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

M
ARC 
L
EE
W
ith our deployment rapidly approaching, our platoon was beefed
up. Command brought a young SEAL named Marc Lee over from
another unit to help round us out. He immediately fit in.
Marc was an athletic guy, in some ways exactly the sort of tough
physical specimen you expect to be a SEAL. Before joining the

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Navy, he had played soccer well enough to be given a tryout with a
professional team, and may very well have been a pro if a leg injury
hadn’t cut short his career.
But there was a lot more to Marc than just physical prowess.
He’d studied for the ministry, and while he left because of what he
saw as hypocrisy among the seminary students, he was still very
religious. Later on during our deployment, he led a small group in
prayer before every op. As you’d expect, he was very
knowledgeable about the Bible and religion in general. He didn’t
push it on you, but if you needed or wanted to talk about faith or
God, he was always willing.
Not that he was a saint, or even above the horseplay that is part
of being a SEAL.
Soon after he joined us, we went on a training mission in
Nevada. At the end of the day, a group of us piled into a four-door
truck and headed back to the base to get to bed. Marc was in the
back with me and a SEAL we’ll call Bob. For some reason, Bob
and I started talking about being choked out.
With new-guy enthusiasm—and maybe naiveté—Marc said,
“I’ve never been choked out.”
“ ’Scuse me?” I said, leaning over to get a good look at this
virgin. Being choked out is a mandatory SEAL occupation.
Marc looked at me. I looked at him.
“Bring it on,” he said.
As Bob leaned over, I dove and choked Marc out. My work

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completed, I leaned back.
“You mother,” said Bob, straightening. “I wanted to do it.”
“I thought you were leaning over to let me get him,” I told him.
“Hell no. I was just handing my watch up front so it wouldn’t get
broken.”
“Well, okay,” I said. “He’ll wake up, then you get him.”
He did. I think half the platoon had a shot at him before the night
was out. Marc took it well. Of course, as a new guy, he had no
choice.