SPOILER: As a civilian...it is hard to fathom that sense of DUTY...

I have a very good friend who is in the reserves, start as an Lt. 91-93 2-tours, Bosnia 2 tours, Iraq 3 tours 02-06, Afghanistan 2 tours 08-10...he is know a Lt. Col.

During that time frame, got married and had 3 kids in-between tours...He put more time on the ground than most active soldiers...he had that sense of DUTY...it was about country, but more about being "there" for his fellow soldiers...it would take him 6-12 months to really decompress...
We would golf and he would talk yardage in clicks...

My Dad was WW II 82nd Airborne paratrooper, 52 combat jumps, mostly out of gliders, aka plywood coffins, 3 days in front of the artillery to site and locate troops, artillery, bunkers, machine gun nests...he was the youngest first sergeant in army history and holds a patent on a mortar site that became standard army issue...they were ninja's...he did not talk about the war at ALL...we got a hold of one of his old army buddies and he told us many many graphic war stories...they killed more Germans with their bare hands than with guns...Paratroopers did not take prisoners...they killed EVERYONE, first thing they did was look for an SS tattoo under the left arm pit...they got a special death...
He jumped at D-day, part of those lost paratroopers in SPR, first to jump across the Rhine river at the battle of the bulge, they were part of the rescue relief a Bastogne to save the 101st Airborne that were pinned down...The Battled Bastards of Bastogne...

I believe in the day he LIKED to kill...as a 1st sergeant, he trained killers...

That 2nd child was the best scene...finally internal conflict came to the surface...he would have pulled that trigger, no doubt...would not have liked it...BUT that sense of DUTY and saving his brothers who were in emanate danger...

He did learn to like to kill, but he did also learn to fear the consequences of living with it...Combat is killing...See Patton's opening monologue...

We send kids across the world to KILL...especially those NAVY Seals...they are our specially trained KILLERS...let's no sugar coat this...the movie is celebrating OUR best ALL time killer...it does it, without glorifying it and gives us a peak at the stoic figure that pulled the trigger, he did not like the fact that he was known as the Legend, for killing...relished in the fact the young guys felt safe when he was up high protecting them...he felt he could do more, by leading them on the ground...going door to door...

The hunting scene is important to show skill at a young age...my oldest brother has the temperament when hunting where everything slows down...his breathing, heart rate, becomes hyper focused...he is an amazing shot with a rifle and has been a logger in Northern MN for 40 years...Average Joe hunters...when the time comes to shoot...heart is racing, breathing so heavy you fog your scope, you are shaking due to adrenaline coursing through your veins...very seldom do young kids have the skills to make a good shot...they make the point that Kyle did...

This was by far my favorite Cooper performance...very subtle, internally conflicted with the love hate of war, stored in a very stoic figure Tx's cowboy...
thanks
Mark

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Follow Ups Full Thread

Topic - 'American Sniper': Time to take Bradley seriously . . . - Billy Wonka 15:49:14 01/16/15 (34)

RE: 'American Sniper': What is all the fuss about? - jedrider 10:54:40 02/07/15 (0)

A kaka film. Hollywood at its worst. - Victor Khomenko 12:33:39 01/24/15 (0)

RE: 'American Sniper': Time to take Bradley seriously . . . - fantja 17:43:14 01/19/15 (0)

Interesting take on it... - mkuller 12:31:13 01/19/15 (0)

Nationalistic glory of wars fought by mercenaries, that we lost! nt - Potrzebie 06:42:42 01/19/15 (1)

What'd ya think of the movie?^ - Road Warrior 07:04:54 01/19/15 (0)

another dry Eastwood effort, I think his directing style matches the story and Cooper's dry personality - PhilJ 18:28:42 01/17/15 (0)

"American Sniper:" strictly by-the-numbers filmmaking. Cooper is very good, but nothing especially revelatory - tinear 11:04:23 01/17/15 (2)

Bradley was as transformative as Billy Bob in 'Sling Blade' . . . - Billy Wonka 18:16:01 01/17/15 (1)

I've never understood that opinion comment, for 2 reasons. - tinear 21:13:43 01/17/15 (0)

I also thought Cooper became Kyle. What made it so amazing was, as you said, this occurred early in the film, - Road Warrior 16:09:19 01/16/15 (23)

Saw this in dolby ATMOS very immersive experience... - Mark Man 16:07:11 01/17/15 (22)

Then ATMOS it is, Monday, noon-ish^ - Road Warrior 18:32:15 01/17/15 (3)

RE: Then ATMOS it is, Monday, noon-ish^ - Mark Man 19:09:06 01/17/15 (2)

Get this Mark, we have only 1 ATMOS equipped theater here in Dallas. And it's not showing - Road Warrior 19:43:06 01/17/15 (1)

My first view of Interstellar was at an AMC 4k HD...yada yada yada... - Mark Man 06:43:51 01/18/15 (0)

I'm no psychiatrist, but does the (SPOILER!) justification used in the - tinear 17:12:27 01/17/15 (17)

SPOILER: As a civilian...it is hard to fathom that sense of DUTY... - Mark Man 18:44:14 01/17/15 (3)

WWII was a different situation. Not volunteer. We had been attacked. - tinear 21:17:52 01/17/15 (2)

In between your Ba and the humbug... - Mark Man 06:30:12 01/18/15 (1)

My point was that canonizing military personnel, glorifying what they do, - tinear 08:42:18 01/18/15 (0)

You must REALLY hate artillerymen, bomber pilots, drone operators, gunship pilots, who "assasinate" the noble - Road Warrior 18:23:39 01/17/15 (10)

Doing a job is one thing, glorifying it is another. - tinear 21:22:02 01/17/15 (8)

The movie I saw, was not glorifying killing IMHO... - Mark Man 07:20:27 01/18/15 (7)

Well, Mark, after Nuremberg (or My Lai) it is expected that soldiers - tinear 08:51:53 01/18/15 (6)

Yes...they made movie...hence glorifying Chris Kyle... - Mark Man 09:40:52 01/18/15 (5)

It also did not show our troops winning all the firefights, which presupposes a talented, - Road Warrior 11:01:59 01/18/15 (4)

"Honor" in modern warfare is a tough question. The argument has been made that modern - tinear 08:17:55 01/19/15 (3)

If yer still hanging around, I found this tidbit at Fact Vs Fiction - Road Warrior 18:43:48 01/19/15 (1)

I'd be very careful accepting much besides his confirmed kills. He fed the rumor that he killed two carjackers - tinear 19:03:38 01/19/15 (0)

Can't argue with anything here. I think I need to go to 12A next door^ - Road Warrior 16:26:19 01/19/15 (0)

Heard an Admiral say: "The last thing I want my boys to do is to go to a fair fight." - Billy Wonka 19:36:17 01/17/15 (0)

You have no idea about the "brotherhood" that men at war develop . . . - Billy Wonka 18:12:34 01/17/15 (1)

One tour. Okay. Beyond that, something else is happening. nt - tinear 21:23:55 01/17/15 (0)

Follow Ups

SPOILER: As a civilian...it is hard to fathom that sense of DUTY... - Mark Man 18:44:14 01/17/15 (3)

WWII was a different situation. Not volunteer. We had been attacked. - tinear 21:17:52 01/17/15 (2)

In between your Ba and the humbug... - Mark Man 06:30:12 01/18/15 (1)

My point was that canonizing military personnel, glorifying what they do, - tinear 08:42:18 01/18/15 (0)

SPOILER: As a civilian...it is hard to fathom that sense of DUTY...

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