If you’ve ever been curious about the man who led ‘American Sniper’ Chris Kyle through the Iraq War, I’d like to direct you to D Magazine contributor Michael J. Mooney’s profile of Jocko Willink in Success Magazine.
Willink was the leader of SEAL Team 3’s Task Unit Bruiser, which became the most decorated special operations team in Iraq. Kyle was its point man. He got his ‘American Sniper’ moniker from his memoir and from Clint Eastwood’s 2015 film of the same name, and Mooney wrote both a D profile and a New York Times best-selling book about him. Kyle was killed in 2013 at a Glen Rose shooting range by an ex-Marine suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder whom he had been helping.
Kyle first rose to national prominence as the deadliest sniper in U.S. military history, logging more than 160 confirmed kills and claiming many more. Over the years, his record was questioned and reports surfaced that he distorted his record. Even Mooney’s original D Magazine feature begins with an anecdote that he himself couldn’t verify: That in January 2010, he shot dead two men who attempted to steal his Ford F-350 at a gas station south of Dallas.
Willink has defended Kyle over the years, telling The Intercept that he “deserve(s) much more than whatever ribbons and medals he received.” He’s a fierce defender of his men, which is clear from the Success piece. And he also wants you to be the best person that you’re capable of being. Since retiring from the SEALs, Wilink has become an author, a motivational speaker, a renowned Podcaster, and hasn’t slacked on his own physical development. Here’s Mooney:
Already in incredible physical shape, Jocko could coast. He could take the easy route and maintain his physique. But in exercise as in life, Jocko hates the easy route.
It’s about 9 in the morning, but Jocko has been awake since 3:58 a.m.—when he posted a photo of his worn Timex wristwatch on Twitter. He does that every day, with messages like: “Opportunity is fleeting. GO.” Or “GET IT.” Or “Rise and shine and ENGULF YOUR SOULLESS ENEMIES IN FIRE.” In fact, he’d already worked out once today before sunrise, then went surfing in the early morning waves. This is his second weightlifting routine of the day.
