Category: American Sniper

‘American Sniper’ is based and inspired by a book with the same title, as well as taken inspiration from stories by Chris Kyle. He was an American special forces sniper that became a legend across the UK and American media for being an unstoppable force. Chris Kyle’s story is mostly made into a propaganda tale of an ‘American hero’. He is desperate to fight for his country, taken down enemies and revenge on the Al-Qaeda after 9/11.

‘American Sniper’ is a film that is driven to inspire an American audience, “In the aftermath of the air attacks in New York and D.C. on September 11, 2001, Hollywood responded quickly to requests from president George W. Bush to boost American morale as part of the white house’s war against Terrorism” (2005, Mark Connelly and David Welch, ‘War and the Media: Reportage and Propaganda’, p.163). Chris Kyle is an extremely patriotic man, truly believing in everything he does for his country. He was born and raised in Texas, even being a rodeo rider before enlisting in the military. The film attempts to show the life of Chris Kyle, his relationship with his wife how the army strained and nearly ended them and the hardships and tragedies that Kyle faced while in Iraq. The film opens with Kyle setting his sights on a woman and child in Iraq that looked to be suspicious and potentially dangerous. Chris Kyle struggles with the idea of shooting a woman and child but is forced to do so, resulting in the sound of a gunshot and blackout. This opening is the beginning of various changes to the events that happened. Chris Kyle openly said: “I wasn’t going to kill a kid, innocent or not. I’d have to wait until the savage who put him up to it showed himself on the street” (2013, Michael Mooney, ‘The Legend of Chris Kyle’, D Magazine.) Though the film is following Chris Kyle and his life. Many aspects have been exaggerated. The film takes many creative liberties. Near the beginning of the film. Chris Kyle returns home after a rodeo accident, only to find his girlfriend with another man, after kicking her out this leads to Chris Kyle and his friends having some drinks, only to see news footage of the world trade center bombing appear on TV. This angers him and drives him to join the military. In reality, Chris Kyle wasn’t driven by this event he had always intended to join the military before these bombings occurred, due to having faced too many rodeo injuries. “With my rodeo career ended, I decided that I would quit college, stop ranching, and go back to my original plan: join the military and become a soldier” (2012, ‘American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in the USA, Chris Kyle’, pg. 108-109) It’s clear the director chose to do this so the audience would believe he was this broken man destined for more, showing that all it took was one bad day to push him over the edge to want to ‘fight back’, thus inspiring him to join. Creating the story of the ‘legend’ that he’d later be known as.

The film then cuts to Kyle joining the Navy and meeting his future teammates during training. Chris Kyle didn’t meet his teammates during this training. The depiction of the training itself, and what Kyle endured was accurate and Chris Kyle did find a friend named Marcus, but they never fought together. For the sake of the film such a small change doesn’t harm the authenticity of the character and events telling his journey.

One of the few accurate key moments of ‘American Sniper’ is the telling of how Kyle met his later to be wife in a bar. The story of how they met seems rather cliché, to American culture and television but it’s true to what happened. After this scene, the film becomes almost totally fictional creating this plot that follows Chris Kyle and his team on the hunt for an insurgent named ‘The Butcher’, though he may have existed during Kyle’s tour in Fallujah, Kyle never once encountered him. This is where it’s clear that the film is driven with a propaganda message. The message is that the American’s are these ‘heroes’ trying to stop this evil force lead by clear ‘bad guy’ archetypes. Although ‘The Butcher’ may have existed, he’s specifically been placed and exaggerated in Kyle’s path to play the role of the typical ‘terrorist’ leader that must be stopped. Discourses create and reflect identities, and thus they construct those who are our allies and those who are our enemies.

Chris Kyle’s most notable accomplishments－2 silver stars, 5 bronze stars, and 160 confirmed kills as an American sniper－demonstrate his hard work and dedication to the United States Military and Armed Forces. All of these achievements stood possible for Chris through many years of tireless hard work and dedication. He was denied entry into the United States Marines due to medical reasons, but he pushed even harder to better himself. Soon, he gained admittance into the elite force known as the United States Navy SEALs. By looking at Christopher Scott Kyle’s background, accomplishments, and other people’s views of him, readers can understand why Chris Kyle exists as a positive force within the United States Military and Armed Forces.

When looking at Chris Kyle’s background, we can understand how his childhood influenced his life-long love for guns and the outdoors. On April 8th, 1974, Chris Kyle was born in Odessa, Texas. Soon after Chris was born, his family moved to Midlothian, Texas, where his father owned a local feed store. Midlothian was full of open lands and wooded areas, making it ideal for the location of their family’s cattle ranch. Since Chris could remember, he was always outside working hard and having fun, whether it be on his family’s ranch or at his father’s feed store. Sometimes it was a simple task like feeding the livestock, and sometimes it was more skilled work like building a cattle barn. The only thing that could keep Chris from being outside was the weather. If the sun was shining, Chris was outside working hard and having fun. Chris also loved hunting as a kid. Before Chris was old enough to handle a real gun, his father gave him and his brother a BB gun. They would often duel against each other to see who had the better shot. When Chris turned eight years old, his father gave him his first real gun – a bolt-action Springfield rifle. He loved hunting for deer, pheasants, and quail with his father and brother, and they would often go on hunting trips together. Without a doubt, Chris Kyle’s childhood played an important role in developing his loving, hardworking, and unforgettable personality.

Learning about Chris Kyle’s educational background, mostly his high school and college years, reveals how dedicated Chris Kyle was once he had his mind set on a goal. When Chris Kyle was a young boy, he attended a public middle school in Midlothian. After passing eighth grade with decent grades, Chris went on to attend a public high school in Midlothian. During Chris’s high school years, he took a strong interest in the agricultural side of the world and joined a club called FFA, which, at the time, stood for Future Farmers of America. He started raising his own show steer along with his brother, and would often come away with the first-place medal at livestock judging competitions. Although Chris loved showing cattle, his real dream was to become a cowboy. After attending high school in Midlothian, Chris went off to Tarleton State University located in Stephenville, Texas, to pursue his dreams in agriculture. During Chris’s second year of college, he lived and worked on a 10,000 acre cattle ranch. He was only paid 400 dollars a month, but that was more than enough for Chris to live on. Later that year, Chris dropped out of school so he could join the military. In all, Chris Kyle’s education helped him develop a hard-working, dedicated mindset that played an important role throughout his life.

A further look into Chris Kyle’s background, specifically his family, helps the reader further understand the strong loving relationships Chris had with his family members. Chris Kyle’s parents were Deby Lynn Mercer and Wayne Kenneth Kyle. Deby Kyle worked at a juvenile detention center, and her husband Wayne Kyle worked as a manager for Southwestern Bell/AT&T. Along with working as a manager for Southwestern Bell/AT&T, Wayne also owned his own local feed store and family cattle ranch where he raised over one hundred and fifty cattle. Chris also grew up with a brother named Jeff Kyle. Throughout their lives, Chris and Jeff grew closer together by each and every day. When Chris and Jeff were younger, they would go on hunting trips, have bb gun battles, and do many more fun, amazing activities that any young child loved to do. Once Chris left college and joined the Armed Forces, he met his lovely wife named Taya Kyle. Taya was working as a medical representative for a pharmaceutical company when they met. They were happily married up until Chris’s death, and had 2 children along the way named Colton and McKenna Kyle. All these facts help to prove that Chris was a loving son, brother, and most of all, a loving husband and father.

By looking at Chris Kyle’s background, we can understand how his career helped develop his hard working, determined attitude that helped him achieve the goals he thought were never possible. When Chris graduated high school, he became a professional bronco rodeo rider. He worked and lived on a 10,000 acre cattle ranch when he was not riding broncos or attending college. One night when Chris was at a bronco riding competition, he fell off a bronco and was severely injured. He ended up with steel rods implanted into his right arm and wrist as a result of his injury. The doctors told Chris that there was a very small chance that he would ever be riding again. That meant Chris’s riding career was over. Once Chris’s injuries healed, he went to enlist in the United States Navy and was declined due to the steel rods implanted in his arm and wrist. Not long after Chris was declined entry, he received a call from a recruiter who told him that he was able to attend entry school. Through months of hard work and dedication, Chris eventually passed entry school and joined SEAL Team Three. While Chris was a member of SEAL Team Three, he served 4 deployments to Iraq and played an Important role in Operation Iraqi Freedom. He was a long-range sniper who was perched up on rooftops or in windows while deployed in Iraq. Chris was assigned to help protect the other military personnel below who were doing various tasks like house searches. The enemies placed an $80,000 bounty on his head, and gave him the nickname ‘Devil of Ramadi’. Chris quit after his fourth deployment so he could spend time with his family and be a father to his two young children.

Chris Kyle said many personal quotes throughout his life, but there is one quote that is more significant than the rest. He once said: “I’m just a regular guy. I just did a job. I was in some really crazy situations, but it wasn’t just me. My teammates made it possible”. This quote reveals the love and respect Chris Kyle had for his teammates throughout his career. Chris Kyle respected and supported every single teammate he ever had throughout his career, and it was evident in all of his actions. This quote captures who Chris Kyle was as a person, how selfless Chris was throughout his life and career. It also shows the love and respect Chris has for his teammates. He has often said he doesn’t feel like a hero and gives all the credit to his training and teammates.

Looking at Chris Kyle’s accomplishments, specifically his career achievements, helps us understand how skilled Chris Kyle was during his career as an American sniper. Chris Kyle earned numerous awards and medals for his acts of service to his country. He was awarded two Silver Stars, five Bronze Stars with Valor, two Navy and Marine Corps Medals, one Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, one National Defense Service Medal, one Iraq Campaign Medal, and one Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal. Chris had also survived 2 gunshot wounds and 6 IED attacks, which are improvised explosive devices. When Chris was deployed in Iraq, he shot and killed an enemy from over 1.2 miles away, which is equivalent to 21 football fields or 2,100 yards. By the end of his career, Chris had earned 255 claimed kills, 160 of them were confirmed kills, and became one of the most lethal snipers in American history. Without a doubt, these facts demonstrate how skilled and determined Chris Kyle was during his career as an American sniper.

A further look at Chris Kyle’s accomplishments helps us understand that, along with his career achievements, he also had numerous personal highlights as well. Chris co-founded a non-profit organization named FITCO Cares. They provided exercise equipment and counseling to war veterans in need. Not long after Chris co-founded FITCO Cares, he founded his very own company named Craft International. Craft International was a security company that helped train and instruct local law enforcement officers and members of the United States Military. That same year, Chris published his autobiography titled, ‘American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. History’. The book soon became a New York Times bestseller. He donated the money from his book to the families of fellow fallen comrades and a charity that supports wounded veterans.

When looking at Chris Kyle’s family members’ thoughts, it reveals how loving and supportive Chris was during his lifetime spent with his beloved wife Taya Kyle. Taya described Chris as a very sensitive man. She said that when they were together, life felt easier for both of them. She described him as a very gentle, loving husband and father. “His heart and spirit were contagious”, Taya said. In all, Taya Kyle’s marriage with Chris was exciting in many ways, but she would never stop loving her gentle husband, Chris Kyle. Taking a deeper look into Chris Kyle’s family members’ thoughts reveals how big of a role model Chris was for his younger brother Jeff Kyle throughout their lives together. Jeff Kyle said that his earliest memories of Chris were Chris watching over him as a kid. Jeff said that Chris has always been, ‘his protector’. “Everyone sees him as this big fierce warrior”, Jeff said, “but he had the biggest heart and wanted to helped out all who served”. Without a doubt, Chris existed as a positive role model during his brother Jeff Kyle’s life.

Chris Kyle’s path to success was long and grueling, but it positively affected how society viewed him as a person. Chris Kyle’s community supported Chris and his family, and helped develop a positive view for society. Christopher Scott Kyle has positively affected the United States Military and Armed forces by looking at his life, his achievements, and the way others view him.

Works Cited

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