Part of what makes America the greatest country on earth is our elite collection of men and women in uniform who fight to protect our nation from the countless forces trying to tear us down. They’re willing to make the ultimate sacrifice and lay down their lives if our country requires it. Every single person who has served the U.S. valiantly deserves our utmost respect.

But every so often, an uncommon warrior emerges from the trenches and goes above the call of duty. One of those warriors was U.S. Navy SEAL Chris Kyle.

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The deadliest American sniper would have been 44 years old today. Kyle was killed by U.S. Marine Eddie Ray Routh, who was battling a severe case of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Kyle and his close friend Chad Littlefield were both murdered by Routh in 2013 while helping him work through his PTSD on a gun range near Chalk Mountain, Texas.

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But so much of Chris Kyle’s life before his murder was equally as important. With 150 confirmed kills, Kyle is considered the most lethal sniper in the U.S. military. He served four tours overseas in Iraq and reportedly had an $80,000 bounty on his head at the height of his career. Kyle was shot twice and injured by six IED explosions. But the SEAL was borderline unbreakable.

One of his best public appearances was on “CONAN” in 2012, where he explained how he executed his longest kill shot from 2100 yards away.

After he was killed in 2013, Kyle’s funeral procession shut down entire Texas highways, and people lined up across 130 miles to honor the fallen hero. Actual footage was featured at the end of the “American Sniper” movie. The imagery is truly moving.

He also answered some tough questions from TIME Magazine in 2012.

And who could forget when he detailed how he allegedly punched former Minnesota governor Jesse Ventura on his back for “bad mouthing the war, bad mouthing Bush, bad mouthing America.”

It’s no secret that Chris Kyle is one of the toughest guys America has ever seen. Although he may no longer be with us, his legacy will live on forever.

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