Chris Kyle

Chris Kyle
Chris Kyle
	Kyle in 2012
Birth name	Christopher Scott Kyle
Nicknames	"The Legend", "Devil of Ramadi", "Tex", "American Sniper", "The Punisher"
Born	April 8, 1974; Odessa, Texas, U.S.
Died	February 2, 2013 (aged 38); Erath County, Texas, U.S.
Buried	Texas State Cemetery
Branch	United States Navy
Service years	1999–2009
Rank	Chief Petty Officer; (Rating: Special Warfare Operator, formerly Intelligence Specialist)
Unit	United States Navy SEALs SEAL Team 3; ;
Conflicts	See battles Iraq War Invasion of Iraq Battle of Al Faw; Battle of Nasiriyah; ; Second Battle of Fallujah; Second Battle of Ramadi; 2008 Iraq spring fighting Siege of Sadr City; ; ;
Awards	Silver Star; Bronze Star Medal (4); Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal;
Spouse	Taya Studebaker (m. 2002)
Children	2
Other work	American Sniper (2012); American Gun (2013);
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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.