RIP Chris Kyle

[JohnyMac]

Well a few things you may not know:

> He didn't take a dime from his best selling Novel, American Sniper. He gave the proceeds to his buddies mom.
> Kicked the shit out of Jesse Ventura
> paired with FITCO Cares Foundation, a non-profit organization which created the Heroes Project to provide free in-home
   fitness equipment, individualized programs, personal training, and life-coaching to in-need veterans with disabilities, Gold
    Star families, or those suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.
> Was awarded:
    Two Silver stars
    Five Bronze Stars
    Two Navy & Marine Corp Achievement Medals
    Navy & Marine Corp Commendation medals
> 160 Confirmed Kills. The only guy who came close to that was Adelbert Waldron who had 109 confirmed kills in Viet Nam
> The Towel heads had a $80K bounty on his head.
> By all accounts was a pretty down to earth guy who just wanted to help returning vets.

So what (Generalization) have you done lately?


 

[Kentactic]

So he cant take the money with him. Are we rewarding his family for his acheivements? My 5th cousin (something like that) is Abraham lincoln. He was murdered. Send me money. Honoring him is one thing. Although im happy the family is being taken care of theres lots of people who lose the big bread winner. Why this family? Im already regretting typing this because i dont want to go down this road lol

[thatGirl]

I don't know about you guys, but I'm the person who always puts money the jar at the local market to help a family that just lost a mom, a dad, a child...  Little Billy has cancer, yes I will donate to help with his medical bills.  The difference here, is that this guy is known throughout a larger community, and yes, he was a veteran, which, I personally think, makes his and his family's welfare every free American's responsibility. 

We can all argue about whether or not the wars we're (meaning America) fighting are correct, appropriate, just, etc... and about gun control, climate change, tax increases, the list goes on and on.  Regardless of your stance, the one thing folks are good about getting together on is mourning.  Whether you've lost a spouse, child, grandparent, dog, or Gucci bag, the one thing we all share is an understanding of loss, and maybe it's just lip service, but at least it's service-- another useful word on the cusp of going extinct.

This may just be perspective of the feeble female variety, but I'm sad every time I hear of any one being hurt or killed, especially someone who has "served" this country. 

Something to stash in the darkest corner of your brain:  Practices of ritual and adornment during burial are thought to have emerged with modern humans, effectively marking the beginning of our "humanity". 

[hjmoosejaw]

I can see some of the points made about contributing (or not) to the families, when the breadwinner is taken out. It's true that there are a lot of people that do their duty and are not rewarded monetarily. Some go above and beyond though. While we can't help them all, I don't mind helping in some small way when I can. The way I see it, if we pay ten bucks for a beer at a ball game, or go to a movie, or buy a jersey with our favorite players number on it, we are making a sports figure, an actor, or an entertainer very rich by doing so. While they provide us with entertainment, I think they are extremely over paid, for what little they do for it. If a guy has done 4 tours in Iraq, been wounded, helped save how many American lives with his actions, contributed so much in and out of the service, I would rather make the lives of the ones he's left behind, a little bit easier, if I can, than somebody that can sing, act, or throw a football. Just my .02   


Hey Ken, (and I'm joking here, so don't anybody get all politically correct.) If Abraham Lincoln is your 5th cousin, then he has, in a round about way, helped Barry to be the President. So you might owe us some money. LOL!

[JohnyMac]

Thank you TGrl and hj. You expressed my feelings more elegantly then I ever could of.

[Kentactic]

Haha hjmoosejaw.... My point was that i have no bearing on his acheivements so i deserve nothing from his acheivements. If i were in a position to give today and saw a man who died having nearly a million dollars already donated to his family that would be a clear sign i should look elsewhere to give. It almost seems like we just see how high we can get the number just because. Like i said no one wants to give to a random cause they cant talk about.

[hjmoosejaw]

Haha hjmoosejaw.... My point was that i have no bearing on his acheivements so i deserve nothing from his acheivements. If i were in a position to give today and saw a man who died having nearly a million dollars already donated to his family that would be a clear sign i should look elsewhere to give. It almost seems like we just see how high we can get the number just because. Like i said no one wants to give to a random cause they cant talk about.

I hear ya Ken. Actually, there probably is a little bit of the fact that I'm giving to be able to talk about it. I've always thought that I don't want to be a billboard for somebody. I actually am careful about what logos or whatever I'll wear. When I was in the Navy, I considered trying out for the SEALs, they told me, I was color blind (color deficient), and couldn't. Some years later, the wife and I were watching some SEALs put on a skydiving show at an airshow, and they were selling t-shirts with the trident on them. The wife asked me if I wanted one. I said no, because I didn't want people to be asking if I was a SEAL, for one, and I thought that they should be the only ones to wear that trident. I do like the logo of Chris Kyle's company, that skull and motto. I wanted to wear it, but never would. But, being that they're selling it on memorial gear, or it's with their approval, I can. I like what the logo signifies, and will be happy to share it with others.
After clicking on the link, mouse down to bottom of page and click on "craft skull" to check out the meaning of the logo.

http://co-store.com/craftgear

[Deathstyle]

Im still calling bullshit on punching Jesse Ventura. I find it hard to believe the media wouldnt have found out about that. Expecially FOX NEWS who is very hawkish and was at the other end of Ventura's opinion about IRAQ.

*As far as I know. Ventura was only suing for any profits that CHRIS KYLE made from his book and none that went to help veterans.
*What was Ventura supposed to do? This guy made a significant accusation and Ventura had to fight back IF he is innocent. He filed suit before the guy was dead and claims to have witnesses to testify of his innocence including the owner of Mc Pees (the SEAL bar where the alleged event happened.)


I read Kyle's book and while I do appreciate that he made efforts to explain that he wasnt anymore badass than other units just because he was a SEAL, other times Id read a paragraph where he would say SEALs were wrongfully slapped with a reputation for being arrogant and full of shit and were quite the opposite. Then a paragraph or page later I'd read something that made me roll my eyes and wondered how arrorgant was he really?

Bottom line: Sucks Kyle is dead. Alot of families have lost Fathers/Sons/Mothers/Daughters due to combat duty or PTSD combined with this shitty economy. I think Kyles family as well as all the others would be better off if they had them (obviously) but even more so considering events on the horizon. Can Ventura go ahead with a suit to confront the witnesses siding with Kyle and let the public determine who was right?

[1000meterstare]

I am disgusted now that "confirmed kills" are now what "makes a man great."  It is not.  I was in war, and I have killing to answer for one day to my maker.  Some days I answer for it little-by-little.  Whether for king or country, flag or no, "thou shalt not kill" was written to protect our souls, psyche, and spirit.  Killing wears on a man, and the only healing for it is time, living for one's family and close friends.  But you can never really shake it.  You keep that in mind when SHTF.  Only pull the trigger if you absolutely have no choice.  Do not hesitate, but value human life as well.  If you look forward to greasing folks then you are a sick phuck and have no business on this forum or in a good wholesome prepper community.  

[thatGuy]

I am disgusted now that "confirmed kills" are now what "makes a man great."  It is not.  I was in war, and I have killing to answer for one day to my maker.  Some days I answer for it little-by-little.  Whether for king or country, flag or no, "thou shalt not kill" was written to protect our souls, psyche, and spirit.  Killing wears on a man, and the only healing for it is time, living for one's family and close friends.  But you can never really shake it.  You keep that in mind when SHTF.  Only pull the trigger if you absolutely have no choice.  Do not hesitate, but value human life as well.  If you look forward to greasing folks then you are a sick phuck and have no business on this forum or in a good wholesome prepper community.

As a guy who has something to say about everything I find myself lacking words. Thanks is the only word that comes to mind.

Thanks for subjecting yourself to that, thank you for carrying more than your share of the burden, thank you for sparing us from having to know the horrors of the load you carry and more than that thank you for sharing your hard won knowledge. 

It is easy for those of us who've never been tested to run off at the mouth about morality, ethics and bravery but it always lacks the ring of truth and the humility of experience.

Thank you for sharing and I pray one day you'll be able to rest easy.

[JohnyMac]

Thank you TG for your words...They ring true.

1000Meter, thanks for your service in the military.  [URL=http://www.smileyvault.co