American Sniper

1309 words 6 pages
“Al-Shaitan” “The American Sniper” by Chris Kyle is an account of the deadliest American sniper ever, called “the devil” by the enemies he hunted and “the legend” by his Navy SEAL brothers. From 1999 to 2009, U.S. Navy SEAL Chris Kyle recorded the most career sniper kills in United States military history. The Pentagon has officially confirmed more than 150 of Kyle's kills (the previous American record was 109). Iraqi insurgents feared Kyle so much they named him al-Shaitan (“the devil”) and placed a bounty on his head. Kyle earned legendary status among his fellow SEALs, Marines, and U.S. Army soldiers, whom he protected with deadly accuracy from rooftops and stealth positions. Kyle presents the gripping and unforgettable accounts of …show more content…

Every military attempts to submerge the sense of dignity that its members innately have into the false dignity of its collective noble aims and ideals. "We are citizens of this great country." "We stand for freedom and democracy in the world." "We are fighting terror and evil." "We defend our homeland against all enemies." "We defend human rights and justice." However, it is an explicit contradiction for a military to claim that it upholds these ideals while at the same time it attempts to destroy the moral autonomy of its members. Military trainees must be made to kill whomever their commanders say to kill. They must be willing to destroy the homes and factories and livelihoods of whomever their commanders designate.
To look at this moral dilemma differently we view Chris Kyle as a hero, a patriot and a legend.
“It was the first time id killed anyone while I was on the sniper rifle. And the first time in Iraq-and the only time-I killed anyone other than a male combatant… My shots saved several Americans, whose lives were clearly worth more than that woman’s twisted soul. I can stand before God with a clear conscience about doing my job. But I truly, deeply hated the evil that woman possessed. I hate it to this day.”
This view of Chris Kyle on the job is clearly thought to be morally just and for the good of the brothers by his side. This is the moral starting point of the other side of the argument. We should ultimately recognize that there are several

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