INSIDE EDITION spoke exclusively with the widow of American sniper and hero Chris Kyle about her husband's legacy and character.
The grieving widow of the man immortalized as the America Sniper is speaking out for the first time since her husband was slain.
Navy SEAL Chris Kyle was bigger than life. The battlefield legend held the U.S. military record with 150 sniper kills. He survived four combat tours in Iraq. His book, American Sniper, was a No. 1 bestseller.
Now, Taya Kyle is releasing a new memorial edition with new passages she has written about her one-of-a-kind warrior husband.
She told INSIDE EDITION, "Sometimes I don't think he's even gone. He's such a part of who I am, such a part of my kids! He protected his fellow man, got through hell and back with his soul intact."
Who could have dreamed such a man would be killed here at home, after his military service ended, allegedly by a fellow veteran? That's what apparently happened last February, when Chris invited a troubled vet to a shooting range at the exclusive Rough Creed Lodge in Glen Rose, Texas, as part of his mental health recovery.
Taya said, "Chris was always known as someone in our community, as someone that did anything for anyone. It was supposed to be all good."
But cops say former Marine Eddie Ray Routh, reportedly suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, shot Chris and another vet dead at point-blank range. He pled not guilty at his arraignment.
"You definitely don't expect it when you're helping someone, that they're going to turn the gun around and in cold blood brutally murder two people,” Taya said.
Chris Kyle’s funeral at Cowboys Stadium was worthy of an American hero, with 7,000 mourners in attendance, including country star Randy Travis.
Taya said, "I am still in awe and grateful to the people who came together to make a memorial like they did."
Chris and Taya Kyle shared a special bond, as we learned when we visited the couple a year before he was slain. Now, this widow is left with memories of a man the world knew as a warrior and she cherished as a devoted family man.
She said, "He had a romantic side, and he laughed with my kids almost every single day of their lives. We all know he loved us immensely, which is a blessing."
