American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U. S. Military History

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ROTECTING
 P
EOPLE
W
hile I was home, I got involved in a fairly interesting scientific
program relating to stress and combat situations.
It used virtual reality to test what sorts of effects battle has on
your body. In my case, specifically, they monitored my blood
pressure, or at least that was the one measurement that really
interested me. I wore a headpiece and special gloves while viewing
a simulation. It was basically a video game, but it was still pretty
cool.
Well, in the simulations, my blood pressure and heart rate would
start out steady. Then, once we got into a firefight, they would drop.
I would just sit there and do everything I had to do, real
comfortable.
As soon as it was over and things were peaceful, my heart rate
would just zoom.
Interesting.
The scientists and doctors running the experiment believe that
during the heat of the battle, my training would take over and would
somehow relax me. They were really intrigued, because apparently
they hadn’t seen that before.

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Of course, I’d lived it every day in Iraq.
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here was one simulation that left a deep impression on me. In this
one, a Marine was shot and he went down screaming. He’d been
gut-shot. As I watched that scene, my blood pressure spiked even
higher than it had been.
I didn’t need a scientist or a doctor to tell me what that was
about. I could just about feel that kid dying on my chest in Fallujah
again.
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eople tell me I saved hundreds and hundreds of people. But I
have to tell you: it’s not the people you saved that you remember.
It’s the ones you couldn’t save.
Those are the ones you talk about. Those are the faces and
situations that stay with you forever.