May 102013
American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History
Gripping, eye-opening, and powerful, American Sniper is the astonishing autobiography of SEAL Chief Chris Kyle, who is the record-holding sniper in U.S. military history. Kyle has more than 150 officially confirmed kills (the previous American record was 109), though his remarkable career total has not been made public by the Pentagon.In this New York Times bestselling memoir, Kyle shares the true story of his extraordinary decade-long career, including his multiple combat tours in Iraq (Operati
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Not Great…Not Terrible…,
Very broad stroke tale of Chris Kyle’s career as a SEAL. Broad in the sense that there is very little detail on actual shots taken/contact with enemies (where he actually engaged targets in his capacity as a sniper).
I was initially going to review the book after having read the first 30% of it which left me a bit disappointed but I decided to give it a chance, and finished it before re-writing my entire review. I fully agree with some of the previous reviews that the writing could have been better and I have to admit that I actually started wanting to skip all the passages written by Chris’s wife (Taya) entirely. It does give a bit of perspective on their private life but as a shooter I was more interested in Chris’s actual accounts.
I found it very interesting (and initially a bit brazen) how Chris starts his book exactly the same way Carlos Hatchcock* did with his autobiography referencing having had to kill a woman the same way Carlos started his book having had to kill a boy. Later in the book Chris pays homage to Carlos so the similarity became understandable.
* Carlos Hathcock – technically the best sniper ever to have walked the earth and probably the best written Sniper autobiography to date)
Comparing the countless records on fighting in wars like Vietnam compared to modern day warfare in places like Iraq you cant seem to shake the feeling that the enemy guys like Chris face there just aren’t cut from the same cloth. The Vietcong were a very formidable enemy, living the war and being excellent at guerilla warfare, tracking, planning and even having some superb snipers in their ranks. Reading Chris talk about his enemy using beachballs to cross a river in order to reach American positions (which he promptly shot resulting in them drowning), the enemy mostly being completely jacked up on heroin, being stupid and having NO clue how to actually fight (pot shots and stupid fighting) and talking about picking off enemy soldiers on a nightly basis (sometimes up to 3 a night) really gives the impression that its much easier to rake up a high kill tally than it was in past wars. Chris goes on to admit how much he admires Carlos Hathcock and that he admits he is not even in the same league saying that he got as many kills as he did because he was lucky in mostly being where the action was. Therefore reading about some of the kills leaves you feeling less than ‘impressed’. That being said, what Chris has achieved and what he did for his country is nothing short of heroic and respectable.
Chris does go on to discuss some of the street fights (clearing building to building) he was involved in out of his own choice after swapping his rifle for a Marines m-16 in order to fight along side them as he felt he could be of more use to the marines he was assisting on the ground than he could be as over-watch (a large number of his kills were CQ kills), which is also highly respectable.
So…
- If you are interested in the technical side of being a Sniper and actual details on shots taken, there are better books (for a start Carlos Hathcock’s autobiography, A 100% flawless must read!)
- If you’re interest is purely in details of SEAL operations and their involvement in recent wars (Iraq) then this book will probably disappoint as it lacks detail. It is however very interesting to see how much the role of the modern day SEAL has changed (where and how they are deployed and how they operate as part of joint force missions with other branches of the US military).
- If you want to read about Chris Kyle for the sake of learning about him as a person, where he came from and a quick run-down on his kill record (with no detail on separate kills as they tend to be summed up as “…that day I killed 3…” then this book will probably be of interest.
All in all a good-ish book…couldn’t say its $13 I’d spend again for the Kindle version, but not regretting having read it.
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|Enjoyable and interesting,
While not high prose, this was a quick and interesting read. I totally support our troops and their actions so obviously am positively predisposed. However, I think that the authors story is fascinating and important. What our troops do to protect us should not be forgotten or dismissed. It is a pretty breezy and easy to read account of Chris’ tours of duty and participation in many very important activities in the war. It is not a history book but one man’s experiences during those historic moments. I found it very informative about a particular aspect of the SEALs and sniping in particular; both topics that I do not know a lot about. I enjoyed it and think that if you are interested in the war and or sniping then this is a worthwhile read. Perhaps if you are an expert it might be detailed enough, but I liked it.
Thanks to Chris and all his brothers in arms for their sacrifice.
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|Remarkable Story of A Truly Remarkable American Hero,
What a remarkable story of heroism, patriotism, and self-sacrifice by an even more remarkable American, Chris Kyle. A Navy SEAL and highly trained sniper, Kyle is even more remarkable in his straightforward admittance that his accomplishments alone are not to be lauded, but the accomplishments and sacrifices of his fellow military men who sacrificed their vision, limbs, and some ultimately their lives in fighting for the freedoms that we often take for granted, yet hold so dear. It may not be much, but here is one American that is forever grateful and thankful to Chris Kyle and ALL of our brave men and women fighting for our country.
Kyle joins the ranks of such American sniper greats as Carlos Hathcock 93 confirmed kills during the Vietnam War, and whose sniper exploits were so eloquently related to the reader in these two books written by Charles Henderson; Marine Sniper: 93 Confirmed Kills and Silent Warrior: The Marine Sniper’s Story Vietnam Continues, as well as, other sniper greats such as; Chuck Mawhinney a U.S. Marine with 103 confirmed kills during the Vietnam War and Adelbert Waldron the previous U.S. Military record holder with 109 confirmed kills.
One particular aspect that I liked about how this book was written was the occasional viewpoint expressed by Kyle’s lovely wife, Taya. Although both she and Kyle allude to problems both faced concerning each other and his absence during his military service, one can’t help but realize what a truly remarkable women Taya is and Chris is a damn lucky man to have her. I am quite sure that God has and will continue to smile upon the both of them.
I really liked Kyle’s no apologetic statement that he enjoyed his job and took great pride in saving the lives of his fellow soldiers as they fought against the evils that they found in Iraq. Kyle doesn’t go into a lot of gruesome detail concerning that subject but he makes it painfully clear that unless you have actually been there and seen the evil that hasn’t been diluted by politicians and the media, then you really have no idea what it is like. I would wholeheartedly agree!
Kyle talks about not only his involvement as a Navy SEAL sniper in Iraq, but also his working relationship with other branches of the military. Some real insightful stuff!
Kyle not only gives you a glimpse into the world he and his fellow SEAL’s lived during the Iraq War, but also the difficulties he faced when he came home in between tours and for good upon his retirement from the Navy. And although there were difficulties, he also shares some very humorous moments as well. I especially liked the story about the “burglar” breaking into his home while he was on leave and while he was still in bed after his wife left for work. I was laughing so hard that I couldn’t stop for several minutes. As a matter of fact I am laughing real hard right now as I type this review. Sorry Chris, I am laughing at you as well as with you on this one. Ha Ha Ha
I am not one for posting a lot of spoilers when I do my reviews, but I do have to say that one only needs read a few pages to realize that not only is Chris Kyle one of the finest soldiers the United States of America has every produced, but he is also, and perhaps more importantly, one helluva human being and a truly great American. God Bless!
I highly recommend this book to every American as a very inspirational read as well as a biography of one extraordinary human being.
Shawn Kovacich
Martial Artist/Krav Maga Instructor
NRA Firearms Instructor
Author and Creator of numerous books and DVD’s.
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