Firearms of all types are central to Chris’s identity; he grew up using rifles, worked with a variety of weapons during his time as a SEAL, and even started collecting guns after leaving the navy (11). Guns are the natural tools of Chris’s trade as a sniper. As he explains, “In the field, I matched the weapon to the job and the situation” (page 99). The progress of the narrative makes it clear that guns, already a central motif, can also be taken as a symbol of the traits—such as adaptability—that Chris cultivated in order to be an effective warrior.

Early in the first chapter of American Sniper, Chris explains that he has followed the Christian faith all his life and that his priorities have normally been some combination of “God, Country, Family” (page 7). The idea of defending the civilized, compassionate Christian faith and of serving as a Christian warrior guides Chris; he is accompanied into battle by extremely religious men such as Marc Lee, and he sees his enemies as savages whose ideology is either complete disregard for human life or a perversion of Islam. To solidify this religious, righteous identity, Chris chooses a crusader cross as one of his tattoos.