Chris Kyle

Christopher Scott Kyle (April 8, 1974 – February 2, 2013) was a United States Navy SEAL sniper. He served four tours in the Iraq War and was awarded several commendations for acts of heroism and meritorious service in combat. He claimed to have had 160 confirmed kills and was awarded a Silver Star, four Bronze Star Medals with "V" devices for valor, two Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals with "V" devices, and numerous other unit and personal awards.

Kyle was honorably discharged from the U.S. Navy in 2009, and published his bestselling autobiography, American Sniper, in 2012. In 2013, Kyle was murdered by Eddie Ray Routh at the Rough Creek Lodge shooting range near Chalk Mountain, Texas. Routh, a former Marine, was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole. A film adaptation of Kyle's book, directed by Clint Eastwood, and starring Bradley Cooper as Kyle, was posthumously released in 2014. His autobiography contains many incidents that are unverifiable or that appear to have been fabricated, and he was sued by Jesse Ventura for defamation.