February 1, 2014
Chris Kyle
(Photo courtesy special-ops.org)
Sunday is February 2 – an important day. Of course most Americans will be thinking about the Super Bowl or wondering if the groundhog saw his shadow — signaling that this winter still has more tough weather to deliver.
But a considerable number of people will stop on Sunday to remember an American military hero who was lost just one year ago.
It was on 2.2.2013 that Chris Kyle, a former Navy SEAL and the man known as “America’s Deadliest Sniper” and his close friend Chad Littlefield were reportedly shot and killed by another former member of the U.S. military whom they were trying to help cope with the stress and pain that often haunts our returning warriors.
TheBlaze covered the story from the first moments the news broke of the shooting through the memorial service in Cowboys Stadium and even to his burial in Austin, Texas where more than 100 Navy SEAL tridents were hand-punched into Kyle’s coffin.
Chris Kyle was born in Odessa, Texas and raised as a cowboy in Midlothian, a small town south of Fort Worth. According to a story from the Professional Bull Riders website, Chris and his brother Jeff grew up as young ranchers who planned to serve their country in the military and then return home to raise cattle in Texas.
Both of the Kyle boys served in the military; Jeff from 2000 to 2008 and Chris from 1999 to 2009. It was during that decade that Chris proved to be an exceptional soldier and became the “most lethal sniper in U.S. military history” (which was the original subtitle of Kyle’s bestselling book).
Kyle was awarded several medals and commendations from the Navy and the Marines. His unsurpassed aim also earned him the respect of the enemy. The Iraqis dubbed him, “The Devil of Ramadi.” (Ramadi is the largest city in Iraq’s Anbar province.)