Smackdown! War hero pummels 'American Sniper' critic

'American Sniper' Chris Kyle

The late "American Sniper" hero Chris Kyle – a former Navy SEAL who served multiple tours in Iraq and saved countless American lives – is no different than deranged serial killer Adam Lanza, who murdered 20 children and six adults in cold blood at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, on Dec. 14, 2012.

That's according to Vice President Sheldon Richman of The Future of Freedom Foundation, a libertarian who authored a Jan. 28 article posted on at the organization's website titled "The American sniper was no hero."

Sandy Hook shooter Adam Lanza

"I have trouble seeing an essential difference between what Kyle did in Iraq and what Adam Lanza did at Sandy Hook Elementary School," Richman wrote. "It certainly was not heroism."

He also linked Kyle to the Nazis, writing: "The only reason Kyle went to Iraq was that Bush/Cheney & Co launched a war of aggression against the Iraqi people. Wars of aggression, let's remember, are illegal under international law. Nazis were executed at Nuremberg for waging wars of aggression. With this perspective, we can ask if Kyle was a hero."

Richman argued in his piece that Kyle only saved the "lives of American military personnel who invaded other people's country, one that was no threat to them or their fellow Americans back home."

"If an invader kills someone who is trying to resist the invasion, that does not count as heroic self-defense. The invader is the aggressor. The 'invadee' is the defender. If anyone's a hero, it's the latter," he wrote.

The article was also posted Jan. 29 at the libertarian website Reason.com.

Capt. Eugene McDaniel

Richman's fiery comments caught the attention of another American war hero, who was brutally tortured in a POW camp during the Vietnam War. At one point during his torture, Capt. Eugene "Red" McDaniel was deprived of sleep for six days, beaten repeatedly and restrained with his arms in an impossible position. He had his skin ripped off, his arm broken and dirty rags shoved down his throat to prevent breathing.

"I would ask him how he thinks this 'freedom' he talks so much about will be preserved," McDaniel said. "The people who are willing to put their lives at risk to defend it are the ones who provide this freedom, both for him and for his children and grandchildren."

McDaniel endured the brutal treatment for six years. After his release, he received the Navy Cross for heroism. He then returned to duty after his release.

His story is told in the book "Scars & Stripes," which recounts his military career, his hellish experience as a POW,and how his faith in God allowed him to survive.

McDaniel observed: "The military is a band of brothers. You have to appreciate and love your country to even be involved in it. My only question today is whether the leadership of the country is deserving of the sacrifices our sons and daughters are making for it. It seems like the current leadership of the country is more aligned with the people who are trying to denigrate the military."

When his plane was shot down over the skies of Vietnam, Capt. Eugene McDaniel remained a source of hope and strength for his fellow POWs by clinging to his faith in even the darkest of hours. Read his story, "Scars & Stripes: The True Story of One Man's Courage Facing Death as a POW in Vietnam."

Hollywood leftists, notably filmmaker Michael Moore and actor Seth Rogen, have made similar statements denigrating Kyle's service. However, Richman's article received a significant amount of support from some left-leaning libertarian thought leaders. The Future of Freedom Foundation is a recipient of the Ron Paul Liberty in Media Award. Richman is a former senior editor at the Cato Institute and is a contributor at the organization's online journal, Cato Unbound.

McDaniel said: "There is a deliberate attempt coming from the liberal left to denigrate America's military. The purpose of snipers is to keep American deaths at a minimum. I support that, of course, and I don't know how anyone else doesn't."

Another veteran blasted the scathing criticism of Kyle. Former Marine Maj. Richard Botkin, author of "Ride the Thunder: A Vietnam War Story of Honor and Triumph," sees the reaction by some leftists and left-leaning libertarians as part of the collapse of American culture.

"American culture has become so soft, self-absorbed and hedonistic," Botkin told WND. "The average American is clueless about the kinds of sacrifices our troops are making, but they know every detail about Ellen Degeneres or Beyoncé. I can't imagine Mr. Richman served nor is he close with anyone else who served."

Botkin said "American Sniper" is an "important, powerful movie" that shows the sacrifices made by U.S. soldiers. He cautions Americans not to return to the kind of anti-military climate that was widespread after the Vietnam War, but he said the widening disconnect between civilians and the military makes this a real possibility.

"After Vietnam, only POWs really received a homecoming," Botkin said. "It was as if the country was trying to release that shame and guilt about how soldiers in general were treated. But we can't have soldiers simply treated as broken victims. We have to give them the honor they deserve."

"Ride the Thunder" is being used as the basis for a documentary film that will tell the untold story of the military victories of American and South Vietnamese forces during the tragic Vietnam War.

Asked for his thoughts regarding Richman's statements, Botkin didn't mince words.

"People like him are kept free by better men."

In his book, "Ride the Thunder," author Richard Botkin dispels the notion that the military situation in Vietnam was lost, even as American war correspondents and policy makers were surrendering to the winds of political and economic pressure.