Chris Kyle
It was my duty to shoot the enemy, and I don't regret it. My regrets are for the people I couldn't save: Marines, soldiers, buddies. I'm not naive, and I don't romanticize war. The worst moments of my life have come as a SEAL. But I can stand before God with a clear conscience about doing my job.Collection: Patriotism
I'm trying to raise the awareness of the troops that, when they deploy and go to war, it's not just them at war - it's also their family. Their family is having to go through all the hardships and the stresses.Collection: Veterans
You're not just going out there, maybe sacrificing your own life. There's also sacrifices still going on at home. You can serve in the military and have a good marriage, but you just need to be aware of it so you can take those steps to take care of it.Collection: Marriage
I am not a fan of politics.Collection: Politics
When I grew up, I only had two dreams. One was to be a cowboy and another was to be in the military. I grew up extremely patriotic and riding horses.Collection: Dreams
War is hell. Hollywood fantasizes about it and makes it look good... war sucks.
You have to slow your heart rate, stay calm. You have to shoot in between your heartbeats.
I really don't care what people think of me. I've got my family. I've got my friends. Yes, I have been trained to be a little more aggressive if I need to be, but I don't go around thumping people.
Savage, despicable evil. That's what we were fighting in Iraq. That's why a lot of people, myself included, called the enemy 'savages.' There really was no other way to describe what we encountered there.
I'm just trying to get back to normal life.
After I was discharged from the military, it was difficult trying to become a civilian.
In the end, my story, in Iraq and afterward, is about more than just killing people or even fighting for my country. It's about being a man. And it's about love as well as hate.
I really don't care what people think of me.
I'm a better husband and father than I was a killer.
I'm just trying to be the me that I am and not all of this other crap. I just want to be the family man, and if somehow I can make the money to get my ranch and get the hell away from everybody else, that would be awesome.
I don't have to psych myself up, or do something special mentally - I look through the scope, get my target in the cross hairs, and kill my enemy, before he kills one of my people.
Other people are talking about writing books about my life, or about some of the things I've done. I find it strange, but I also feel it's my life and my story, and I guess I better be the one to get it on paper the way it actually happened.
I like war.
But even before I was in the military, I was extremely jumpy when asleep.
The Navy credits me with more kills as a sniper than any other American service member, past or present.
You're in a combat zone one day. You come home, and then you have to readjust, and it takes a few days. We just sit in the house, hang with the family and then things get better.
I would love for people to be able to think of me as a guy who stood up for what he believed in and helped make a difference for the vets.
Every person I killed I strongly believe that they were bad. When I do go face God there is going to be lots of things I will have to account for but killing any of those people is not one of them.
The media cause more problems than they do good.
There's definitely still a lot of hurt from losing my guys or the fact that I got out and I felt like it wasn't my time yet.
Every time I kill someone, he can't plant an I.E.D. You don't think twice about it.
It's not a problem taking out someone who wants your people dead. That's not a problem at all.
People tell me I saved hundreds and hundreds of people. But I have to tell you: it’s not the people you saved that you remember. It’s the ones you couldn’t save. Those are the ones you talk about. Those are the faces and situations that stay with you forever.Collection: Life
I don't know if I'm the best of the best. But I did know that if I quit, I wouldn't be.Collection: Quitting
Despite what your momma told you, Violence does solve problems.Collection: Doe
When you’re working with Army and Marine Corps units, you immediately notice a difference. The Army is pretty tough, but their performance can depend on the individual unit. Some are excellent, filled with hoorah and first-class warriors. A few are absolutely horrible; most are somewhere in between. In my experience, Marines are gung ho no matter what. They will all fight to the death. Every one of them just wants to get out there and kill. They are bad-ass, hard-charging mothers.Collection: Mother
It is our duty to serve those who serve us.Collection: Duty
I’ve lived the literal meaning of the ‘land of the free’ and ‘home of the brave.’ It’s not corny for me. I feel it in my heart. I feel it in my chest. Even at a ball game, when someone talks during the anthem or doesn’t take off his hat, it pisses me off. I’m not one to be quiet about it, either.Collection: Home
But real life doesn't travel in a perfect straight line; it doesn't necessarily have that 'all lived happily ever after' bit. You have to work on where you're going.Collection: Real
I’m willing to meet my creator and answer every shot that I took.Collection: Answers
MY REGRETS ARE ABOUT THE PEOPLE I COULDN’T SAVE—Marines, soldiers, my buddies. I still feel their loss. I still ache for my failure to protect them.Collection: Regret
There's no reason someone who has fought for their country should be homeless of jobless.Collection: Country
If you hate the war, that’s fine. But you should still support the troops. They don’t get to pick where they’re deployed. They just gave the American people a blank check for anything up to and including the value of their lives, and the least everyone else can do is be thankful. Buy them dinner. Mow their yard. Bake them cookies.Collection: Hate
Just because war is hell doesn’t mean you can’t have a little fun.Collection: Fun
Great way to fight a war - be prepared to defend yourself for winning.Collection: War
But I wondered, how would I feel about killing someone? Now I know. It’s no big deal.Collection: Killing Someone
I began teaching my son how to shoot when he was two, starting with the basics of a BB rifle. My theory is that kids get into trouble because of curiosity—if you don’t satisfy it, you’re asking for big problems. If you inform them and carefully instruct them on safety when they’re young, you avoid a lot of the trouble. My son has learned to respect weapons. I’ve always told him, if you want to use a gun, come get me. There’s nothing I like better than shooting.Collection: Teaching
What wounded veteran's don't need is sympathy. THey need to be treated like the men they are: equals, heroes, and people who still have tremendous value for society.Collection: Hero
But in that backroom or whatever it is when God confronts me with my sins, I do not believe any of the kills I had during the war will be among them. Everyone I shot was evil. I had good cause on every shot. They all deserved to die.Collection: War
The rules are drawn up by lawyers who are trying to protect the admirals and generals from the politicians; they’re not written by people who are worried about the guys on the ground getting shot.Collection: People
I am a much better father and husband than I ever was a sniper.Collection: Husband
At another location, we found barrels of chemical material that was intended for use as biochemical weapons. Everyone talks about there being no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, but they seem to be referring to completed nuclear bombs, not the many deadly chemical weapons or precursors that Saddam had stockpiled.Collection: Mass Destruction
If you see anyone from about sixteen to sixty-five and they’re male, shoot ’em. Kill every male you see.Collection: Males
It's funny --- sometimes the strongest individuals feel the worst when events are out of their control, and they can't really be there for the people they love. I've felt it myself.Collection: People
I did want to be the top sniper.Collection: Want