![]() In his first two years after leaving the Army, Irving put down a bottle of Jack Daniels every day and called himself “a raging alcoholic,” with sleepless nights and suicidal thoughts, “one of those PTSD things.” He and his wife, Jessica, say his drinking is now under control. On a recent evening at his house, Irving offered a beer and opened one for himself. I’d rather kill my guys and kill myself before we get captured.” It was not an option for us to be captured or anything. You just have to accept it at that point. “We debated it, like pulling a grenade and jumping on it and blowing up. You just accept death at that point,” Irving said of the firefight, which lasted 10 hours and ended in retreat. “I became comfortable with death at that point. Irving’s desperate battle against one, on July 10, 2009, in Afghanistan’s Helmand province, is still fresh in his mind. Their assailant is on trial for murder in Stephenville.ĭalton Fury, a former Delta Force commander, wrote that if Kyle’s nickname was the “Killer Man” then Irving was “the Killer Man’s son.” Both faced enemy snipers who were their equals. history, was killed with a friend two years ago while they tried to help a troubled veteran at a Texas gun range. Kyle, credited with the most sniper kills in U.S. Perhaps because of the attention, and controversy, over “American Sniper,” the box-office hit based on the memoir of Navy SEAL sniper Chris Kyle, Irving has become a celebrity with the release of his book, which also is Hollywood-bound. Irving, 28, said he worries about criminals hitting his upscale neighborhood, not terrorists. Security cameras are mounted at his two-story home. ![]() He keeps a gun under his pillow and an AK-47 next to his bed. Recently, as he bent over a table at a book-signing near his home in San Antonio, the outline of what appeared to be a handgun formed in the small of his back. ![]() Irving, who wrote a best-selling memoir titled “The Reaper,” his wartime nickname, has wrestled with post-traumatic stress disorder and alcohol abuse, and he is on guard 24/7. Nearly six years removed from his last combat tour, the war isn’t quite over for Nicholas Irving, the 3rd Ranger Regiment’s first African-American sniper - reputed to be its deadliest, with close to three dozen kills. Tom Reel/San Antonio Express-News Show More Show Less Tom Reel/San Antonio Express-News Show More Show Less 9 of9 Former Army Ranger Nicholas Irving, author of 'The Reaper - Autobiography of one of the Deadliest Special Ops Snipers', signs copies of his book at Costco store 693 in San Antonio on February 7, 2015. Tom Reel/San Antonio Express-News Show More Show Less 8 of9 Former Army Ranger Nicholas Irving, author of 'The Reaper - Autobiography of one of the Deadliest Special Ops Snipers', signs copies of his book at Costco store 693 in San Antonio on February 7, 2015. Tom Reel/San Antonio Express-News Show More Show Less 7 of9 Waiting in line for an autograph, Belinda Rodriguez previews writings as Former Army Ranger Nicholas Irving, author of 'The Reaper - Autobiography of one of the Deadliest Special Ops Snipers', signs copies of his book at Costco store 693 in San Antonio on February 7, 2015. Tom Reel/San Antonio Express-News Show More Show Less 6 of9 Former Army Ranger Nicholas Irving, author of 'The Reaper - Autobiography of one of the Deadliest Special Ops Snipers', signs copies of his book at Costco store 693 in San Antonio on February 7, 2015. Tom Reel/San Antonio Express-News Show More Show Less 5 of9 Jeff Hammond stands in with his daughter Isabella and wife Sonia for a photo as Former Army Ranger Nicholas Irving, author of 'The Reaper - Autobiography of one of the Deadliest Special Ops Snipers', signs copies of his book at Costco store 693 in San Antonio on February 7, 2015. Tom Reel/San Antonio Express-News Show More Show Less 4 of9 Former Army Ranger Nicholas Irving, author of 'The Reaper - Autobiography of one of the Deadliest Special Ops Snipers', signs copies of his book at Costco store 693 in San Antonio on February 7, 2015. Tom Reel/San Antonio Express-News Show More Show Less 3 of9 Former Army Ranger Nicholas Irving, author of 'The Reaper - Autobiography of one of the Deadliest Special Ops Snipers', signs copies of his book at Costco store 693 in San Antonio on February 7, 2015. Tom Reel/San Antonio Express-News Show More Show Less 2 of9 Kase Saylor (right) shakes hands as Former Army Ranger Nicholas Irving, author of 'The Reaper - Autobiography of one of the Deadliest Special Ops Snipers', signs copies of his book at Costco store 693 in San Antonio on February 7, 2015. 1 of9 Margie Travis enjoys getting an autograph with her daughter Caroline on hand as Former Army Ranger Nicholas Irving, author of 'The Reaper - Autobiography of one of the Deadliest Special Ops Snipers', signs copies of his book at Costco store 693 in San Antonio on February 7, 2015.
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