I still ache for my failure to protect them.”, “The thing we all had in common wasn’t muscle; it was the will to do whatever it takes.”, “Marines—you beat them down and they come back for more.”, “I don’t care how much money you get,” my dad used to tell me. When we went into Ramadi, we told the terrorists, “We’ll cut your head off. Who would you listen to? I did need him, tremendously. We didn’t vote in Congress; we didn’t vote to go to war. I looked through the scope. I’m not one to be quiet about it, either.”, “MY REGRETS ARE ABOUT THE PEOPLE I COULDN’T SAVE—Marines, soldiers, my buddies. But what I lean toward is that you know all of your sins, and God knows them all, and shame comes over you at the reality that He knows.

We were on the roof of an old rundown building at the edge of a town the Marines were going to pass through. They could hear the rumble of the ap¬ Not a perfect one—not close. “Marines are coming,” said my chief as the building began to woman opened the door of a small house and stepped outside

I’d seen the power of their weapons and I would’ve hated to have to fight them. In the area of Nasiriya, Iraq I looked through the scope of the sniper rifle, scanning down the road of the tiny Iraqi town. I fired again as the grenade blew up. Excerpt from American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History by Chris Kyle with Scott McEwen and Jim DeFelice (William Morrow, $26.99) Late March 2003. Force moved that battle. Civilization Requires Collective Common Sense Editor's Note: The following is an excerpt from American Sniper, a book written by Navy SEAL Chris Kyle I looked through the scope of the sniper rifle…

Kyle, let’s go into the backroom. they came through. Fifty yards away, a inside, most of them scared.

SEAL stands for “SEa, Air, Land,” and it pretty much describes the wide ranges of places we operate. I do not choose the wars.”, “In my experience, Marines are gung ho no matter what. the building earlier in the day, sneaking into position to provide But in that backroom or whatever it is when God confronts me with my sins, I do not believe any of the kills I had during the war will be among them.

I was still a new guy, a newbie or rookie in the Teams. In this case, we were far inland, much farther than SEALs traditionally operated, though as the war against terror continued, this would become common. But at the same time, I had to get along without him so much that I developed an attitude that I didn't need him, or at least that I shouldn't need him.

All Rights Reserved. Yet I would guess if someone were shooting at them and they had to hold their family members while they bled out against an enemy who hid behind their children, played dead only to throw a grenade as they got closer, and who had no qualms about sending their toddler to die from a grenade from which they personally pulled the pin—they would be less concerned with playing nicely.”, “They had signs about baby killers and murderers and whatever, protesting the troops who were going over to fight. The local Iraqis had gone I was also not yet trained as a SEAL sniper. The grenade dropped. But as we told the Army and Marine officers and enlisted men we fought beside, we’re no better than those men when it comes to courage and worth.”, “way I figure it, if you send us to do a job, let us do it. is provided to you, Here's Why Trump's Final Debate Was a Game-Changer, An Explosive Story of Treachery Within the Trump Administration, WATCH: The Moment Joe Biden Realized He Lost the Debate, Dan Crenshaw Right About What 2A Community Needs, SEE YA: People are dropping the software company @Expensify after the CEO urged every customer to vote for Joe Biden, To Help the Fact-checkers, Here Is a List of Lies from Joe Biden’s Debate Performance, Big Tech’s Bias Against Conservatives Continues, Trump Wins the Debate and Shows America the Choice, The Moment Biden Threw Obama Under the Bus During Final Presidential Debate, Dem Lawmaker Got Trump's Debate Reference to Coyotes Hilariously Wrong, Dem Lawmaker Urges Biden to Take Back His Oil Comments, Democratic Congressman Blows Up Joe Biden's Spot on the Oil Industry, Gov. Giving me the rifle that morning was the chief’s way of testing me to see if I had the right stuff. That is how the world works.”, “Everyone talks about there being no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, but they seem to be referring to completed nuclear bombs, not the many deadly chemical weapons or precursors that Saddam had stockpiled.”, “Why a ball cap? She’d set a grenade. Information about your device and internet connection, including your IP address, Browsing and search activity while using Verizon Media websites and apps. They will all fight to the death. My platoon, “Charlie” (later “Cadillac”) of SEAL Team 3, helped kick it off during the early morning of March 20. Just a moment while we sign you in to your Goodreads account. Ninety percent of being cool is looking cool. That’s why you have admirals and generals—let them supervise us, not some fat-ass congressman sitting in a leather chair smoking a cigar back in DC in an air-conditioned office,”, “We killed the bad guys and brought the leaders to the peace table.

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The only people who were moving were the woman and maybe a child or two nearby. Editor's Note: The following is an excerpt from American Sniper, a book written by Navy SEAL Chris Kyle. The U.S. told them, “We’ll make it better for you.” The terrorists said, “We’ll cut your head off.” Who would you fear? I’d spent nearly three years training and learning how to become a warrior; I was ready for this fight, or at least as ready as anyone can be. He’d been covering the street for a while and needed a break. The Marines were flooding up the road, They were protesting the wrong people. The place smelled like a sewer—the stench of Iraq was one thing I’d never get used to. Everyone of them just wants to get out there and kill. proaching American unit. By SEAL standards, I had yet to be fully tested. The woman was already dead. Find out more about how we use your information in our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy.

The Iraq army didn’t stand a chance. We went in and killed all the bad people we could find.

We’d love your help. Error rating book. Refresh and try again. I … with her child. The tribal leaders saw that we were bad-asses, and they’d better get their act together, work together, and stop accommodating the insurgents. In my experience, Marines are gung ho no matter what. “Looks yellow,” I told the chief, describing what I saw as he watched himself. I wanted to be one in the worst way, but I had a long way to go. The rifle I was holding was a .300 WinMag, a bolt-action, pre¬cision sniper weapon that belonged to my platoon chief.

My platoon had taken over

I do not choose the wars.”, “I’m proud of my service, but I sure as hell didn’t do it for any medal. To this day I’ve tried to follow that philosophy.”, “Savage, despicable evil. You can mess with the U.N. all you want, but when you start interfering with the right to get caffeinated, someone has to pay.”, “I am a strong Christian. I looked through the scope of the sniper rifle, scan¬ I pushed my finger against the trigger.

Even at a ball game, when someone talks during the anthem or doesn’t take off his hat, it pisses me off. I hesitated. And I felt terribly torn about needing him. I feel it in my chest. We will do whatever we have to and eliminate you.” Not only did we get the terrorists’ attention—we got everyone’s attention. “Keep watching.”.

They all deserved to die.”, “Great way to fight a war - be prepared to defend yourself for winning.”, “I’ve lived the literal meaning of the “land of the free” and “home of the brave.” It’s not corny for me. I was a SEAL, a Navy commando trained in special operations. When we started, the decent (or potentially decent) Iraqis didn’t fear the United States; they did fear the terrorists. Someone was trying to get the Marines on the radio, but we couldn’t reach them. It was my job to protect them.

And, in fact, they appeared to have abandoned the area already. . - Taya Kyle, his wife”, “AT ANOTHER LOCATION, WE FOUND BARRELS OF CHEMICAL material that was intended for use as biochemical weapons. He may hold me back until last and run everybody else through the line, because it will take so long to go over all my sins. Yet I would guess if someone were shooting at them and they had to hold their family members while they bled out against an enemy who hid behind their children, played dead only to throw a grenade as they got closer, and who had no qualms about sending their toddler to die from a grenade from which they personally pulled the pin—they would be less concerned with playing nicely.”, “I felt sad for everything he'd been through. behind curtains, waiting. You have to work on where you're going.”, “anyone who has a problem with what guys do over there is incapable of empathy. A few curious souls peeked out from The Best Quotes From Chris Kyle’s Book, “American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History.” 28 Jan, 2015 by John Hawkins Print this article Font size - 16 + Kristi Noem Reacts to Media's Obsession With Her Refusing to Lock Down Her State, One of the Men Trump Just Granted a Second Chance Was Behind Bars Thanks to Biden’s Crime Bill, Trump Announces Another Country Has Normalized Relations with Israel, WSJ Columnist Zeroes In on the Real Issue Joe Biden Faces After Exposure of Shady China Deal, Oops: Photograph of Joe Biden and Hunter's Business Partner Found on Burisma's Website, Online Liberals Show Their Ignorance on the Issue of Immigration Again After Trump's Coyote Comment, ICE Can Finally Implement July 2019 Expedited Removal Designation, Pennsylvania Supreme Court Delivers Second Win This Week for Democrats and Voter Fraud, San Francisco: A string of drug stores close after shoplifters strip the shelves bare, 'Undecided' Focus Group Gives Devastating Answers for Biden on Hunter and How They'd Vote, CCPA - Do not sell my personal information. It was my duty to shoot, and I don’t regret it. As the Americans organized, the woman took something from beneath her clothes, and yanked at it. Welcome back. “That’s a Chinese grenade.”. I've felt it myself.”, “I signed up to protect this country. I watched our troops pull up. People want America to have a certain image when we fight. Cotton Sounds the Alarm Over Biden's Immigration Policies, Townhall.com is the leading source for conservative news and political commentary and analysis. “It’s not worth it if you’re not happy.” That’s the most valuable piece of advice he ever gave me: Do what you want in life. “It’s yellow, the body—”, “She’s got a grenade,” said the chief. I shot. The rest of the street was deserted.