I just finished reading the book, An American Sniper, the
story of Navy SEAL, Chris Kyle. I’d
wanted to read this book for a while now but just never got around to it. I actually read another of his books this
year, American Gun. In American Gun,
Kyle tells the history of America through 10 of its most prolific
firearms. In American Sniper he
discusses his life’s story. The book
mostly deals with his early life as a rancher in Texas and his decision to join
the Navy and eventually the SEALs. The
bulk of the book tells the story of his time in Iraq and ends with his decision
to leave the Navy and his life after.
3 years ago I watched a TV show that paired celebrities with
retired military and had them perform different missions each weak in a
competition. Chris Kyle was paired with
Dean Kane. This was the first time I
heard about Chris Kyle. It was also the
first time I heard of his book. He is
officially listed as the America’s most deadly sniper by the Department of
Defense. He has over 160 confirmed kills
and from the sound of it in the book there were plenty more that could be added
to that list. He wrote about one shot he
took that was over 2100 yards. An
insurgent was aiming a rocket launcher at an ARMY convoy. Kyle had two options, take the shot or not. He took the shot and hit the insurgent and more than likely saved the men in the convoy. He admits in the book that the shot was
pure luck at that distance.
The book didn’t just focus on the war, he also spoke about
the struggles of being a SEAL and a husband and father. There were inserts into some chapters where
his wife would tell her side of the story.
It showed at times how both of them were at times on two completely
different pages in their marriage. The
book was just very honest and I couldn’t put it down. That is saying a lot for me, because reading
is not my favorite thing to do.
In 2015 a movie will be coming out by the same title that is
based on the book. I am really excited
to see it. The preview that I have seen
shows a scene from the book that is depicted exactly how I envisioned it in my
head. Kyle writes the book in terms that
anyone can understand. Some of the
military terms and many of the acronyms he explains along the way and usually
again later in the book. It showed the
good and the bad of war and he definitely does not try to glorify it or sugar
coat anything. I would recommend this to
anyone.
