DOCs SHOW: Conservative hero ’American Sniper’ Chris Kyle grossly exaggerated his military record

[kpete]

“AMERICAN SNIPER” CHRIS KYLE DISTORTED HIS MILITARY RECORD, DOCUMENTS SHOW

NO AMERICAN HAS been more associated with the Navy SEAL mystique than Chris Kyle, known as the deadliest sniper in U.S. military history. His bestselling autobiography, American Sniper — a story of honor, glory, and quiet heroism — has sold more than a million copies. The movie adaptation became the highest-grossing war film in American history.

“All told,” Kyle wrote in his book, “I would end my career as a SEAL with two Silver Stars and five Bronze (Stars], all for valor.”

But Kyle, who was murdered by a fellow military veteran several years after leaving the Navy, embellished his military record, according to internal Navy documents obtained by The Intercept. During his 10 years of military service and four deployments, Kyle earned one Silver Star and three Bronze Stars with Valor, a record confirmed by Navy officials.

Kyle was warned at least once before American Sniper was published that its description of his medal count was wrong, according to one current Navy officer, who asked not to be identified because he was not authorized to speak about the case. As Kyle’s American Sniper manuscript was distributed among SEALs, one of his former commanders, who was still on active duty, advised Kyle that his claim of having two Silver Stars was false, and he should correct it before his book was published.

Current and former Navy SEALs interviewed for this article, who agreed to speak on background because they feared being shunned by their close-knit community, did not dispute Kyle’s heroism in combat, but saw the inflation of his medal count as significant because they consider battlefield embellishments to be dishonorable.

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More Details Here:
https://theintercept.com/2016/05/25/american-sniper-chris-kyle-distorted-his-military-record-documents-show/

[yeoman6987]

1. He's deceased. Shall the press kick him while he's unable to defend himself?

[ChisolmTrailDem]

2. He said he had more valor medals that he actually had, so says the Navy. That's stolen valor. If...

...people can receive posthumous awards after death, why should they not be held accountable when it is discovered they committed a fraud or other offense, in this case, again, stolen valor, and do not deserve the accolades they are afforded in death?

While Kyle did indeed receive at least some number of medals, he lied about it by embellishing his record. That's stolen valor, and not honorable.

[yeoman6987]

6. Honestly I didn't look at it that way but you have given a great point for sure.

Thanks!

[Separation]

11. And you would be wrong in that line of thought

If its on his DD-214, he wouldnt have any reason to not think that those medals are his. His personel files and DD-214 are two completely separate things. If a Yeoman entered that he had 2 Silver Stars and 5 Bronze medals and put it on his DD-214, its the Yeomans fault, not Chris Kyles.

When I retired, I was told to sign my DD-214 only after looking through it and making sure that there were no omissions. To be honest, I couldnt wait to get the hell out of there so I did like a huge majority of servicemembers do and sign the damn thing only to notice somethin g missing later. Then it is a huge PITA to get it fixed. The fact that the Yeoman added 3 additional medals probably never even entered his mind that it was wrong. Its on his DD-214, normally a ton of shit is missing, not added.

Then again, he isnt here to tell me otherwise. I do however know for a fact how DD-214's are processed. They are not processed by the member but an administrative person. So to say he intentionally lied is bit of a stretch and nothing more than a witch hunt of a dead person.

[ChisolmTrailDem]

12. He killed innocent people in Iraq. It's hard for me to honor him in death. Sorry. nt

[Separation]

14. Who said anything about honoring him?

People are trying to call a dead man a liar about records he had nothing to do with?

To be honest, I could not give two shits about this story one way or another. Its when people are blatantly or maybe ignorantly talking about things they dont have any idea about is when I take issue and try to insert some factual knowledge into the discussion.

[ChisolmTrailDem]

16. Sorry, but i'm not the one saying that he exaggerated his military service record...

[Separation]

18. Sorry, I was responding to this quote you wrote in your headline.

He said he had more valor medals that he actually had, so says the Navy. That's stolen valor.

and

While Kyle did indeed receive at least some number of medals, he lied about it by embellishing his record. That's stolen valor, and not honorable.

So I figured that you didnt know the process of records and the difference between the two. Like I said, I think that this is nothing more than a witch hunt of a dead guy.

[Wounded Bear]

19. Sorry Marine...

but if he knew how many medals to pin on his uniform, and I suspect he did, what the DD-214 did or didn't say is kind of irrelevant to me. Wearing medals he wasn't awarded is criminal under the UCMJ, but perhaps not in a memoir.

This kind of slides him into Ollie North territory for me.

Semper Fi!

[ryan_cats]

3. It is

It is the American way.

He was a hero doing a job and while the medal thing is no big deal to me, we should ask Admiral Boorda his opinion.

I do have a problem with taking lives, any life, but I was not there.

[Kingofalldems]

7. The facts are clear. He lied again and again.

[marmar]

9. So what? He bragged about shooting women and children. ......

..... Are we supposed to show deference to him?

[Nay]

4. In my mind, the editor of his book manuscript is at least as guilty. Once it was

pointed out that the medal count was iffy, the publisher/editor should have thoroughly vetted that info before publishing. It's almost a given that many military types can embellish their records; vetting and correcting wrong info from the very beginning should have been the plan.

[msanthrope]

5. maybe Clint Eastwood should have spent less time talking to an empty chair

And more time researching.

[Kingofalldems]

8. Kick this for his freeper pals.

[tenderfoot]

13. typical conservative liar

eom

[Blue_Tires]

15. Folks are suprised about this?

All they had to do was read a book excerpt...

[TipTok]

17. His DD 214 says otherwise...

I'd believe that over his ERB (or Navy equivalent).