SOC Chris Kyle's Awards Under Review

[Deleted member 2517]

I will hold off judgement until all the info is out. I could see it being ego as much as I could see it being a dated DD 214. I know a lot of people- my own father for one- have received awards after ETSing/retiring. I am hoping that is what it is.

As first reported by The Intercept, Kyle exaggerated his medal count. In a piece published Wednesday, it found that Kyle had instead earned one Silver Star and three Bronze Stars with Valor. The website cited internal Navy documents obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request, as well as interviews with unnamed Navy officials.

According to the report, Kyle was warned by the Pentagon before he published his book that his medal count was incorrect. And this isn’t like embellishing a résumé; lying about medals and achievements is a serious ethical violation that could violate both the military’s Uniform Code of Military Justice and federal law.

Report: ‘American Sniper’ Chris Kyle Lied About His Medal Count

 

[DA SWO]

If he has a 214 with two on it I'd take it as an honest mistake.
Admin folk screw DD-214's up all the time.

 

[Florida173]

My dd214 had me getting a few from my first trip to Iraq without showing that I've actually been. Doing a dd215 is almost too much trouble. Admin people are not always on it.

 

[Blizzard]

His friggin' DD-214 (last page) lists 2 SS and 6 BSMs w/V. A shit attempt at a story.

 

[Gunz]

Admins make mistakes on 214s all the time. Yeah, it was worse when everything was done on typewriters, but it still happens. Supervisors are supposed to check every 214 for typos, omissions, mistakes etc but the process differs from one command to another and not all are equally diligent. (Incidentally, all your awards, badges and decorations are supposed to be written out in full and not abbreviated, same thing goes for training courses and schools completed or attended.)

Kyle was a fucking SuperHero. They need to leave him the fuck alone.

 

[SkrewzLoose]

What's the background of this media/news rag The Intercept and what would cause them to start digging around in the first place?

 

[Red Flag 1]

Who has the most to gain, by taking the time to dig up any dirt?

 

[Devildoc]

My FMF Warfare device, two NAMs, my pistol and rifle qual never made it to my service record. The Marine S1 shop just didn't communicate very well with the Navy S1 shop. BUT...I retained copies of all of it for my personal records.

There is no 'there' there.

 

[Diamondback 2/2]

My last DD214, is missing all my school's, fortunately most of them are on other DD214's.

As for Chris Kyle, I'm sure he knew what was supposed to be on his DD214, and I am also sure once he had it complete in hand he went with it. That said I read his book, and I'm inclined to believe he bent the truth a few times. Maybe him, maybe his editor, maybe a few other thing's. But it is pretty hard to believe some of his claims. Still think he was a badass, still think his company did tremendous help for the LE community and think his death is disgustingly tragic.

$.02

 

[Red Flag 1]

What's the background of this media/news rag The Intercept and what would cause them to start digging around in the first place?

Think the great JV.

 

[Teufel]

The Navy Awards branch should know how many Silver Stars and Bronze Stars he has been awarded. The writer did a FOIA for all his combat awards and only got back a Silver Star, three Bronze Stars with combat V and a Navy Achievement Medal with combat V. This is not to say there couldn't have been an error but 5 combat awards seem to line up well with 4 combat deployments. There could also have been an error with the DD214. The truth in this matter, as with most things involving money and autobiographies, will be somewhere in between how things appear and what we have been told.

 

[Ooh-Rah]

Saw this posted by Sawman on Facebook. It saddens me that money and legal mumbo-jumbo continue to chip away at his legacy.

WTF!? Chris Kyle's Wife Trying To Stop His Family From Helping Wounded Vets ⋆ Freedom Daily

ETA - since Sawman has become somewhat of a public figure, and posted it openly on Facebook, I'm quoting his post so that there is no misunderstanding of what he meant by posting the story:

"I wondered when this would finally hit the public. I know Jeff, Chris & Jeff's father and "Momma" Lee. Good people. I'll hang back and let people sort this one out for themselves. Sooner or later, the truth always finds its way out."

 

[AWP]

The Navy is reducing his awards.

Navy lowers medal count for SEAL Chris Kyle

This is something I've never heard before and is a WTF moment. I looked and it and it appears on CNN and the Washing Post among others. Bizarre.

Kyle had made other, unverifiable claims, including his account of shooting dozens of rioters in New Orleans in the chaos that followed Hurricane Katrina.

 

[BuckysBadger24]

Fuck, this is disappointing.

He still wore the uniform, still served his country, and still served in one of the baddest units this country has to offer. In my eyes, he's still a hero to me, like every other man and woman that has served in combat in defense of this country.

Maybe he lied about some things, maybe he embellished some combat accolades, maybe not. Only those that have served in combat can judge other combat veterans, of which I am not. I will say though that it seems a hell of a thing to drag a man's name and legacy (not to mention his family) through the mud when he's no longer here to defend himself.

 

[digrar]

You wouldn't need a DD214 to know how many Silver Stars you had would you? There is generally a bit of fuss made, a ceremony etc etc?

 

[SpitfireV]

I'd have thought looking at your ribbon and medal bars would tell you easily enough yeah.

 

[Teufel]

It's a pretty high level award. There would certainly be a big ceremony for the first award and any subsequent awards. I don't know about the Navy but the Marine Corps has only awarded a little over 100 Silver Stars since Vietnam. It is possible that he was told he had been submitted for a Silver Star (by his immediate superior) and it was downgraded by the awarding authority (Secretary of the Navy) to a Bronze Star. He would still get a ceremony (or certificate if it was awarded after he got out) with the appropriate level award. It's hard to imagine a scenario how he would be confused about the number of awards he had.

 

[Teufel]

Honestly though at this point Chris Kyle is dead and I don't see any reason to go digging into this. It doesn't change the person he was or what he did. America needs heroes and Chris Kyle will always be a hero regardless of any discrepancies in his story or his DD214.

 

[Devildoc]

From the article I appears on first read the problem was with the Navy, not Kyle's account. I also see they retroactively awarded him the expert "E" device for his rifle marksmanship ribbon. Funny it had not been awarded before given his job.

He left it all on the field. Hit DD214 matters not a whit to me.