“American Sniper: The autobiography of the deadliest sniper in U.S. history” by Chris Kyle
“American Sniper” is a thrilling eyewitness account of the Iraq war that only Chris Kyle can tell. It’s not one of the better written war memoirs and you’re not going to get a ton of history, but it will hold your attention and give you a unique perspective from a sniper’s point of view.
As every good war memoir does, Kyle’s story starts with his life prior to military service. This gives the reader a frame of reference. It’s harder to relate to someone who is lining up bomb-strapped insurgets in his crosshairs if you don’t understand who he was when he was an underpaid ranch hand sleeping in a frigid shack in Texas while he was figuring out what to do with his life.
Special Forces and SEALs are in a class of their own. Even rank-and-file service members don’t really understand them. Kyle’s account gives just enough of a glimpse into the life to understand why SEALs have such a high divorce rate and how demons can follow a man home from war.
“American Sniper” is not all about 1,000 yard headshots, urban warfare, and IEDs. I enjoyed when Kyle’s wife, Taya, chimed in. These are the moments that are unfortunately missing from too many historical accounts of war. Her words gave me insight into the perspective that my now-wife, Lindsey, must have had while we were dating during my own deployment to Iraq. The importance of maintaining your relationship with your partner and your children during and in between deployments must not be understated to any young man who is considering enlisting.
There are plenty of asides throughout the book that talk about the weapons and vehicles to keep the reader engaged. Veterans and civilians alike will enjoy hearing about the human elements that take over when equipment invariably fails. My favorite was when the SEAL team’s vehicles were dropped by helo outside an enemy air base and immediately became stuck in deep mud and became immobilized while under fire.
There are some indications that Kyle almost certainly embellished and exaggerated parts of his story, although interestingly enough, all the events in question are non-combat related. However, in no way do these indiscretions detract from his service to his country and to his brothers in arms.
If you enjoy this book, you should check out the 2014 film of the same name with Bradley Cooper. It’s one of the better movies about our current conflicts. The movie couldn’t resist taking some liberties with the original story, such as inventing a fictional competing enemy sniper, but all in all it is a good watch.
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