Chief Chris Kyle (United States Navy, honorably discharged in 2009) served multiple combat tours in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Kyle's service in combat earned him two Silver Stars, five Bronze Stars with Valor, one Navy and Marine Corps Commendation with Valor, and two Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals with Valor. Additionally, he was awarded the Grateful Nation Award, given by the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs. Credited as the most lethal sniper in U.S. military history, Kyle has on record more than 150 confirmed kills during his service in Iraq. His #1 New York Times best-seller, American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History (William Morrow), co-written with Jim DeFelice and Scott McEwan, covers everything from Kyle's childhood in Texas to the effects of war on soldiers' families back home, making him the perfect speaker for college and university events, veterans' groups, community organizations, and the NRA, and a business keynote speaker on leadership.
A native Texan who learned to shoot on childhood hunting trips with his father, Kyle was a champion saddle-bronc rider prior to joining the Navy. After 9/11, he was thrust onto the front lines of the War on Terror, and soon found his calling as a world-class sniper who performed best under fire. He recorded a personal-record 2,100-yard kill shot outside Baghdad; in Fallujah, Kyle braved heavy fire to rescue a group of Marines trapped on a street; in Ramadi, he stared down insurgents with his pistol in close combat. Kyle talks honestly about the pain of war -- of twice being shot and experiencing the tragic deaths of two close friends.
American Sniper honors Kyles fellow warriors, who raised hell on and off the battlefield. And in moving first-person accounts, Kyles wife, Taya, speaks openly about the strains of war on their marriage and children, as well as on Kyle.
From 1999 to 2009, Kyle recorded the most career sniper kills in United States military history. The Pentagon has officially confirmed more than 150 of Kyle's kills (the previous American record was 109), but it has declined to verify the astonishing total number for his book. Iraqi insurgents feared Kyle so much they named him al-Shaitan ("the devil") and placed a bounty on his head. Kyle earned legendary status among his fellow SEALs, Marines, and U.S. Army soldiers, whom he protected with deadly accuracy from rooftops and stealth positions. Gripping and unforgettable, Kyle's masterful account of his extraordinary battlefield experiences ranks as one of the greatest war memoirs of all time, and makes for exceedingly eye-opening and emotionally stirring presentations and keynote speeches.
Following his combat deployments, the Navy assigned Kyle to be the chief instructor for training Naval Special Warfare Sniper and Counter-Sniper teams prior to operational deployments. He is also the author of the Naval Special Warfare Sniper Doctrine, which is the first Navy SEAL sniper manual. Today he is president of Craft International (www.craftintl.com), a world-class leader in security.
Kyle lives with his family in Texas.
Praise for American Sniper:
"The raw and unforgettable narrative of the making of our country's record-holding sniper, Chris Kyle's memoir is a powerful book, both in terms of combat action and human drama. Chief Kyle is a true American warrior down to the bone, the Carlos Hathcock of a new generation."
-- Charles W. Sasser, Green Beret (U.S. Army Ret.) and author of One Shot, One Kill
"Since their creation, U.S. Navy SEALs have had an impact on war unmatched by any other fighting force. In this community of elite warriors, one man has risen above our ranks and distinguished himself as unique. Chris Kyle is that man. A master sniper, Chris has done and seen things that will be talked about for generations to come, not only by the American military, but by those who stood against us in battle and bore witness to the awesome effectiveness of the world's most lethal sniper."
-- Marcus Luttrell, SEAL (U.S.N Ret.), recipient of the Navy Cross for extraordinary heroism under fire, #1 bestselling author of Lone Survivor
"Amrican Sniper is the inside story of what it's like to be in war. A brave warrior and patriot, Chris Kyle writes frankly about the missions, personal challenges, and hard choices that are part of daily life of an elite SEAL Sniper. It's a classic!"
-- Richard Marcinko (U.S.N, Ret.), First Commanding Officer of SEAL Team Six and #1 best-selling author of Rogue Warrior