Documents: 'American Sniper' Chris Kyle Embellished Military Record
HOUSTON (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Documents show the number of medals slain Navy Seal and "American Sniper" author Chris Kyle received is different than what he indicated in his book.
Navy documents obtained by an online magazine through an open records request show that Kyle earned one Silver Star and three Bronze Stars with valor. In his best-selling book, Kyle wrote that he had received two Silver Stars and five Bronze Stars.
The Intercept first reported the discrepancy and posted the documents.
A Navy spokeswoman confirmed the validity of the documents and says the armed services branch is investigating the discrepancy.
"The Navy considers the individual service member's official military personnel file and our central official awards records to be the authoritative sources for verifying entitlement to decorations and awards," Cullen James, a spokesperson for the Navy Personnel Command, told The Intercept. "The form DD214 is generated locally at the command where the service member is separated. Although the information on the DD214 should match the official records, the process involves people and inevitably some errors may occur."
One official said the Navy should've fixed the discrepancy.
"Given [Kyle's] celebrity, you'd think the Navy would have gone back and fixed the discrepancy," the Navy official told The Intercept. "But he's only got the three Bronze and one Silver Star."
One retired Navy SEAL told The Intercept, "It takes away from the legitimate heroism he showed."
Kyle's widow, Taya Kyle, didn't immediately return a phone call seeking comment Wednesday.
Kyle, regarded as the deadliest sniper in U.S. military history, was killed in 2013 at a Texas shooting range. A former Marine was convicted in his death.
"American Sniper" grossed nearly $550 million worldwide.
(TM and © Copyright 2016 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2016 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
