Clint Eastwood's adaptation of Navy SEAL Chris Kyle's 2012 memoir, "American Sniper" was released on Christmas Day, 2014. Why anyone who go an see such a depressing thing on Christmas is beyond me. As if the suicide rate isn't high enough during the holiday season.
Texas born and bred Chris Kyle was a burly, blue-eyed, All American serviceman and elite sniper with SEAL Team 3. He survived a four-term bit in the Iraq War, including being shot multiple times and nearly dying in at least one roadside bombing, a daily occurrence during the war's hottest years. Kyle is perhaps one of the most prolific snipers in the history of modern warfare, clocking a confirmed 160 kills. Though the number is possibly higher... especially if you believe Kyle himself.
So what does this have to do with anything? The man's a war hero. Alright... yes... a war hero. Bingo. He accomplished something few soldiers ever could or would. He shot dead at least 160 insurgents threatening American servicemen stationed in Iraq. Or did he? He himself admitted to killing not only Kalashnikov-toting terrorists, but as well, mothers walking with there children, old men, and possibly children. All Iraqi civilians who were unlucky enough to draw the short straw that day when they crossed his cross hairs. Even more heart-rending was his own admission in his memoir that he enjoyed the killing. Driven by bloodlust and a good ol' boy's complete and utter confidence that the mission was noble and good, Chris Kyle became by far the most prolific sniper since man began hunter man with a gun.
Without the slightest bit of sarcasm, Chris Kyle admitted to enjoying his work. In his memoir he described the those he killed as "savages" and never once regretted what it was that he did. Not even conceding as so many warriors do, to his actions as terrible but necessary. After his book was published, he made multiple appearances on television news and talk shows, speaking candidly and matter-of-factly about those he killed, and his record as a sniper. He spoke about the violence he encountered, witnessed, and perpetrated like a pro talking shop. With no regret and no doubt and no reflection he never once doubted the war. He even revealed himself to be a braggart, exaggerating the number he killed and gloating about punching ex wrestler and open critic of the Iraq War, Jesse Ventura in the face. An incident Ventura denies. Kyle even claimed to have shot and killed several victims of Hurricane Katrina, though this was never confirmed.
Like any leopard, the light reveals his spots.
Perhaps the greatest casualty of war is the human heart. Those who survive, survive. Those who don't, don't. No one who experiences war comes-out the whole person they were before. It's an experience that shatters even the hardiest country boy and the toughest camp whore. It leaves a void in the psyche and in the emotional core... an emptiness in the soul that most likely is never again filled. What Chris Kyle saw... and did... in Iraq, was a horror greater than its face value. What he lost there was more than his blood and his time with family. What he lost was something more profound.
At least, we would like to believe that. The truth is more likely less than happy. Chris Kyle's darkness lived long behind his eyes. Like so many young men who live by the gun, he was not only capable of violence... he probably enjoyed it. He enjoyed leaving victims in his wake.
Like any braggart, his brag ultimately landed him a challenge. He was sued by Jesse Venture in civil court. Ventura ultimately won his suit, leaving Chris Kyle's estate on the hook for atleast half a million dollars.
In 2013, the man who saw mankind down the sight of his barrel, found himself on the other side of the bore. He was killed at a shooting range in Erath County, Texas. Shot to death by a fellow veteran whom he was attempting to help the only was he knew how to... shooting targets.
Chris Kyle was no hero. He was no winner. He was a murderer, a warrior, a liar, and a cruel narcissist. More over, he was a victim. A victim of a war, a victim of a system, and a victim of a way of life. He was victim long before Iraq. Chris Kyle was a victim, and like so many victims he left behind victims.
