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Chris Kyle
The protagonist, narrator, and author of American Sniper, Chris Kyle was the deadliest sniper in American history. Stationed in Iraq as a Navy SEAL for several years in the mid-2000s, Kyle shot over a…
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Marcus Luttrell
A SEAL who serves in the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, and one of Chris Kyle’s closest friends. Marcus Luttrell was involved in one of the most famous operations of the War on Terror…
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Taya Kyle
Chris Kyle’s wife, Taya Kyle is the co-narrator of American Sniper. Taya meets Kyle while Kyle is still training to become a SEAL, and they get married shortly before Kyle deploys to Iraq…
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Ryan Job
A SEAL who serves alongside Chris Kyle in Iraq, Ryan Job is an extremely likeable, funny man, and one of Kyle’s closest friends. In the middle of an operation, Kyle tells Job to stand in…
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Osama Bin Laden
Saudi Arabian terrorist and leader of the terrorist group al-Qaeda, Bin Laden was critical in the planning and execution of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Bin Laden went into hiding shortly after 9/11…
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Get the entire American Sniper LitChart as a printable PDF.
Minor Characters
Matthew
Polish sniper whom Chris Kyle befriends during his first tour of Iraq.
Mustafa
Iraqi sniper and former Olympic marksman who becomes a deadly insurgent in the city of Fallujah.
Runaway
A cowardly American soldier who nearly costs Chris Kyle his life by failing to provide backup.
Marc Lee
Charismatic, intensely religious SEAL who serves alongside Chris Kyle in Iraq, but later becomes the first member of Kyle’s platoon to die.
Tony
An experienced sniper who serves as Chris Kyle’s chief (commander and supervisor) during Kyle’s time in Ramadi.
Mike Monsoor
Navy SEAL who heroically saves the lives of his fellow SEALs by absorbing the force of a grenade, sacrificing his own life in the process.
Dick Couch
Former Navy SEAL and successful author who becomes an important advocate for the “hearts and minds” model of warfare; in other words, the theory that American troops should be trying to befriend the civilians of Iraq, instead of simply killing them—a theory that Chris Kyle finds absurd.
Mark Spicer
British sniper and friend of Chris Kyle, with whom Kyle founds Craft International, a sniper training program.
Saddam Hussein
Brutal dictator of Iraq in the 1990s and early 2000s.
Debbie Lee
The mother of Marc Lee, and an important figure in veterans’ affairs in the 2000s.
