American Sniper, the autobiography of the most successful sniper in American history, shot up to number one on the New York Times best-seller list this week.
Chris Kyle, a retired Navy SEAL sniper and Dallas native, has 160 confirmed kills, the most in the history of the U.S. Armed Forces.
Brian D. Sweany interviewed Kyle for the Horse’s Mouth column in the January 2012 issue of TEXAS MONTHLY. When explaining how he grapples with his tough job and the four tours he did in Iraq, Kyle memorably said:
It was my duty to shoot the enemy, and I don’t regret it. My regrets are for the people I couldn’t save: Marines, soldiers, buddies. I’m not naive, and I don’t romanticize war. The worst moments of my life have come as a SEAL. But I can stand before God with a clear conscience about doing my job.
American Sniper was released in January and has spent seven weeks on the Times‘ best-seller list. Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-Times raved about the book, calling it “jaw-droppingly detailed” and “undeniably riveting.”
Watch a Time Q&A with Kyle:
