‘American Sniper’ Hero Chris Kyle Lied About His Military Record

There is no doubt that Chris Kyle, the Navy SEAL, whose life and military career was the subject of the blockbuster movie “American Sniper,” was a true American hero. Kyle is known as the deadliest sniper in the history of the United States military, and he was, by all accounts, a loving father and dear friend.

In his book, Kyle stated that the combat medals he earned were two Silver Stars and five Bronze Stars, “all for valor.” But based on Navy documents obtained by the Intercept, Kyle actually only earned one Silver Star and three Bronze Stars with Valor. In other words, about half the awards he claimed.

Kyle was warned on at least one occasion by a former commanding officer before his memoir was published that he had incorrectly portrayed his medal count, according to one current Navy officer.

Even more oddly, when Kyle left active duty,  his separation notice–known as a DD214–lists two Silver Stars and six Bronze Stars, though it remains unclear where that inaccurate count came from. Cullen James, a spokesperson for the Navy Personnel Command, suggested this possibility:

“The form DD214 is generated locally at the command where the service member is separated. Although the information on the DD214 should match the official records, the process involves people and inevitably some errors may occur.”

Fellow Navy SEALs who talked to the Intercept acknowledged that Kyle was known to embellish his military record to reflect more medals than he actually earned. One remarked:

“Everybody went on a pilgrimage to his funeral at Cowboys Stadium, knowing full well his claims weren’t true.”

And a retired SEAL had this to say about Kyle’s exaggerations:

“It takes away from the legitimate heroism he showed.”

Featured Image Via YouTube Screengrab