Chris Kyle was a United Sates Navy SEAL whose name you’ve probably heard in the last few years. This is largely thanks to his autobiography, American Sniper, which was also made into a film adaptation and directed by Clint Eastwood. But who is Chris Kyle really and what happened to him?
Chris Kyle was born on April 8th, 1974 in Odessa, Texas. His father bought him his first rifle, a .30-06 Springfield, at the age of eight which fed Chris’s obsession for shooting accuracy later in life. He went on to join the US Navy SEALs after graduating BUD/S (Basic Underwater Demolition/Sea, Air, Land in March 2001 (Class 233). He was assigned to SEAL Team-3, the sniper element, and Platoon Charlie which later became Platoon Cadillac. Chris completed four tours of duty which resulted in him being apart of many major battles of the Iraq War.
There is no doubt about it, Chris was one of the US military’s deadliest snipers in Iraq and in it’s overall history. In his autobiography, Chris wrote:
“The Navy credits me with more kills as a sniper than any other American service member, past or present. I guess that’s true. They go back and forth on what the number is. One week, it’s 160 (the ‘official’ number as of this writing, for what that’s worth), then it’s way higher, then it’s somewhere in between. If you want a number, ask the Navy—you may even get the truth if you catch them on the right day.”
Chris trained hard on his rifles to hone in his skills which made him so deadly. He primarily used four different rifles depending on the situation. The four rifles were:
- A semi-automatic 7.62 NATO Mk 11 sniper rifle – for patrol
- A 5.56 NATO Mk 12 Designated Marksman Rifle which was modified with the lower receiver of an M4A1 to get a collapsible stock and also allow for full-auto fire – for urban patrol
- A Remington 700/300, which later became a MK13 Mod 1, .300 Winchester Magnum sniper rifle with a McMillan stock and customized barrel. This gun was later replaced with an .300 Winchester Magnum Accuracy International
- A couple different rifles chambered in .338 Lapua Magnum which were specifically reserved for long-range shooting
In 2009, Chris left the US Navy and settled down with his wife and children. He became the president of Craft International, a tactical training company for the US Military and law enforcement agencies.
On February 2nd, 2013, Chris was with his friend, Chad Littlefield, when they were shot and killed by Eddie Ray Routh at the Rough Creek Ranch-Lodge-Resort in Erath County, Texas. Apparently, Chris and Chad had taken Eddie to the gun range in an effort to help him with his PTSD. He was in and out of hospitals and had been diagnosed with schizophrenia with his family believing this was caused from his military service. It is unknown what triggered Eddie to kill both of them but while he was in his jail cell, Eddie told a former Erath County Sheriff’s Deputy “I was just riding in the back seat of the truck, and nobody would talk to me. They were just taking me to the range, so I shot them. I feel bad about it, but they wouldn’t talk to me. I’m sure they’ve forgiven me”. On February 11th, 2015, Eddie was found guilty of killing both Chris and Chad.
RIP Chris Kyle.
