American Sniper is the story of Navy SEAL Chris Kyle’s life. The movie captures the hardships of Kyle’s four tours in Iraq and Afghanistan and the making of his family.

Decorated with two silver stars, five bronze stars with valor, and two Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Metals, Kyle is recognized as America’s Deadliest Sniper. He became a Navy SEAL in 1999 and had completed four tours by 2009.

Kyle, a family man, had two families. Struck by the loss of his SEAL brothers throughout his four tours, he knew the importance of family and would have gone to any lengths for both of his families. Not only did he have SEAL brothers, but his biological brother served in the military as well. Kyle married his fiancé Taya and moved to Texas with his two children after he was honorably discharged.

“I miss him so much. I loved being in his arms. I loved holding his hand. But what I miss most about Chris is the feeling when he was in the room. He just changed the feeling whenever he walked in,” Taya Kyle said in an interview with Rare.

On Feb. 3, 2013 Chris Kyle was shot in the back along with fellow veteran friend Chad Littlefield. The two men were shot by veteran Eddy Routh at a Texas shooting range. The three veterans were there for a shooting trip to help with Routh’s PTSD. Kyle did these kinds of outings with lots of veterans to help rehabilitate and motivate them to continue on in life.

In Kyle’s book American Sniper he says, “It’s funny—sometimes the strongest individuals feel the worst when events are out of their control, and they can’t really be there for the people they love. I’ve felt it myself.”

Chris Kyle is one of many people we should be thankful for. American Sniper is more than just a movie about an honorable man. It is a movie about the hardships the men and women who serve our country endure to keep us safe, something we all should be forever grateful for.