Chris Kyle Age, Death, Wife, Family, Biography & More

Bio/Wiki
Full name	Christopher “Chris” Scott Kyle
Names Earned	The Legend, Shaitain Ar-Ramadi (Devil of Ramadi), Tex, American Sniper
Profession(s)	Former US Navy SEAL, Social Activist, Author
Famous for	Having the most number of verified kills as a sniper in the history of the United States of America
Physical Stats & More
Height (approx.)	in centimeters- 188 cm in meters- 1.88 m in feet & inches- 6’ 2”
Weight (approx.)	in kilograms- 70 kg in pounds- 154 lbs
Eye Colour	Blue
Hair Colour	Blonde
Military Career
Service/Branch	United States Navy
Rank	Chief Petty Officer
US Navy SEALs Team	SEAL Team 3
Service Years	10 February 1999 - 2009
Military Decorations	• Silver Star (one time) • Bronze Star Medal w/ Combat V and 3 Gold 5/16 inch stars (four times) • Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal w/ Combat V • Navy Unit Commendation w/ 2 service stars • Navy Good Conduct Medal w/ 2 service stars • National Defense Service Medal • Iraq Campaign Medal w/ 3 campaign stars • Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal • Global War on Terrorism Service Medal • Rifle Marksmanship Medal (Expert) Note: In 2006, the US Navy nominated Chris Kyle for a Silver Star. According to his commendation, during his initial deployment in Iraq, he engaged in 32 sniper over watch missions and achieved a record of 91 confirmed targets successfully eliminated.
Honours & Legacy	• After Chris Kyle passed away, he was posthumously awarded Texas Legislative Medal of Honor, the highest military recognition in Texas. • In memory of Chris, his family members established a non-profit organization called the Chris Kyle Memorial Foundation in 2014. • In August 2013, Texas governor Rick Perry approved the "Chris Kyle Bill," also known as Senate Bill 162. The main objective of this law was to recognize military training as a valid factor when issuing professional licenses. The bill was co-sponsored by Republican Representative Dan Flynn from Van and Democratic Senator Leticia Van de Putte from San Antonio. • In 2015, Greg Marra, a sculptor, created a special statue honouring Kyle, which he then gifted to Kyle's widow. The funding for this commemorative sculpture came from the efforts of the Tea Party movement members who raised the necessary funds. • Texas Governor Greg Abbott declared the anniversary of Chris's passing on 2 February 2015, as "Chris Kyle Day" in honour of his memory. • A privately constructed memorial honoring Kyle was unveiled in Odessa, Texas, on 28 July 2016. The memorial consists of a bronze statue and a plaza.
Personal Life
Date of Birth	8 April 1974 (Monday)
Birthplace	Odessa, Texas, the United States of America
Date of Death	2 February 2013
Place of Death	Erath County, Texas, United States of America
Age (at the time of death)	38 Years
Death Cause	Shot dead [1]The Trace
Zodiac sign	Aries
Signature
Nationality	American
Hometown	Midlothian, Texas, USA
School	He completed his schooling at Midlothian, Texas, in 1992.
College/University	Tarleton State University, Stephenville, Texas (1992-1994)
Educational Qualification	He dropped his agriculture studies mid-way.
Religion/Religious Views	Christianity [2]The Washington Post Note: He was not religious and did not pray to god. In his book, Kyle said, "I'm not the kind of person who makes a big show out of religion. I believe, but I don’t necessarily get down on my knees or sing real loud in church. But I find some comfort in faith, and I found it in those days after my friends had been shot up. Ever since I had gone through BUD/S (SEAL training), I’d carried a Bible with me. I hadn’t read it all that much, but it had always been with me. Now I opened it and read some of the passages. I skipped around, read a bit, skipped around some more. With all hell breaking loose around me, it felt better to know I was part of something bigger."
Address	5611 Mulberry Lane, Midlothian, Texas, the United States of America
Controversies	Accused of spreading lies by the ex-Mayor of Minnesota In the chapter "Punching Out Scruff Face" in his book "American Sniper," Kyle recounts an alleged altercation that took place at a bar. He recounts how he engaged in a physical confrontation with an individual he referred to as "Scruff Face." The reason behind the altercation was derogatory comments made about the Iraq war and a statement suggesting that "You deserve to lose a few [guys]." On 4 January 2012, during an appearance on the Opie and Anthony show, Kyle asserted that the character "Scruff" in his book was a representation of former Minnesota Governor, Jesse Ventura. Nevertheless, Ventura refuted the incident ever happening and denied any interaction with Kyle. Subsequently, in January 2012, Ventura initiated a lawsuit against Kyle at the Hennepin County District Court. The lawsuit accused Kyle of defamation, appropriation, and unjust enrichment. [3]The Washington Post [4]Star Tribune Following Kyle's passing in 2013, Ventura initiated legal action against Kyle's spouse, resulting in the lawsuit being moved to Kyle's estate. Ventura's attorney said in an interview, "Although Kyle is deceased, his ‘American Sniper’ book continues to sell and it is soon to be made into a movie. It would be unjust to permit the estate to continue to profit from Kyle’s wrongful conduct and to leave Governor Ventura without redress for ongoing damage to his reputation." [5]The Washington Post On July 29, 2014, the jury gave its judgement in which it held Kyle responsible for defamation and unjust enrichment and not appropriation. As a result, the estate of Kyle was instructed to provide compensation of $500,000 for defamation and $1.34 million for unjust enrichment. [6]The Oregonian Thereafter, Kyle's widow filed an appeal in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit, contesting the decision made in favour of Ventura on behalf of Kyle's estate. The attorneys representing the estate asked the appeals court to reverse the verdict or initiate a fresh trial. They argued that Ventura's attorney had informed the jurors that the $1.8 million ruling would be covered by Kyle's book publisher's insurance policy rather than his estate. The court reversed the $1.8 million verdict in June 2016 after Ventura's legal team introduced an unrelated insurance policy to the jury, contributing to the decision. [7]The Washington Post The sum of $1.34 million given for "unjust enrichment" was rejected due to its inconsistency with Minnesota law, while the defamation case seeking $500k was remanded for a new trial. In December 2017, the two sides reached an extrajudicial agreement, resolving the lawsuit for an unspecified amount of money. Controversial Accounts in American Sniper Book • Sniping Miscreants During The 2005 Katrina Hurricane Kyle claimed that he and a partner travelled to New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina to put an end to the "looting" happening amidst the civilian unrest. They were armed with sniper rifles and positioned themselves strategically on the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in the city. Allegedly, they started shooting at several armed individuals they believed were causing trouble. The number of people they shot at was a subject of debate, with some sources indicating they collectively shot 30 people, while others attributed this number solely to Kyle. However, there was no concrete evidence to substantiate these assertions, and no proof existed to confirm the idea that a sniper or gunman was responsible for killing numerous individuals. Critics also highlighted the implausibility of a large number of deaths occurring without any media coverage or police reports. Kyle's version of events was covered in various media outlets, including the New Yorker. [8]NOLA.com • Shooting Armed Looters Dead At A Gas Station in Dallas Kyle's book presented another assertion stating that he had fatally shot two armed robbers at a gas station in the southwestern region of Dallas, Texas, back in January 2009. However, efforts to corroborate this claim proved futile. Law enforcement officials, upon being contacted by journalists, refuted having any knowledge of such an event. Despite an investigative journalist's thorough inquiry involving service station proprietors in the Dallas vicinity, no evidence of the incident surfaced. Notably, the medical examiner's records from that time did not indicate any deaths in that locality. Kyle maintained that security footage existed, asserting that he had turned it over to the government, which ultimately resulted in no legal charges against him when questioned by the police regarding the alleged shootings. [9]The Washington Post • Controversial Claims of The Total Medals Received In 2016, the Navy provided clarification about the medals Kyle received while serving in the military. Kyle mentioned in his book that he was given two Silver Stars and five Bronze Stars. However, when he left the Navy in 2009, the personnel form from the Navy indicated that he was actually granted two Silver Stars and six Bronze Stars, along with "V" devices. [10]Time The Navy later clarified that the awards listed in Kyle's discharge paperwork and book were not correct. They emphasized that Kyle had received a single Silver Star and four Bronze Star medals with "V" devices for bravery. [11]Fort Worth Business Press During a media interaction, the Spokeswoman of the US Navy Lt. Jackie Pau said, "After thoroughly reviewing all available records, the Navy determined an error was made in the issuance of Chief Petty Officer Chris Kyle’s form DD214. Specifically, the DD214 did not accurately reflect the decorations and awards to which Kyle was officially entitled." • Disputable Assertions About the Real Count of Kills in Iraq In his book, Kyle claimed to have accomplished more sniper kills during his service than what the Navy officially admits. He stated that he took down approximately 320 enemies in Iraq, whereas the Navy acknowledges only 160 kills. The Navy's count specifically refers to "confirmed kills," which are verifiable on the battlefield. Kyle pointed out that the Navy's figures varied at different periods.
Relationships & More
Marital Status (at the time of death)	Married
Affairs/Girlfriends	Taya Renae Kyle *author, political commentator, military veteran’s family activist)
Marriage Date	16 March 2002
Family
Wife/Spouse	Taya Renae Kyle (author, political commentator, military veteran’s family activist) Note: Wife's image in Children's section.
Children	Son- Colton Kyle (also known as Bubba) Daughter- McKenna Kyle
Parents	Father- Wayne Kenneth Kyle (social activist, teacher, deacon) Mother- Deby Lynn Mercer
Siblings	Brother- Jeff Kyle (retired sergeant of the United States Marine Corps) Note: Jeff is a recipient of the Navy Achievement Medal for his two tenures in Iraq.
Style Quotient
Car Collection	Ford F-350

Some Lesser Known Facts About Chris Kyle

• Chris Kyle was a former member of the United States Navy SEALs, social activist, and author. He is accredited with 160 confirmed kills, earning him the distinction of being the deadliest sniper in the history of the United States. His exceptional bravery led to him being honoured with the Silver Star, four Bronze Star Medals with valour designations represented by “V” devices, and a Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal with a valour device. While deployed in Iraq, insurgents referred to him as Shaitain Ar-Ramadi (Devil of Ramadi). He authored a book titled American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History (2012), which inspired the 2014 Hollywood film American Sniper.

• At the age of eight, Chris Kyle’s father bought him a .30-06 Springfield rifle and a shotgun, which he used to go hunting for deer, pheasant, and quail.
  

  Chris with his father firing a double-barrel shotgun

• He participated in numerous national-level baseball and soccer championships while studying in school.

• During his time in college, Kyle began a career as a bronco rider. However, he left Bronco riding after suffering a spinal cord injury.
  

  A photo of Chris taken during his Bronco riding days

• After dropping out of college in 1994, Kyle worked as a farmer and a cowboy at his family’s ranch in Texas.

• Subsequently, Kyle took up employment as a farm labourer and cattle handler on a ranch located in Hood County.

• In 1996, Kyle went to a military recruitment centre intending to join the US Army. However, during his visit, a US Navy officer approached him and suggested that he should contemplate joining the Navy and applying for the US Navy SEALs. He followed the officer’s advice and applied for the Navy on 5 August 1998.

• On 10 February 1999, he commenced his training in the United States Navy at the Great Lakes Naval Training Center in Chicago, Illinois. He joined the US Navy as a sailor after completing his military training in April of the same year.

• From April and July 1999, he received additional training as an Intelligence Specialist at NMITC Dam Neck, Virginia.

• In August 1999, he arrived at NPC Millington in Tennessee. There, he finished the rest of his Intelligence Specialist training.
  

  Chris Kyle (right) with a colleague from the US Navy

• In 1999, Kyle sought to join the United States Navy SEALs. His initial application was turned down because of the pins in his arms from a previous injury during his days of Bronco riding. However, he was invited to join Class 233 of the Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) school in November 1999.

• After finishing his BUD/S training in March 2001, he proceeded to attend the United States Army Airborne School, also known as Jump School, located in Fort Moore, Georgia. There, he underwent basic training in military parachuting.
  

  A photo of Chris Kyle taken during his early career days

• He participated in the 26-week-long SEAL Qualification Training (SQT) at Naval Amphibious Base (NAB) Coronado from May 2001 to August 2001.

• Thereafter, he attended the SEAL Sniper school in Indiana to receive specialized training as a marksman.

• Proficient in the use of various long-range rifles such as the 7.62 NATO Mk 11 sniper rifle, the 5.56 NATO Mk 12 Designated Marksman Rifle, and the Remington 700/300, Chris Kyle showcased his expertise as a skilled marksman.

• Following the completion of his training, Chris Kyle was sent on his first overseas deployment to Iraq, where he became a member of SEAL Team 3’s sniper unit, also known as Platoon “Charlie” and later nicknamed “Cadillac.” His team played an essential role in the success of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
  

  Chris Kyle with a Polish GROM operative in Iraq

• In 2004, after the overthrow of the Iraqi government led by Saddam Hussein, Kyle was given the task of supporting the US Forces in eradicating the pockets of resistance from the Iraqi forces and insurgents.

• Kyle sniped a target for the first time in 2004. His target was an Iraqi woman who posed a serious threat, as she carried a Russian-made RKG hand grenade. In an interview, he recollected the event, revealing that he had to act swiftly to prevent the woman from carrying out a suicide bombing against the US Marines who were on patrol. Talking about it, he said,
  

  I pushed my finger against the trigger. The bullet leapt out. I shot. The grenade dropped. I fired again as the grenade blew up. It was the first time I’d killed anyone while I was on the sniper rifle. And the first time in Iraq—and the only time—I killed anyone other than a male combatant.”

  

  Chris with other American troops in Ramadi, Iraq

• According to CNN’s report, the woman was found with a hand holding a live grenade while also cradling a toddler in her other arm. ^[12]CNN

• Kyle, during his time in Iraq, earned recognition for taking down 160 enemy combatants. He gained notoriety among the Iraqi rebels who nicknamed him the Shaitain Ar-Ramadi (Devil of Ramadi) and offered a $20,000 reward for his capture. Moreover, he was reputed to have eliminated a notorious terrorist known as “The Butcher,” responsible for horrifically mutilating innocent civilians by amputating their hands using a drilling machine.
  

  A photo of Chris Kyle taken while he was in Iraq

• In 2008, near Sadr City, Kyle achieved his farthest confirmed long-distance shot. He identified an enemy combatant moving closer to an American convoy while carrying a rocket launcher, and from a distance of 2,100 yards, he successfully neutralized the threat. In his book, he talked about the incident and wrote,
  

  At some point I saw a one-story house with someone moving on the roof. It was about 2,100 yards away, and even with a twenty-five power scope, I couldn’t make out much more than an outline. I studied the person, but at that point, he didn’t seem to have a weapon, or at least he wasn’t showing it. His back was to me, so I could watch him, but he couldn’t see me. I thought he was suspicious, but he wasn’t doing anything dangerous, so I let him be. A little while later an Army convoy came down the road beyond theother village, heading in the direction of the COP we had staged out of. Asit got closer, the man on the roof raised a weapon to his shoulder. Now theoutline was clear: he had a rocket launcher, and he was aiming it at Americans.”

  

  Chris posing for a photo with his sniper rifle

• In his book “American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History,” Chris Kyle talked about a man named Mustafa, an Iraqi sniper distinguished for his Olympic-level marksmanship, who attacked both American and Iraqi forces operating with NATO. Contrary to the cinematic portrayal in the 2014 Hollywood film “American Sniper,” where Kyle successfully neutralizes Mustafa, Chris Kyle’s real-life experience did not involve a direct encounter with the Iraqi sniper. Instead, he gained knowledge about Mustafa through accounts shared by fellow U.S. and Iraqi service members.

• Kyle endured two gunshot wounds and emerged alive from six explosive attacks while serving in Iraq. In recognition of his courage on the battlefield, he received a Silver Star and four Bronze Stars.

• While deployed in combat missions, Chris Kyle gained recognition among his team members for wearing a bulletproof vest embellished with a spray-painted emblem of Punisher, a character from Marvel comics.
  

  A photo of Chris Kyle taken wearing the bulletproof jacket with the iconic Punisher logo

• In 2009, Kyle retired from the US Navy as Chief Petty Officer.

• Following his retirement from the US Navy, Kyle and his family relocated to Midlothian, Texas.

• Later, he assumed the role of president at Craft International, a Dallas-headquartered company specializing in providing tactical training to entities such as the U.S. military and law enforcement agencies.

• On 2 January 2012, Kyle’s first book, American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History, was published. Kyle’s book stayed on The New York Times bestseller list for 37 weeks and made him famous all over the country. Some news stories raised doubts about a couple of Kyle’s stories after the book came out, but most people still believed the main parts of his story.
  

  Chris Kyle signing his book during the book’s launch event

• Afterwards, Kyle and his younger brother teamed up with a non-profit group called FITCO Cares Foundation to provide gymming gear for free to veterans in the US. While giving an interview, he talked about working with FITCO and said,
  

  A majority of the veterans, who have served in Iraq or Afghanistan, come home with a severe case of PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). I believe that the root cause can be eliminated if they indulge in frequent workouts. So we have been working together to give charge free gym equipment to the veterans to help them cope with PTSD.”

• In August 2012, Kyle appeared along with actor Dean Cain on the TV show Stars Earn Stripes in which he taught Dean how to use weapons and use combat strategies.
  

  Chris with Dean on the sets of Stars Earn Stripes

• In 2013, he published his second book American Gun: A History of the U.S. in Ten Firearms.

• The film American Sniper, released in 2014, was adapted from Chris Kyle’s 2012 memoir, American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Deadliest Sniper in U.S. Military History. Bradley Cooper took on Chris’ role in the film.
  

  Bradley Cooper in a still from the 2014 Hollywood film American Sniper

• A retired US Marine Corps soldier named Eddie Routh shot Chris and his military friend Chad Littlefield at the Rough Creek Ranch-Lodge-Resort shooting range in Erath County, Texas, on 2 February 2013. According to sources, Routh, who had served in the Iraq War, experienced both PTSD and paranoid schizophrenia. On the day of Chris’s death, he accompanied Chris and Chad to a shooting range to engage in target practice. Allegedly, Routh’s mother had requested Chris’s assistance in helping her son manage his PTSD and schizophrenia. Chris sustained six gunshot wounds from a .45 calibre pistol, whereas Chad was struck by seven bullets from a 9mm pistol. Talking about murdering Chris and Chad, Eddy said,
  

  I was just riding in the back seat of the truck, and nobody would talk to me. They were just taking me to the range, so I shot them. I feel bad about it, but they wouldn’t talk to me. I’m sure they’ve forgiven me.” ^[13]The Washington Post

  

  Chris’ Navy SEALs colleagues carry his coffin during his last rites

  On 12 February 2013, Chris was laid to rest at the Texas State Cemetery located in Austin.

  

  A photo of Chris Kyle’s tombstone