Christopher Scott Kyle (April 8, 1974 – February 2, 2013) was a United States Navy SEAL sniper and author. Kyle served four tours in the Iraq War. With a claim of 160 confirmed kills in combat, he is one of the most prolific snipers in military history. He was awarded one Silver Star and three Bronze Star medals with "V" devices for valor, in addition to three service medals.
Kyle was honorably discharged from the U.S. Navy in 2009, and published his bestselling autobiography, American Sniper, in 2012. His autobiography contains several incidents that are unverifiable or that appear to have been fabricated, including shootings in New Orleans and Dallas, and he was sued by Jesse Ventura for defamation. In 2013, Kyle was murdered by Eddie Ray Routh at the Rough Creek Lodge shooting range near Chalk Mountain, Texas. Routh, a former Marine, was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole. A film adaptation of Kyle's book, directed by Clint Eastwood, and starring Bradley Cooper as Kyle, was posthumously released in 2014.
Early life and education Christopher Scott Kyle was born on April 8, 1974, in Odessa, Texas, the elder of two boys born to Deborah Lynn (née Mercer) and Wayne Kenneth Kyle, a Sunday school teacher and deacon. His father bought Kyle his first rifle at the age of eight, a bolt-action .30-06 Springfield rifle, and later a shotgun, with which they hunted deer, pheasant, and quail. Kyle and his brother Jeff grew up raising up to 150 head of cattle at a time. Kyle attended high school in Midlothian, Texas, and after graduating in 1992, became a professional bronco rider and ranch hand, however his professional rodeo career ended abruptly when he severely injured his arm. He attended Tarleton State University for two years (1992–1994), studying Ranch and Range Management.
Military career
Kyle went to a military recruiting office, as he was interested in joining the U.S. Marine Corps special operations. Instead, he was convinced by a U.S. Navy recruiter to try for the SEALs. He enlisted in the United States Navy on August 5, 1998, and began basic training on February 10, 1999. He graduated from basic training at Naval Station Great Lakes, Illinois, in April 1999. He attended additional training as an Intelligence Specialist at NMITC Dam Neck, Virginia, from April to July 1999, and at NPC Millington, Tennessee, from August 1999 to March 2000. Initially, Kyle was rejected because of the pins in his arm, but he eventually received an invitation to the 24-week Basic Underwater Demolition/Sea, Air, Land (SEAL) training (BUD/S) at NAB Coronado, California. Kyle graduated with Class 233 in March 2001, followed by SEAL Qualification Training (SQT) at NAB Coronado from May to August 2001. 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 carrying a hand grenade approaching a group of Marines. CNN reported the woman was cradling a toddler in her other hand. As ordered, Kyle opened fire, killing the woman before she could attack.
Military sniper Kyle proved to be an effective sniper in Iraq, with a large number of confirmed and unconfirmed kills. Kyle's shooter's statements (filled out by every sniper after a mission) were reported to higher command, who kept them in case any shootings were contested as outside the rules of engagement. The publisher HarperCollins states: "The Pentagon has officially confirmed more than 150 of Kyle's kills (the previous American record was 109), but it has declined to verify the total number for this book." In his autobiography, Kyle wrote:
On July 8, 2016, the U.S. Navy corrected Kyle's DD Form 214 regarding some decorations listed on his original discharge document. The original discharge papers issued to him upon leaving the service tally with the account given in his autobiography: two Silver Stars and five Bronze Stars with valor. The Navy revised it to one Silver Star and four Bronze Stars with valor. The Navy said "Kyle would have played no role in the production of his personnel files other than signing the DD-214 upon his discharge" and "[a]fter thoroughly reviewing all available records, the Navy determined an error was made" and "issued a corrected copy of the DD-214".
Weapons While in training, Kyle used four different rifles in order to know which weapon was the most useful in the given situation. In the field, he used the following: a semi-automatic 7.62 NATO Mk 11 sniper rifle (patrol), a 5.56 NATO Mk 12 Designated Marksman Rifle modified with the lower receiver of an M4A1 to get a collapsible stock and allow full-auto fire (urban patrol), a Remington Model 700, later type classified as a MK13 Mod 1, .300 Winchester Magnum sniper rifle with McMillan stock and customized barrel, which was later replaced with a .300 Winchester Magnum Accuracy International, Various rifles chambered in .338 Lapua Magnum used for long-range shooting.
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.
In 2012, HarperCollins released Kyle's autobiography, American Sniper. Kyle had initially hesitated to write the book but was persuaded to move forward because other books about SEALs were under way. 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 ensuing interviews, 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", writes Michael J. Mooney, author of a biography of Kyle.
Kyle paired with FITCO Cares Foundation, a nonprofit organization that 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 with PTSD. On August 13, 2012, Kyle appeared on the reality television show Stars Earn Stripes, which featured celebrities pairing up with a Special Operations or law enforcement professional who trained them in weapons and combat tactics. Kyle was teamed with actor Dean Cain.
Jesse Ventura defamation lawsuit In his book American Sniper, Kyle wrote a subchapter titled "Punching Out Scruff Face" about an alleged altercation in a bar. In the book, he claims he punched a man he refers to as "Scruff Face" for allegedly saying "You deserve to lose a few [guys]" and being critical of the Iraq war. According to Kyle, the encounter took place at McP's, a bar in Coronado, California, on October 12, 2006, during a wake for Kyle's comrade, Michael A. Monsoor, a U.S. Navy SEAL who had been killed in Iraq. Petty Officer Monsoor was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor, on April 8, 2008, for his actions in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom on September 29, 2006. On January 4, 2012, Kyle appeared on Opie and Anthony to discuss his book.The Opie & Anthony Show. Sirius XM. January 4, 2012. Satellite Radio. On the show, Kyle alleged the character "Scruff" in his book is former Governor of Minnesota Jesse Ventura.
Following the allegations, Ventura denied the incident had happened or having ever met Kyle. Ventura filed a lawsuit in January 2012 against Kyle for charges of defamation, appropriation, and unjust enrichment. After Kyle was killed the following year, the lawsuit was transferred to Kyle's estate. On July 29, 2014, the jury returned a recommendation of 8 to 2 that Kyle was liable to Ventura for defamation and unjust enrichment, but not appropriation. The jury concluded that the Kyle estate owed Ventura $500,000 for defamation, and $1.34 million for unjust enrichment. The district judge, who rendered the final judgement, said that there was "substantial evidence" that supported the jury verdict.
Kyle's widow appealed the verdict on behalf of Kyle's estate. Attorneys for Kyle's estate asked the appeals court to throw out the verdict or at least order a new trial because a lawyer for Ventura told jurors that the $1.8 million judgment would be paid for by Kyle's book publisher's insurance policy, not his estate. In June 2016, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit threw out the $1.8 million in part due to the revelation of a non-relevant insurance policy by Ventura's attorneys to the jury. The $1.35 million in "unjust enrichment" was overturned and dismissed as being inconsistent with Minnesota law. The $500k defamation suit was remanded back to trial. In December 2017, the case was settled out of court for an undisclosed amount.
Fabrications of personal narrative In addition to the story of his attack on Jesse Ventura, Kyle claimed involvement in a number of incidents that were unverifiable, and that some sources have called into question, describing them as unlikely.New questions cast doubt on 'American Sniper' Chris Kyle's combat record Navy Times. 25 May 2016.
In 2013, The New Yorker reported that during a late-night drinking session, Kyle recounted driving to New Orleans after hearing about looting in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. He and another man allegedly brought sniper rifles and positioned themselves at a vantage point on top of the city's Louisiana Superdome. Kyle claimed the duo shot a number of armed civilians they identified as making trouble. According to the report, one of those present said Kyle claimed to have shot 30 people himself, another recollected Kyle asserting the two men had shot 30 people between them, and a third did not recall a specific number.
Kyle's Katrina story was widely discredited. There are no records of multiple shooting victims in the area around the Superdome. Military officials and former colleagues of Kyle reacted with skepticism when asked about his claim.De Berry, Jarvis "The 'American Sniper's' preposterous post-Katrina New Orleans story The Picawney Times January 20, 2015. The complicated but unveriable legacy of Chris Kyle the deadliest sniper in American history" Washington Post. 30 July 2013.
Kyle also claimed to have killed two men at a Dallas-area gas station in January 2009. He told one writer that the men attempted to rob him at gunpoint, but he drew his own weapon and shot them both in the chest. According to Kyle, the entire incident was on tape, and the police let him go after he gave them a number to call. He also asserted that he often received emails from police officers across the country thanking him for "cleaning up the streets".
The gas station story was also widely discredited. The stretch of highway where Kyle claimed the incident occurred passes through three counties; the sheriffs of each county definitively denied it had happened.