As “American Sniper” continues to smash box office records week after week, retired U.S. Army Lt. General William “Jerry” Boykin says the film is striking a chord in millions of Americans who love their country and believe in defending freedom regardless of the liberal chatter seeking to diminish the film or the late Navy SEAL Chris Kyle.
Boykin spent 36 years in uniform, was an original member of Delta Force and served as commander of all Green Berets. He concluded his career as deputy undersecretary of defense and is now executive vice president at the Family Research Council.
The general says Chris Kyle’s story shows moviegoers the very best of America and they wish our leaders were a lot more like him.
“I think Americans are so fed up in terms of what they see as a lack of leadership in the Congress and the White House and every sector of our society that they are drawn to a movie like this because it shows a real hero, a real leader, a person who understands what their transcendent cause is, what’s worth fighting, sacrificing and even dying for. That’s a very strong and powerful message and I think it attracts Americans to it,” said Boykin.
Despite the records revenues, “American Sniper” is not without its critics. Filmmaker Michael Moore has called snipers cowards. Actor Seth Rogen likened it to propaganda watched by Nazis in the film “Inglourious Basterds.” An MSNBC reporter referred to Kyle as a racist who enjoyed going on “killing sprees” in Iraq while other left-of-center media outlets have questioned the veracity of Kyle’s account of his time at war.
“First of all, does anyone really care what Michael Moore thinks? Does anyone care what Seth Rogen thinks? I certainly don’t. I don’t think most of the people that I know care what they think,” mused Boykin.
But the general does think there are more troubling reasons underlying the cool reaction to the film from the political left.
“The left has been so anti-Iraq, anti-Afghanistan, anti-war. What this is doing is not glorifying war. I think just the opposite. It is not portraying the American soldier as a bloodthirsty, drug-crazed psychopath as so many of the Vietnam-era movies did, but it is portraying him as a human and it’s showing the toll that it takes on them,” said Boykin.
But he says liberal hostility goes even deeper.
“The left wants to be heroes to be people from the left. When you make heroes out of people that are clearly patriot,s that are conservative, that have a deep appreciation for the first amendment, not only the freedom of religion but also the freedom of speech. I think it’s just too much for the left, but who cares? Who care what they say?” said Boykin.
In addition to the underlying qualities of Kyle, Boykin says “American Sniper” offers viewers an important look at the realities and impact of war.
“I think it’s one of the most realistic portrayals of the actual toll of war, not only the death and injury of Americans as well as the enemy fighters but also the emotional toll,” said Boykin.
“I think the movie does a very good job of bringing out what happens to a person when they’re in an environment like that and exposed to so much killing and carnage and so forth. I think they show that very accurately in terms’s of Bradley Cooper’s character as he plays Chris Kyle,” he said.
Kyle is credited as being the most lethal sniper in American military history. Boykin says the work of Kyle and other special forces snipers is hugely important to the success of ground combat operations.
“A good sniper is irreplaceable. A good sniper who is really good at not just his marksmanship but is mentally switched on to understand the environment and know where he should be observing and what looks out of place and knows when and when not to pull the trigger is very critical to the mission,” said Boykin.
Boykin, who commanded special forces for much of his military career, says great snipers like Kyle can do even more.
“More importantly, a good sniper that can give verbal directions to a foot patrol or a convoy and things to avoid and place to go and maneuver is just as important as being able to take a shot,” said Boykin, who says snipers of Kyle’s caliber “saved an untold number of lives.”
Story after story tells of audience members sitting silently through the closing credits of “American Sniper” and then filing out of theaters without saying a word. Boykin says there are ways to channel that powerful experience into help for real-life heroes. First, he says reaching out to veterans and their families can make a huge difference.
“I hope they understand that veterans have paid a dear price and I hope that translates into programs to hire veterans, to supports veterans and their families,” said Boykin.
The general also hopes moviegoers will hold Washington officials to account on keeping the U.S. military strong and not shackled by arbitrary spending caps through sequestration. He also says the pressure needs to keep coming to make sure our heroes get the care they deserve.
“I hope that it gets America fired up to want to have a strong military and to want to take care of our veterans instead of letting them die at VA facilities because they can’t get a colonoscopy or something. That’s just one of the most egregious tragedies in the last 50 years I think,” said Boykin.