Why the Navy revised the medal count of “American Sniper” Chris Kyle

Navy SEAL Chris Kyle is in the news again. The Navy has officially revised his record regarding the number of medals he received during a decade of service that included four tours of Iraq.

In his memoir, American Sniper, Kyle wrote that he had received two Silver Stars and five Bronze Stars. But following the Navy’s review, it was determined he had been credited with one additional Silver Star and one Bronze on his discharge papers, or DD214. (The review came in the wake of a report about discrepancies by the website The Intercept.)

Kyle remains the most decorated sniper in military history, but questions regarding his record and his claims continue to surface, even after he was murdered by an ex-Marine in 2013. During his lifetime, he was dogged by his seemingly unlikely story of sniping looters following Hurricane Katrina (a story fellow SEALs are not as willing to readily dismiss) as well as his total number of kills. Most recently, his estate won a victory when a defamation ruling against Kyle, in a suit brought by Jesse Ventura, was tossed out of court.

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Image courtesy of Getty Images; Chris Kyle in the 2012 reality show ‘Stars Earn Stripes.’