Taya Kyle, the widow of Navy SEAL and “American Sniper” author Chris Kyle, appeared on “The View” Tuesday for an episode devoted to honoring U.S. soldiers.
Taya spoke of how she still feels Kyle’s presence in her life, two and a half years after he was murdered by a former Marine at a shooting range in Texas.
“It’s interesting. The kids will say little things like, ‘Daddy’s favorite color was green too, remember? Daddy would love that,’” she said. “It’s not always just a heavy conversation. Sometimes something will hit us clear out of the blue. I’ll cry and say ‘I’m sorry.’ And they’re like ‘Daddy?’ ‘Yeah it is.’ ‘It’s okay and just take a deep breath.’”
Taya also spoke about the obstacles facing many service men and women as they try to adjust to civilian life after serving in combat. “The thing is they have this fight,” she said. “They see things and live in a different world entirely. It’s something that we’re not going to go over there. It’s not like you can — a normal job you can visit your husband at work and sort of get an idea of where he is and who he’s with. This is something we could never visit or experience.”
She went on to say that 90 percent of military marriages end in divorce. “They are good people,” she said. “They have big hearts and they’re willing to say ‘I’ll take on this life with you because I love you that much’ and eventually they’re looking at each other like ‘What the hell happened?’”
Taya also said how grateful she has been for the positive response to her book, “American Wife,” and the dialogue it has opened up in people’s marriages. “Everybody has some sort of battle,” she said. “Everybody is trying to find their faith in some way and trying to find renewal in some way. I feel like there’s just a common theme that is resonating well and to me, that’s just a blessing.”