The Daily Mail profiles SEAL Team Three sniper Chris Kyle, whose 255 confirmed kills, including a 2,100-yard shot, make him the deadliest sniper in US history.

Mr Kyle is a cowboy from Odessa, Texas, who was a professional bronco rodeo rider before he joined the Navy. He grew up hunting deer and pheasant with a rifle and a shotgun his dad bought him.

He never realized he was a good shot until he joined the Navy and got into the prestigious SEAL special operations unit.

For his deadly track record as a marksman during his deployment to Ramadi, the insurgents named him ‘Al-Shaitan Ramad’ — the Devil of Rahmadi — and put a $20,000 bounty on his head.

Meet Navy SEAL Chris Kyle… the deadliest sniper in US history

The Utilitary Paracord Bracelet:

Made of highly versatile and useful paracord. Hidden key in the buckle that will unlock most pairs of handcuffs. Available in Tac Black, Olive Drab, Multicam (pictured), Coyote Tan, and Burgundy.

Available at Etsy ($20). | Via

DevinSuperTramp | Previously: Human Slingshot Slip And Slide

Today I learned on 9/12/01 Steve Buscemi (top left) showed up at Little Italy’s Engine Company #55 (where he was a fire fighter from 1980-1984) to volunteer, working 12-hour shifts for a week looking for missing comrades. He reportedly refused to do interviews or have his picture taken, although it appears someone snapped off a shot anyway.

Reddit

AndrewMFilms | Previously: Real Life Super Mario Bros

From Mail & Guardian:

With his flipped-round baseball cap and “Just Do It” T-shirt, Tareg Gazel looks like any other 19-year-old. But this teen’s job is to use cunning and guile to find and kill Muammar Gaddafi regime snipers.

His mother is from Belfast, his father is Libyan and, as if drawn from the script of a Hollywood movie, he is now using what he learnt hunting game in the desert to liberate Zawiyah, his city that lies almost at the gates of Tripoli.

Via | Photo courtesy of The Atlantic’s In Focus: Six Months of Civil War in Libya

SharpWriter | Via | Previously: Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, Teddy Roosevelt

Click to enlarge.

Sharpwriter | Previously: Teddy Roosevelt vs. Bigfoot

Today, President Obama awarded Sgt. 1st Class Leroy Arthur Petry the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions in Afghanistan, joining Army Staff Sgt. Salvatore Giunta as the only living recipients of the award since the Vietnam War. The Army explains his actions that earned him the highest military decoration offered by our country:

During his last mission, Petry was to locate himself with the platoon headquarters in the target building once it was secured. There, he was to serve as the senior noncommissioned officer at the site for the remainder of the operation.

But things quickly got dangerous for Petry and his team. Insurgents opened fire on Petry and his men.

Petry had fellow Ranger Pvt. 1st Class Lucas Robinson at his side. The two were to clear the outer courtyard of the target building. It was there the two first saw the enemy.

“I remember seeing the guy out of my peripheral vision,” Petry said. “Two guys with AKs at their hip, just spraying. And one happened to strike me right in the thighs. I didn’t know I was hit in both thighs, but it hit my left thigh.”

Robinson was also hit, Petry said. “He was struck right in his ribcage on his left side and he continued along and followed behind me.”

While wounded and under enemy fire, Petry led Robinson to the cover of a chicken coop in the courtyard. The enemy continued to deliver fire at the two Soldiers.

Petry reported contact was made with the enemy, and as a result, team member Sgt. Daniel Higgins moved to the outer courtyard. As Higgins moved toward the chicken coop to meet with the two wounded Soldiers, Petry threw a thermobaric grenade toward the enemy. That explosion caused a lull in enemy fire.

As Higgins evaluated the wounds of both Petry and Robinsion, an insurgent threw a grenade over the chicken coop. The grenade landed about 10 meters from the three Rangers, knocked them to the ground, and wounded Higgins and Robinson.

With three Soldiers taking cover in the coop, an insurgent threw yet another grenade. This time, the grenade landed just a few feet from the three Soldiers — much closer than the earlier grenade.

“It was almost instinct — off training,” Petry said of his response to the situation. “It was probably going to kill all three of us. I had time to visually see the hand grenade. And I figure it’s got about a four-and-half second fuse, depending on how long it has been in the elements and the weather and everything and how long the pin has been pulled. I figure if you have time to see it you have time to kick it, throw it, just get it out there.”

That’s when Petry picked up the grenade and threw it away from him and his buddies. As it turns out, he did have the time to save all three of their lives — but not time to save his hand.

The grenade exploded as he threw it — destroying his throwing arm.

“I actually didn’t think it was going to go off,” Petry said. “I didn’t really feel much pain. I didn’t know it had gone off and taken my hand until I sat back up and saw it was completely amputated at the wrist.”

Thanks to a prosthetic hand and the unbridled desire to continue being a badass, Sgt. 1st Class Petry was able to re-enlist with the Rangers last year.

To survive a zombie apocalypse, you’ll need certain items for survival (like The Crovel and The SS Huckleberry), but eventually you’re going to need to go on the offensive and take some of those fuckers down.

Military armorers Ka-Bar have provided some assistance in this matter with their Zombie Killer knives, which consist of the Ka-Bar ZK-War Sword ($70), Ka-Bar ZK-Death Dagger ($70), Ka-Bar ZK-Pestilence Chopper ($48), Ka-Bar ZK-Acheron Skeleton ($13), and Ka-Bar ZK-Famine Tanto ($48).

Happy hunting.

Via

Tagged as “The Ultimate Survival Tool”, the Crovel has a shovel on one end, a crowbar on the other, and a whole myriad of tools in between to satisfy all of your shoveling, chopping, prying, hammering, bottle-opening, sawing, and zombie killing needs. As an additional bonus, the handle is wrapped in 15 feet of paracord in case you need to climb, rappel, or tie something up.  It’s basically the closest you’re going to get to being Batman in a survival scenario.

Get one here. ($85) | Via here & here | Pic via

Via

Battlefield

By Tino Schaedler & Achim Lippoth for ‘Kid’s Wear’ magazine.

See the rest here.

Nitro Circus

In your face, Machete Slingshot.

Via

“Are you inviting people to a wedding, or a massacre?”

“Depends on how things go with the open bar.”

Via

From the original picture source:

A Libyan rebel fighter scrambles from a ditch carrying a rocket propelled grenade (RPG) to reach the battle scene with forces loyal to leader Moamar Gaddafi, just a few kilometres outside the oil town of Ras Lanuf on March 9, 2011.

Related:

• Operation Odyssey Dawn | Updates
• Brave citizen journalist Mohammed “Mo” Al Nabbous killed in a firefight.

Via

ExtinctionSeries | Via

Transcript:

My Definite Chief Aim

I, Bruce Lee, will be the first highest paid Oriental super star in the United States. In return I will give the most exciting performances and render the best of quality in the capacity of an actor. Starting 1970 I will achieve world fame and from then onward till the end of 1980 I will have in my possession $10,000,000. I will live the way I please and achieve inner harmony and happiness.

Bruce Lee
1969

Letters of Note

SharpWriter | Via | Previously

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DevinSuperTramp | Via

Another stunning clip from BBC’s Human Planet:

During monsoon season the Mekong swells to 20 times its normal volume, which brings more fish to the Khone Falls but makes them much harder to catch. Sam Niang, a local fisherman, came up with a plan to get to the best fishing perch. He built a tightrope across the rapids out of old cable and bits of rope.

BBC | Related: Fishing at Victoria Falls

Thousand Pounds | Via | Previously

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From Salomon Freeski TV:

Chuck Patterson is a former pro Freeskier, a professional Waterman, and one of the most fearless humans we’ve ever met. After a brief experiment with skiing on waves several years ago, Chuck’s passion for the idea was re-lit after watching Mike Douglas and Cody Townsend ski the waves of Maui in 2009. In January 2011, Chuck followed the biggest swell of the year to Maui, to see if he could see if he could successfully ski Pe’ahi or ‘Jaws’ — one of the most powerful waves on earth.

Via | Previously: Mark Visser Night Surfs Jaws

Some awesome fight choreography by the Thousand Pounds Fight Team.

Thousand Pounds

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The Ares Armor R.A.D Pack features:

• Molle on the front plate pocket to allow for customized setups
• Able to accept Front and back armor plates. (not included)
• Easy lock down system to secure front plate to you should you need to shoot and move.
• The ability to blend into society. There is no Molle or other military style construction on the externals of the RAD Pack.
• A back pocket that is fully functional as a normal pack for storage of items away from the weapon.
• Comes with universal pistol holster

Rad.

Ares Armor

Dear Summer…

Devin Graham | Via | Previously: Huge Bike Jumps Into A Pond

Thinking Stone Productions

From the creator:

My idea was take on the world before Shredder arrives. In my version Shredder would be more of an evil genius that takes over a common street gang and trains them into the organized clan later seen in the films. I’m a huge fan of TMNT but at the same time felt the world needed a different take than was previously established.

Fight the Foot

From the press release:

This morning at 2:00am local Hawaii time, professional big wave surfer Mark Visser made history by achieving a night ride on waves measuring 30-40 foot faces off the shores of Maui with specially engineered LED lights built into a buoyancy vest and modified into the surfboard. The lighting technologies were created especially for the project by Solus Corporation using ground breaking NASA submarine lighting to ensure the wave and board were lit in the right places, at the right time and illuminated the wave without hindering the vision of Visser, the jet ski drivers and the helicopter pilots.

A true world first – no one has attempted to ride and capture big waves at Jaws, Maui before in total darkness quite like this. With the help of his team overhead in a helicopter, Visser was towed in by jet-ski as he entered the infamous big wave break just prior to the peak of the swell, completely illuminated.

Via

I’m extremely (and almost sexually) pleased to present The High Definite’s mobile application.  My buddy Hunter and his team over at Barefoot Solutions have been working with me for the past couple of months on how to get this little site of mine optimized for the 13% of you across the globe that access it on mobile phones. After dealing with the App Store’s increasingly rigid requirements for some time, we finally appeased some guy in Cupertino enough that we got approval.

When we came to the pay vs. ads crossroad, we decided the one time cost of a buck would be better than plaguing the app with ads to pay for development costs.  In return for your hard-earned dollar, I promise to do my best to fill it with an almost continuous stream of entertaining content.

As an added bonus, we have pre-released the next mixtape, High Command, exclusively on the app for your streaming pleasure.  It’s good.  If you don’t believe me, the tracklist is after the jump.  You can stream the rest of the mixtapes through the app as well.  (Please make sure your data plan can support it before streaming them.)

So, if you anticipate that at some point in the future you will:

a) be stuck in some sort of awkward social situation

b) have to wait for more than 30 seconds for anything, or

c) find yourself extremely bored on-the-go

…you can download it from the App Store here.

For you Android users, we’re working on one for the Android Market.  This is our first release, and we will make improvements with each new release until we get it right.  As always, feedback is not only appreciated but strongly encouraged.

Thanks for reading and for your support.

High Command Tracklist:

01. No I.D. INtromental
02. Method Man ft. D’Angelo – Make Up’s 2 Break Up’s
03. Common ft. Lauryn Hill – Retrospect For Life
04. Big L ft. Shyheim – Furious Anger
05. The Beatnuts – Do You Believe ?
06. Ghostface Killah – Mighty Healthy
07. Large Professor – IJUSTWANNACHILL
08. Notorious B.I.G. – Unbelievable
09. Mobb Deep – Hell On Earth (Front Lines)
10. Pete Rock – Take Your Time
11. Swat & KIng Tech ft. The Wake Up Show Allstars – The Anthem
12. Lord Finesse ft. O.C. – Brainstorm Remix
13. Redman – Can’t Wait
14. Nas – Nas Is Like
15. Tony Touch ft. Mos Def & De La Soul – What’s That ?
16. Extra Prolific ft. Casual – Cash Money
17. Tha Alkaholiks – Likwit
18. Black Attack – Verbal Attack
19. DJ Honda ft. Fat Joe & The Beatnuts – Pre-Cash
20. Dr. Dre ft. Snoop – 187′UM (Deep Cover Remix)
21. KRS One – Outta Here
22. Money Boss Players – What U Saying
23. Lords Of The Underground – Chief Rocka
24. Organized Konfusion – Stray Bullet
25. EPMD – So What’cha Sayin’
26. Gangstarr – Skills
27. Naughty By Nature – Uptown Anthem
28. Grand Puba – Fat Rat

Corridor Digital | Via | Previously: Video Game Cheats In Real Life

DukeFateofHumanity | Via

From Phoenix Fly:

A collection of shots from flights made during the 2009-2010 season by the talented group of wingsuit basejumpers, while flying the V3, Hybrid LD2/Trango rigs and testing several new V-series wingsuit prototypes around Europe.

Phoenix Fly | Via

Freddie Wong

The Game Station | Via

From RedBull:

After two weeks of preparation, Rozov climbed the face of the Ulvetanna together with his climbing colleague, Alexander Ruchkin, and mountain photographer, Thomas Senf. With his wingsuit on, he then flew for 45 seconds down the face of the mountain before opening his parachute and landing safely.

“It was like a journey to another planet,” he said. “It’s deeply satisfying and has given me a long and lasting feeling of happiness.”

RedBull USA

2:11 mark.

Via

Also available here. | Via

I was able to see this documentary and I’ve got to say it was truly remarkable.  It really gives you a new appreciation for the men and women that risk their lives and limbs on a daily basis while we sit at home and complain because Charlie Sheen is somehow TV’s highest paid actor or that Heidi Montag is still alive.  Watch it, so next time you thank a veteran for the service they’ve done for this country, you’ll actually have an inkling of what they had to do to earn that gesture of gratitude.

Restrepo debuts tonight on National Geographic Channel at 9pm. (I know, during MNF…DVR it then.)

Thanks for the reminder. | Previously: The Sal Giunta Story

VinceJustice4All

This clip is part of a feature-length documentary airing November 29th on National Geographic called RESTREPO.  The film’s synopsis:

Today, President Obama awarded Staff Sgt. Salvatore Giunta the Medal of Honor, making him the first living recipient of the award since the Vietnam War.  The tale of how he earned this distinction should pretty much guarantee that this man never has to buy another beer in his life.  From President Obama’s remarks:

Salvatore Giunta’s time came on October 25, 2007. He was a Specialist then, just 22 years old.

Sal and his platoon were several days into a mission in the Korengal Valley — the most dangerous valley in northeast Afghanistan.  The moon was full. The light it cast was enough to travel by without using their night-vision goggles.  With heavy gear on their backs, and air support overhead, they made their way single file down a rocky ridge crest, along terrain so steep that sliding was sometimes easier than walking.

They hadn’t traveled a quarter mile before the silence was shattered.  It was an ambush, so close that the cracks of the guns and the whizz of the bullets were simultaneous.  Tracer fire hammered the ridge at hundreds of rounds per minute — “more,” Sal said later, “than the stars in the sky.”

The Apache gunships above saw it all, but couldn’t engage with the enemy so close to our soldiers.  The next platoon heard the shooting, but were too far away to join the fight in time.

And the two lead men were hit by enemy fire and knocked down instantly.  When the third was struck in the helmet and fell to the ground, Sal charged headlong into the wall of bullets to pull him to safety behind what little cover there was.  As he did, Sal was hit twice — one round slamming into his body armor, the other shattering a weapon slung across his back.

They were pinned down, and two wounded Americans still lay up ahead.  So Sal and his comrades regrouped and counterattacked.  They threw grenades, using the explosions as cover to run forward, shooting at the muzzle flashes still erupting from the trees.  Then they did it again.  And again.  Throwing grenades, charging ahead.  Finally, they reached one of their men.  He’d been shot twice in the leg, but he had kept returning fire until his gun jammed.

As another soldier tended to his wounds, Sal sprinted ahead, at every step meeting relentless enemy fire with his own.  He crested a hill alone, with no cover but the dust kicked up by the storm of bullets still biting into the ground.  There, he saw a chilling sight:  the silhouettes of two insurgents carrying the other wounded American away — who happened to be one of Sal’s best friends.  Sal never broke stride.  He leapt forward.  He took aim.  He killed one of the insurgents and wounded the other, who ran off.

Sal found his friend alive, but badly wounded.  Sal had saved him from the enemy — now he had to try to save his life.  Even as bullets impacted all around him, Sal grabbed his friend by the vest and dragged him to cover.  For nearly half an hour, Sal worked to stop the bleeding and help his friend breathe until the MEDEVAC arrived to lift the wounded from the ridge.  American gunships worked to clear the enemy from the hills.  And with the battle over, First Platoon picked up their gear and resumed their march through the valley.  They continued their mission.

It had been as intense and violent a firefight as any soldier will experience.  By the time it was finished, every member of First Platoon had shrapnel or a bullet hole in their gear.  Five were wounded.  And two gave their lives:  Sal’s friend, Sergeant Joshua C. Brennan, and the platoon medic, Specialist Hugo V. Mendoza.

Hooah. | The 60 Minutes interview with him, including accompanying graphics, here.

Update: A video of the entire ceremony after the jump, courtesy of The White House’s YouTube channel.

Brett Novak | Previously: A Skate Escalation

Here’s the view from the other side:

Fat Sand Productions | United Magic

BBC’s coverage