainly honors his fallen teammates. As part of SEAL Team 3, Chris and his fellow teammates painted similar skulls on their gear in order to strike fear in the enemy. The crosshair symbolizes his time spent on a sniper rifle and is also in the form of a templar cross to symbolize his faith. Lastly, the crosshair is on the right eye to honor Ryan Job a SEAL who served with Chris. Ryan was critically wounded when he was shot in the right eye while on deployment to Iraq in 2006.
Earlier last year on February 2, 2013 Chris and close friend Chad Littlefield were shot and killed at the Rough Creek Lodge shooting range in Erath County Texas by 25-year-old fellow veteran Marine Eddie Ray Routh. Chris and Chad had brought him to the gun range in an effort to help him with his post traumatic stress disorder. Local police captured Eddie after a short freeway chase, which ended when Eddie crashed into a police cruiser in Chris’s truck. Eddie was arrested just before 9 p.m. the same day in Lancaster, Texas. Erath County sheriffs said the motive for the killing was unclear. Eddie from Lancaster was arraigned February 2, 2013, on two counts of capital murder according to Sgt. Lonny Haschel of the Texas Department of Public Safety. He was taken to the Erath County Jail for holding under a $3 million bond. A memorial service was held for Kyle at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on February 11, 2013. Kyle was buried on February 12, 2013, in Austin, Texas, after a funeral procession from Midlothian, Texas, to Austin, stretching over 200 miles. Thousands of local residents lined Interstate 35 to view the procession and pay their final respects to Kyle.
Chris Kyle is quite the American hero. It is sad that someone would be willing to end such a life. Chris lived by the gun and ironically died from the gun. Its strange to think that Chris could survive being shot once in the back and once in the head and blown up an additional six times in IED attacks and die on a gun range. Chris is a true success story, an average joe who became one of our most elite men serving our country. Men like Chris are hard to come by in any standard. The past details and stories all come straight from Chris’s book. Personally I'm shipping out with the Marine Corps and my job will be very similar to that of Chris’s job. This book has taught me lessons in life during combat and family relations. I wish I could've met such a man of heroism.
"Achievement Medal." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 05 Feb. 2013. Web. 26 May 2014.
"Amazon Prime Free Trial." American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History: Chris Kyle, Scott McEwen, Jim DeFelice: 9780062082350: Amazon.com: Books. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 May 2014.
"Book Review: 'American Sniper'" NewsAdvance.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 May 2014.
"Bronze Star Medal." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 26 May 2014. Web. 26 May 2014.
"Category:Recipients of the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 26 May 2014. Web. 26 May 2014.
FERRAN, LEE. "Who Was Chris Kyle, America's Deadliest Sniper?" ABC News. ABC News Network, 26 May. 2014. Web. 26 May 2014.
"Silver Star." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 26 May 2014. Web. 26 June 2014.