Replies

In all, he was awarded two Silver Stars, five Bronze Stars with Valor and two Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals.

“I don’t care about the medals,” Kyle told the Star-Telegram in a 2012 interview. “I didn’t do it for the money or the awards. I did it because I felt like it was something that needed to be done and it was honorable. I loved the guys.”

A member of SEAL Team 3, Kyle picked off his targets from rooftops or windows of abandoned buildings during the 2003 war against Iraq, which toppled the Saddam Hussein regime. Primarily serving as a sniper and wounded twice, he provided “overwatch” protection for Marines and other U.S. troops and earned a reputation for his proficiency.

Most shots ranged from 200 to 1,200 yards. His longest, most remarkable kill — from 1.2 miles away — took out an insurgent aiming a rocket launcher at an approaching Army convoy.