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PDF American Sniper The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in US Military History Chris Kyle Scott McEwen Jim DeFelice Books

Product details Mass Market Paperback 448 pages Publisher HarperCollins; Reprint edition (January 29, 2013) Language English ISBN-10 9780062238863 ISBN-13 978-0062238863 ASIN 0062238868

American Sniper The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in US Military History Chris Kyle Scott McEwen Jim DeFelice Books Reviews

• Excellent perspective from one who served. Seldom do I condemn other reviewers in their stance, but this is the rare exception. To all those who thought or think this is American propaganda, then you either did not read the book, or your mind was made up before you started or you have not read any other memoirs from any other conflicts in the world.
  
  This is the insight of a man who was on the ground and answered the call of his country and performed to exemplary levels of honor, bravery and comradeship. You will find the same type of writing in “Last Dead Hero”- Robert Lamon, “Blood Red Snow”- Gunther K. Koschorrek, “The Forgotten Soldier” Guy Sajer “Patton” Ladislas Farago and a host of others. These men fought for their country and sought to defeat and destroy the enemy. Plain and simple, waris about killing people to win. It’s not a walk in the park and handled through diplomacy where everyone holds hands and smiles. War is ugly, destructive and dehumanizing. Ask the Russians how many they lost during World War Two. Ask the British if they had, as Neville Chamberlain proclaimed, “Peace in our time.” You win by killing your enemy!
  Chris gives the reader a frontline look at how the battle in Iraq was fought. Does he come across as inhumane? Perhaps. But as a sniper, his job isn’t to sit back and observe, it’s to protect his fellow soldiers in harms way. And he does this by killing the enemy.
  I have talked, not interviewed, many men who served in WWII, Korea, Vietnam and Iraq/Afghanistan. The common thread all of these men and women hold is, they are fighting for the man/woman by their side. Politics and grand strategies are the farthest thing from their minds. Protecting their fellow soldiers is front and foremost.
  His insight to his commanders is a common theme you’ll find in most biographies-incompetent. His description of one of these, “0% casualties, 100% effectiveness.” galled him. How do you go out in the field to ambush or become a target for your foe and not expect to incur casualties? I’m sure those were the words Eisenhower, Bradley, Montgomery, Patton, Truscott, Roosevelt, King, Schwarzkopf and Franks told their men as they were going into the fray. No!
  The other side of this tribute is his family life. Was it all rose gardens and happy-go-lucky? Far from it. His wife Taya had her own battles to fight. She was responsible for raising their two children while he was off fighting. Her insights to their fiery, troubled relationship are well timed and placed through this work. She does not hold back how much she despises the military but also understands that her husband is bound and determined to keep the bad guys from coming to the states and making sure he does everything in his ability to make that happen. For her, it is a Catch-22. She loves her husband and is proud of his service, but sooner or later, he’s going to have to make family number two on the list. When Chris realizes that he’s not immortal during his last deployment and reenlistment is coming up, he will have to decide if he wants to continue his service which could result in him losing his family. He chooses the later. This alone is an excellent testament of two people not taking the easy road. They overcame their differences and remembered why they fell in love in the first place.
  
  I recommend this warrior’s story to anyone who wants a glimpse into the day to day life of a man who is dedicated to his God, Country and Family.
• Great account of Chris Kyle's service to our country! Puts the major motion picture in to perspective, which I watched before reading this autobiography (as Hollywood often does, many of the encounters in the movie are embellished to create drama and evoke stronger emotion). It was nice to read that this man, in his own humble words, wasn't in-fact God (as the movie sometimes seems to be concluding), but rather a highly skilled, trained, and devoted service member that performed heroically on the battle field.
  
  Also a great reminder that the men and women who serve our country have chosen to serve on their own accord, but they are not the ones who voted to go to war. They do not deserve blame for the war- they deserve thanks and recognition for their (and their families') sacrifices. They are doing a job that they have been ordered to do, and those decisions come from policymakers and representatives that THE GENERAL PUBLIC have elected. When you see a vet, thank them for their service, regardless of your stance on whether the war they fought was justified or not! They may very well share your opinion, whatever that may be, but they committed to following through on the job that they were given, regardless of personal opinion.
• Really great book – I have a couple points, but first I served in Iraq in 08-09 as a gunner as a member of a combat MP team; being said, I have the utmost respect for snipers because of their overwatch capabilities. I mean, they all deserve a high five for keeping us ground pounders save over there. As for the book, I like it because Kyle writes in spoken word, not a verbage packed authoring kinda thing. He writes and talks like a SEAL. It’s well written, I enjoyed the tidbits form Taya – reminds me of when I describe my deployment and then my wife cuts in too. Very genuine book. As a soldier, I gotta pick on other branches as a requirement. Kyle calls SEALs silent professionals, I understand what he’s saying, but he can get kinda obnoxious and narsasstic sometimes, im not giggin’ the guy though, he’s a friggin’ SEAL, a horse of another color and im sure if I went through BUD/S and came out the other end, I’d be a cocky bad-a%% too! Anyway, God bless Kyle and his family, rest in peace brother, you earned eternity of it in heaven – thanks for you and all your brethren who watched our six, even when we didn’t know you guys were there.
• Now I can watch the movie.
  
  I gave the book 5 stars, but that doesn’t mean it’s perfect. This is the original version of the book that contains the “Punching Out Scruff Face” section, which has been deleted from subsequent versions of the book after Jesse Ventura sued the author and publisher for defamation, and won. That’s an indication that other parts of the narrative could be embellishments, or exaggerations, or just plain misleading through bad communication. For instance on page 314 the narrative says Fort Irwin is in San Bernardino. Yes, Fort Irwin is in San Bernardino County, but when I hear San Bernardino without “county” on the end of the name I think of the city by the same name, which is quite a drive from Fort Irwin.
  
  Also, because this book was published before the author was murdered, there is no mention of the author being killed by a mentally disturbed Marine veteran.
  
  In comparison, here’s how I rated some comparable books I’ve read in the past couple of years “Civilian Warriors” (2014) by Eric Prince (4 stars); “Blackwater” (2008) 2 stars; “Big Boy Rules” (2009) 3 stars; “The Strongest Tribe” (2009) by Bing West (4 stars); “Unbroken” (2014) by Laura Hillenbrand (4 stars); “Ghost Soldiers” (2001) audiobook (5 stars); “Shadow Divers” (2004) audiobook (5 stars). I’ll stop there. I could keep listing books all day, going back to the first crusades.