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Post by Admin on May 26, 2015 5:33:55 GMT
Memorial Day is a time to remember those who have died while serving the United States, and NASCAR did just that at the Coca-Cola 600. Taya Kyle, the widow of Navy SEAL war hero Chris Kyle, was honored at Charlotte Motor Speedway before Sunday’s race. Kyle, whose late husband’s story was made popular by his autobiography “American Sniper” and Clint Eastwood’s film of the same name, was presented with the Stonewall Jackson Award, which is given to the individuals who display the highest standards of patriotism. Kyle said her husband became an avid NASCAR follower and Dale Earnhardt Jr. fan after meeting the racing superstar during an event for former military members, per The Associated Press. Unfortunately, after returning from active duty in 2013, Chris Kyle was shot and killed at a gun range along with his friend Chad Littlefield. Sports and patriotism always find a way to connect with one another, and NASCAR continued the pattern this Memorial Day weekend with their beautiful ceremonial service for Taya Kyle and others. Before the race, Taya spoke about her late husband, Chris Kyle's love for NASCAR, and how it got started. Initially, she says, when she met Chris, he wasn't a fan, claiming he "never got into it," according to Fox Sports. But after attending one of the organization's military-appreciation events, Chris developed a new appreciation for the sport. "He got to go behind the scenes and he saw the pit crew, and he thought they were such bad-asses because one of the guys broke his finger during the change and didn't even stop and just kept going," Kyle said. "Everything was so precise, and then he got to see the strategy behind the race and all that, and he was in love with NASCAR from then on. He was just like a ridiculous fan after that." And, she added, his admiration of top driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. came from meeting Earnhardt at the same event. "Meeting Dale Jr. was really cool to him because there were some high-ranking officials who were in the tent, and he remembered Dale saying, 'You know, what? They can wait. I'm talking to these guys; these are guys on the ground,' " Kyle said. "And he spent some time laughing with them and talking with them, and that really endeared him to Chris."
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Post by Admin on Jun 7, 2015 5:19:19 GMT
Amanda Lites said she can remember hearing the name Chris Kyle long before it became famous from the 2014 film “American Sniper” Her father, who spent 22 years in the Army, told stories of posters about the sniper he’d seen in Ramadi, Iraq, where Kyle, said to be the deadliest Navy SEAL sniper in history, was also stationed. “I had just gotten my license, just gotten my first car and (my dad) was talking about the posters that were up in Ramadi. That was my first drive in my own car with my dad,” said Lites, who is also the wife of a Fort Hood soldier. Lites was one of more than 900 people who came to the Clear Creek Main Exchange at Fort Hood Saturday to meet Chris Kyle’s wife, Taya Kyle, who visited the installation to promote her new book “American Wife,” which picks up where the movie about her husband’s life leaves off, and deals with the grief she and her children experienced after Kyle’s death in 2013. “I’ve seen the movie and admire what he’s done for our country, and her for supporting. It means that her dedication goes beyond her husband to the military people and their families. I appreciate that,” said Capt. Brian Hudson, a chaplain in the Texas National Guard. Taya Kyle said the support she received from fans at the event was humbling, and something she hopes to return to them. “I just want to give it right back to them and really applaud them because I have a lot of respect for what they’re doing,” she said. “I hope they just get my appreciation and that they are clear in the fact that I really am praying for them and I love them and I appreciate them and I respect them, and that I know it’s not easy.”
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Post by Admin on Jun 10, 2015 4:39:07 GMT
Taya Kyle, the widow of "American Sniper" Chris Kyle, the deadliest sniper in U.S. military history, is all in for Rick Perry. And she suggested her late husband might have been, too. Kyle stood on a stage in an airport hangar outside Dallas June 4 and threw her support behind the former Texas governor's presidential run, telling ABC News Perry’s character, humble nature and support for veterans pulled her into his camp. "A lot of times, with politics, we’re looking at things that I feel are not the most important," said Kyle, who, since the death of her husband in 2013, has championed the cause of former members of the military and their families. "To me, the most important is character. And one of the things I love about the Perrys is that they are very humble people." "Chris and I were always on the same page with this, where our goal is not to be in politics," the Texas resident said. "But at the same time, in this country, what makes it great, is you have to be strong enough sometimes to stand up for what you believe in, and to speak out for people you believe are worth speaking out for." While Kyle has said she does not normally share her political beliefs, she said she decided to make an exception for Perry. She has been thrust into the spotlight after her late husband’s bestselling book, "American Sniper," was made into an Oscar-winning film of the same name, in which she was portrayed by Sienna Miller and he by Bradley Cooper.
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Post by Admin on Feb 7, 2016 5:56:35 GMT
On the three-year anniversary of her husband's death, the widow of Chris Kyle, the Navy SEAL who inspired the blockbuster film "American Sniper," posted a touching letter on Facebook saying the "best thing I ever did was give my heart to you." "To Chris, thank you for loving me and letting me love you,'' Taya Kyle wrote. "As my wedding ring is inscribed, you are 'My love, My life.' I would run this race, loving you every step of the way, all over again." "I have learned the way you love a child, or any person for that matter, will be frozen in time when your number comes up, so make it a love that will carry them through life,'' she wrote. "Chris did an extraordinary job of this and I am grateful every single day."
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