WHO IS REALLY TO BLAME FOR THE DEATH OF THE AMERICAN SNIPER?

If you don’t already know who Chris Kyle is by now, go watch “American Sniper,” before reading this post.

After watching the movie, I’m sure a lot of you were shocked to see that an individual like Chris was able to do what he did and live with it. I bet you were even more stunned to discover how he died; I know I sure was.

Chris Kyle was murdered by homicide while in the United States. The acclaimed war hero was helping a veteran, with apparent “psychological disorders”, while at a gun range in Texas with him and a friend. Unfortunately, the veteran ended up shooting Kyle and his friend due to unknown reasons. Why did the man really shoot Kyle and his friend though, and is he really the one to blame for the act?

Many of you may or may not know the terrors that any military personnel that were or are serving in Iraq are going or went through. Chris Kyle quotes, “the American public lives in a dream world. You have no idea what goes on on the other side of the world. The harsh realities that these people are doing to themselves and then to our guys. And there are certain things that need to be done to take care of them.”

On a daily basis, Kyle and thousands of others in Iraq were put through intense situations and what they were left with in the end were memories of the violence that they endured. Thousands of veterans succumb to psychological disorders due to the constant fear that they felt while serving. The veteran that killed Kyle happened to be one of them. Was he really to blame for Kyle’s death, or could it actually be the military’s fault, for exposing him to such fear and expecting him to live with it?

In recent news, the shooter was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Many believe that the man is a disgrace to America. On the other hand, his attorneys claimed “he suffered from schizophrenia and was suffering a psychotic episode at the time of the shootings,” therefore is it fair to say that he did in fact have control over the situation?

Many would claim that he did, but with the mental state that he was in, as well as his addiction to marijuana, the verdict becomes tricky. A forensic psychologist testified before the jury that sentenced the shooter, stating “[the man] had a paranoid disorder made worse by his use of alcohol and marijuana, calling his condition “cannabis-induced psychosis.” Now I’m not going to disagree with an expert on this point, but it doesn’t really make sense to me that a man would take the lives of two people just because he was having a paranoia fit from high drug and alcohol use.

Some will agree, some won’t, but have you ever smoked marijuana before, not being in the military, and even considered killing other people?

There is a much bigger picture here that lies at the root of the morality of the military. In the United States, you are able to sign up for the military at your own free will. Many do so willingly without full knowledge of what they will be exposed to if they make it through. The U.S. military puts their soldiers through intense conditions and expect them to live normal lives after retiring.

Many are able to live normal lives after they come out, but there are some who don’t. As I mentioned earlier, thousands of veterans succumb to psychological disorders, disorders that may affect them for the rest of their lives, if not treated effectively. So what I’m really trying to get at here is, is the shooter responsible for killing Kyle, as he signed up for the military at his own free will, knowingly or not knowingly understanding the possible future consequences, or is the military responsible for his death, as the military put him through multiple war-zones and expected him to live a normal life afterwards?

It’s definitely food for thought and a question that I leave for you.

As always,

“See you at the Top of the Tyde!”

p.s. Check out my blog over at www.therisingtyde.com for more posts on controversial topics.