What Motivated Chris Kyle, A Navy SEAL, to Fight?

Most of us have already heard or seen the movie American Sniper, which reenacts the life events of Chris Kyle, a Navy SEAL and the world’s deadliest sniper. While the movie itself was a box-office hit there was a lot of controversy surrounding the acts of violence and brutal deaths that are carried out in the movie. However, people shouldn’t be surprised that war is accurately portrayed as a being violent and chaotic. In war you either kill or be killed. You either survive or perish. You either return home alive or you don’t.

Chris Kyle, the world’s deadliest sniper

With this in mind one has to wonder why exactly did Chris Kyle enlist to go to war. What motivated him to continue fighting? Why did he leave the safety of his home to travel to a war torn country where his safety along with his life weren’t guaranteed? Well what better place to get answers to these questions than from Chris Kyle himself. In an interview done by Dallas Morning News, when asked about the reason why he decided to become a Navy SEAL, Chris Kyle answered, “When I grew up, I only had two dreams. One was to be a cowboy and another was to be in the military. I grew up extremely patriotic and riding horses”.

“It’s not a problem taking out someone who wants your people dead. Not a problem at all.” – Chris Kyle

In other words, Chris joined the Navy SEALS because of his patriotism. His desire to protect the American people and the values that Americans hold dear led him down the path that made him become the world’s deadliest sniper. This was to be expected since most people that enlist in the army believe it is their duty to fight for and protect their country. In spite of that, war still isn’t for everyone and it isn’t unusual for a soldier to reconsider the reasons on why they are in the battlefield risking death. Whether the patriotism they have is reason enough to risk their lives.

Not Chris Kyle though. Throughout his tour Chris continuously fought to keep his country and his comrades safe from whatever threat came up. His love for his country and his people motivated him to eliminate the insurgents on the battlefield. For him it was just a choice between the lives of the insurgents or the lives of his people (the latter was always chosen). According to him, the only thing that keeps him up at night “is not the people that I have killed. It is the people I wasn’t able to save”.