American Sniper

By this point in the narrative, Chris—who has returned home to Taya—is inclined to quit the SEALs. He is on edge after his time overseas and is disgusted with what he sees as the empty posturing of his superiors. Yet, he stays with the SEALs, convinced that he may see combat eventually, and enrolls in sniper school. Chris finds that shooting is only one element of being an effective sniper. In fact, much of a sniper’s job involves blending into the landscape and moving about unseen in order to take effective shots.

Chris is not an exceptional sniper in terms of his class rank in sniper school; he fails his practice test. His time in sniper training is, nonetheless, important in honing his combat abilities, particularly his capacity to remain attentive and aware of his surroundings. Beyond becoming a certified sniper, Chris spends his time at home pursuing a few other forms of training, from working on his water-bound skills as a SEAL to completing the curriculum in a combat navigation and logistics school. Taya becomes pregnant and gives birth to Chris’s first child, a son, while Chris is stateside. Soon after completing navigation school, Chris returns to combat.

Chris is sent to Iraq to work alongside the GROM, or the Polish Special Forces, in his capacity as a navigator. By autumn of 2004, Saddam Hussein has been removed from power and the American forces must deal with a variety of enemies: hostile native Iraqis, al-Qaeda radicals, and forces from Iran among them. Chris helps the GROM to plan safe routes and avoid IEDs (improvised explosive devices) while in transit; he comes to admire the professionalism of his Polish colleagues. His skills, however, are in demand elsewhere, since the marines are planning an offensive targeting Fallujah and need snipers to provide precision firepower.

Although Chris realizes that his involvement in combat is causing him to spend time away from his growing son, he is energized by the prospect of helping out. He enters Fallujah with the marines and sets to work, providing sniper fire from the windows and roofs of vacated buildings. Ground combat proves to be chaotic: Chris is matched with other soldiers (particularly one cowardly fellow nicknamed Runaway), who either flee from danger or do not properly coordinate their efforts. Chris sets an example of valor, and rescues a wounded second lieutenant during an intense firefight. Ultimately, he will go on to earn two Silver Stars and five Bronze Medals for valor in combat.

With the American forces making fewer kills from a distance, the marines begin breaking into houses to drive out the Fallujah insurgents. Chris leads some of these efforts, convinced that his superior training will keep the marines safe. The work proceeds steadily and fairly efficiently, sometimes with takedowns of a hundred houses in one day, until the American forces reach the area near a cemetery. Chris returns to his role as a sniper but continues to offer guidance for street-level combat.

A few especially dramatic events occur during Chris’s time in Fallujah: a young soldier dies in Chris’s presence; Iraq holds democratic elections; and Chris witnesses some especially bizarre maneuvers on the part of the insurgents—once, a group of Tunisian insurgents tries to navigate a marsh by floating on large, colorful beach balls, making them easy targets. Chris also provides security for convoys linked to the new Iraqi government. Perhaps most importantly for his career as a SEAL, Chris spends this time in Iraq registering a considerable number of confirmed kills, and thus building his reputation as a deadly and efficient sniper.