Most lethal U.S. sniper shares experiences in book

Becoming a Navy SEAL is a remarkable achievement, becoming a Navy SEAL sniper even more so. But being considered the most lethal sniper in U.S. military history — that is glory.

Chris Kyle, who is recorded as having more than 160 officially documented kills, holds that title. The Iraqi insurgents feared him so much they called him al-Shaitan ("the devil") and placed a $20,000 bounty on his head.

Kyle earned legendary status among his fellow SEALs, Marines and U.S. Army soldiers, fighting alongside them in the streets, as well as protecting them from rooftops and stealth positions. He relates his experiences in his book, “American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper In U.S. Military History."

In a frank and remarkably candid accounting, Kyle tells his story in the plain, down-to-earth fashion he grew up with as a young boy in Texas. Kyle rode bulls and broncs in rodeos through his college days at Tarleton State University in Stephenville, Texas, and then worked as a ranch hand for several outfits. But the pull of the military kept calling, and he enlisted in the Navy with the goal of becoming a SEAL. Kyle describes in great detail the impossibly tough requirements he had to meet and how that training paid off for him as he was deployed to Iraq.

Additional training qualified Kyle to become a sniper, and it was here that he excelled beyond his wildest imagination. All that shooting he did as a kid paid off as he became known as one of the most accurate snipers in the service of the United States. He describes his experiences and how his duty was to save U.S. military and civilian Iraqi lives. Through four rounds of combat deployments, Kyle was awarded seven medals for bravery, including two Silver Stars.

“American Sniper” is a very detailed story that contains vivid and often quite graphic descriptions. Kyle also describes in great detail the machinery and equipment he used during his tours of duty. But perhaps the most poignant part of Kyle’s book is his wife Taya’s contributions.

Taya describes the loneliness of being a military wife and the anxiety she experienced at home while Kyle was deployed. And both are up front about the problems their marriage experienced while Kyle was in the service. But both were dedicated and their marriage survived, becoming even stronger.

With "American Sniper," Kyle gives readers an undiluted look at what it is like to be in the middle of a war zone, fighting for your country and what you believe in.