American Sniper

In 2006, Chris returns to Iraq to join his platoon near Ramadi, his daughter’s birth having placed his departure about a week behind that of his fellow SEALs. After arriving in Baghdad, he improvises a route to his platoon and, traveling by helicopter and medevac, makes it to his destination. Chris enters into combat and once again begins registering kills; by this point, he has achieved some renown as a sniper and is given a fitting nickname, “The Legend.” He also has the benefit of working with dedicated fellow warriors during this deployment, including Ryan Job and another sniper named Dauber. As a sign of pride, Chris’s platoon begins to identify as “The Punishers,” inspired by the vigilante Marvel Comics character.

The combat in Ramadi involves rockets and explosives, ideal for breaking through city buildings and hitting the insurgents. Even though Chris and the men with him see constant action, they have still not been given a systematic plan for taking the city from their enemies. Finally, the U.S. military determines that the best course of action is to target all hardline terrorist groups for elimination while accommodating other hostile forces that might want to see an end to the mayhem. Although Chris sets to work, he finds himself disheartened by the poor work ethic and fearful habits of the native Iraqis who have been persuaded to help the Americans in their efforts.

Now that the efforts to take Ramadi are fully underway, Chris accompanies the marines on missions that bring him directly into enemy territory. Not all of his activities are combat-related, though: he is expected to take on administrative and planning-based duties due to his seniority and his expertise as a sniper. In combat, he reaches a milestone—his 100th kill and a sniper—and gives practical advice to younger snipers as the American forces move through the city and lock down buildings as command outposts.

Overall, Chris finds the combat in Ramadi energizing. His platoon suffers its first, and fortunately non-lethal, loss when a SEAL named Brad is hit with shrapnel. Back home, Taya feels the psychological and emotional distance between she and Chris is growing. In the midst of these difficulties, Chris finds that he has become something of a legend among the insurgents—they call him “The Devil of Ramadi”—and that a bounty has been placed on his head. The American forces appear to be making progress in securing the city; however, Chris ends this stage of the narrative with a quick reference to another loss from his time in Ramadi—Ryan Job has been shot.

This chapter of Chris's story begins with a series of building takedowns in Ramadi; Ryan Job has accompanied Chris into the combat. Gunfire breaks out, and Chris sees Ryan is on the ground, bleeding and apparently unconscious. Ryan quickly revives and makes his way out of combat, but Chris is severely rattled, overcome with the terrible sensation that he has put a friend in harm's way. Later, Chris and the other SEALs set out on a mission against the insurgents, only to suffer another casualty: Marc Lee, who is shot through the mouth.

These events, the first real losses inflicted on Chris's platoon in roughly four years of combat, are harrowing: Marc Lee dies from the shot, and Ryan Job lives but is rendered blind for the rest of his life. Yet, the SEALs are not afraid to return to combat, and Chris returns to the violence of Ramadi, sometimes coordinating with air support. Convinced that his mission is morally unambiguous, he continues to accumulate kills. Only when Chris learns that his daughter is sick, possibly with Leukemia, does he decide to leave the action—determined to be with his child, but still feeling as though he has turned away from his brothers in arms.