Happy Chris Kyle Day!

I have a friend who I went through jump school with. He is a retired AF Pararescueman. He now works Diplomatic Security for the government. He spent his entire career in Special Operations. Spec Ops is a small family. My friend’s call sign is MAC 10, like the gun. Mac and I go way back. He also was good friends with Chris Kyle, who kept trying to recruit Mac to work at Craft International. Mac has told me of several experiences he’s had with Chris, some of them in Iraq. Mostly Mac talks about the shooting competitions they had whenever they got on a range together. Well Mac called me today. He lives in Florida these days but he called to wish me a happy Chris Kyle day. He and I talked about Chris and even about Chris’s idol Carlos Hathcock. I met Carlos in 1986 and he was a Prince among men. He passed away in 1999 due to MS. Anyway, Texas just declared February 2 Chris Kyle day and I wanted to remember Chris. I like this story about Chris.
It was in January 2009, just weeks after he retired from the Navy. It was cold that morning, and he was wearing a heavy winter coat. He was driving his truck — his now famous black F350 with the large rims and impressive grill — when he needed to stop for gas. He pulled into a station right off highway 67.
As he got out of the truck, two men approached. Both had guns in their hands. One pointed his weapon at Kyle. They told him to hand over his keys. Kyle was out of the truck, on the passenger’s side.
“I told them I would get them the keys,” he told me. “I told them they were in the truck and to just let me reach in.”
He noticed the man pointing the gun didn’t seem very confident. Kyle knew what confidence with a gun looked like.
As Kyle turned, leaning into the open passenger door of the truck, he reached into his own waistband. With his right hand, he grabbed his Colt 1911. He fired two shots under his left armpit, hitting the first guy twice in the chest. Then he turned slightly and fired twice more, hitting the second man twice in the chest. Both men fell dead.
After reviewing security camera tapes the police determined it was self-defense and told Chris he was free to go.
Chris Kyle was a veteran, a father, a husband, and a patriot. Let’s remember him as the great American he was.
Semper Paratus
Check 6
Burn