Shining the light

One of the questions reporters always ask Chris Kyle seems like a pretty basic one: Why did you decide to write this book?

Anyone who knows Chris will realize that it's actually a tough one to answer, since it must have been a pretty difficult decision. He’s extremely laid back, not the sort of guy who seeks out attention. On top of that, SEALs really pride themselves on being “silent professionals,” and he's a SEAL through and through. As a general rule, SEALs don’t talk about what they do outside of the small circle of fellow operators.

I can’t speak for Chris, but I have heard him heard say many times that he finally decided to go ahead with the book because of two things:

1) He wanted to “shine the light” on the sacrifices all service people and their families go through, and

2) He wanted to bring some attention to his fallen comrades, Marc Lee and Ryan Job.

I certainly believe that is true, and we attempted to do both things in the book.

(I should mention that much of Chris’s story as a sniper was coming out elsewhere, and so media attention was inevitable. While the actual number of kills is not important to Chris, it is almost always the thing other people focus on. I don’t know if this played a role in his decision, but I would think being able to put the number into the fuller context of who he was and how the war was fought was important.)

Some reporters may think that the motivation of “shining a light” on fallen friends is a public relations invention. In our cynical world it probably sounds contrived. But if you hear Chris talk about Marc Lee or Ryan Job, you realize it’s not contrived at all.

On the contrary, I think it’s a grateful payback not just for their sacrifices in battle – which is something the entire country is grateful for – but in the case of Ryan for his personal inspiration as he fought, successfully, to cope with his disability, and in the case of Marc for his continuing legacy, as exemplified by his mom.

I hope you’ll read the book, but if you haven’t, Ryan was blinded in battle. Before the war, he was possibly the most unlikely SEAL in the platoon, if not the Team. No SEAL is out of shape – you just can’t get through BUD/S, let alone what follows, if you are. But Ryan was far from an athlete. What got him through the experience was sheer will power. And that will power drove him after his injury.

To see a man struggle with a disability is a humbling yet inspiring experience. I can speak of my own visit some time ago to the Brooke Army Medical Center in Texas, where I was quite honestly floored by the wounded men I met there. Most had lost legs and-or arms. They were struggling to deal with those injuries, physically and mentally. The exercises and other rehabilitation routines alone would have been daunting for anyone in his or her prime, even if they hadn’t been injured.

There is no way to sugarcoat either their wounds or the struggle they were facing; I have to confess that in each case I had a difficult time looking at them when first introduced.

And yet, in each case, even a few minutes with them gave me an example of how I should act when faced with difficulties far less critical or life-changing than theirs. I can give you words – determination, drive, perseverance – but they barely begin to describe the emotion these guys evoked. I was continually humbled, and inspired. These are the real role models we need in life.

Marc, unfortunately, died in battle; only memories live on. But his mom has turned her grief into a positive life force for other servicemen. While she is active in a foundation that helps veterans, to me the most striking instance of her efforts, the things that truly inspire me, are her random and unexpected acts of kindness for servicemen. She’ll occasionally pick up a tab or do some other little but greatly appreciated act for a serviceman she sees in an airport or somewhere else. Ninja kindness: Little things, massive effect.

So, while I can’t speak for Chris, it’s always been my impression that a big part of the book is his way of thanking Ryan, Marc, and the others who have fallen in combat – not just for having his back in the war, but for driving him after it, and inspiring him to be a better man. From what I have heard of these guys – selfless, full of humor, determined to succeed no matter what – I can’t see how anyone privileged to know them would fail to honor them in whatever way possible.

A lot of people who haven’t read the book, much less actually met Chris, will form all sorts of opinions on things. I don’t give them too much stock. But I do hope that those people will make an effort to meet someone like Ryan or Marc's mom or any of our other veterans who have passed through a difficult crucible and are now shining a light for all of us to follow.