Jaxx,
I know you don't much care for me and I realize that my response will most likely be regarded with disdain by you before it's even read, however, I do think he was a piece of shit.
Yes we had similar positions in the marine corps. He was a sniper on a rifle team and went back to camp every night if he so desired. He was in a known combat situation when he squeezed. I was not. I was what's now classified as a scout sniper. I was only in one or two known combat situations, the rest were all single cell covert operations, meaning myself, and one or two others at most. So slightly different situations.
Chris Kyle glorified and gltized his position and made it into a story about himself. His entire career was spent lying about himself. Kyle shot innocent civilians and lied about it. He made up stories and led about fellow marines and seals that invariably kept that lying fuck alive while in combat. Let me absolutely assure you of one very important little thing, nothing about killing someone from a distance with a Barret M40a makes anyone a fucking hero. Absolutely nothing. Heroic is diving in a frigid river to save someone's or somethings life, or bringing candy to a hospital for sick kids when nobody else would. Mother Theresa is a hero. Kyle is a liar and a fraud. He fabricated, not embellished, fabricated stories of his endeavors as if it would be glorious to go to the top of the superdome and snipe helpless, homeless, innocent victims of Katrina.
I know exactly the number of deadly rounds I sent down range and I don't regret a single one. I was doing my job in defense of my country. It's not glorious, it's not heroic, it's gut wrenching, it's terrifying and exhilarating at the same time. The more you squeeze, the easier it is. Then you get clipped. Then again but this time you almost bleed out in a foreign country where nobody knows you're there. That's when you meet real life military heroes. Heroes like l/cpl Jurkiewicz that carry your lifeless ass 1000 meters with a bullet in his back. And none, I MEAN NONE OF THEM, ever asked for a pat on the back, or a book deal, or a movie. He would drive or be driven to a location and sit on a rooftop for chrissakes. How many battle hardened enemy soldiers looking to do harm do you see walking down to Walgreens for smokes? Yeah, he's got lots of confirmed kills, what a surprise. I wonder how many were mailmen or delivery boys. Chris Kyle was killed by another veteran, and not because he was all fucked up from ptsd. He shot him because Chris Kyle left a wake of lies and misery to his fellow men in arms behind without caring a bit who he hurt or what he lied about.
Look Jaxx, I get it. People want to like Kyle and that's fine but he in no way represents any of the proud men or women I served with. He just doesn't man. I think the guy was gutless personally, but I think I've earned the right to think that as well. Maybe others disagree but that's fine, I'll get through it.
I do hope that at least gives you somewhat if an answer.
FDC
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