WASHINGTON, D.C. — Taya Kyle, the widow of late U.S. Navy sniper Chris Kyle, spoke with Breitbart News exclusively ahead of her upcoming Patriot Tour shows at the Town Hall Theater, New York (123 W. 23rd St.) on Thursday, October 19. And at the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia, PA (250 S Broad St.) on Friday, October 20.
Both shows begin at 7:30 p.m.
Kyle, who authored American Wife: A Memoir of Love, War, Faith, and Renewal, told Breitbart News the Patriot Tour started as an idea between her late husband Chris and Marcus Luttrell; a retired Navy SEAL who received a Purple Heart and a Navy Cross for his role in Operation Red Wings in Afghanistan in 2005.
Chris and his best friend Chad Littlefield were tragically murdered in February 2013 by former Marine with PTSD Eddie Ray Routh at the Texas hunting resort Rough Creek Lodge.
“When Chris was killed, Marcus had the idea to continue the Patriot Tour and add more people to the journey,” Kyle said. “And I was honored to be part of it.”
Also on the Patriot Tour is retired U.S. Army Captain Chad Fleming and retired Navy SEAL and ultra-marathoner David Goggins.
The Patriot Tour started as a way to honor the nation’s military members for their sacrifices to keep every American safe and to bring people together through family, service, sacrifice, and community.
Kyle, who has been participating in the tour since 2014, said it’s also meant to “remind people of the reality that we are built a nation of people that will persevere,” Kyle told Breitbart News. “And mostly, it’s about perseverance and knowing that we won’t allow the dark parts of life to win.”
The loss of her husband was devastating. Kyle noted that everyone has their struggles in life, but expressed her belief that “we can get through it together.” She added, “One of my favorite things about Patriot Tour is the sense of community and inspiration that we get back from the audience,” Kyle told Breitbart News. “We are just people out here doing our best. And I think people in the audience, they can relate. And we can relate to them. And we need more of that in the world where people can come together.”
The Patriot Tour is usually held in a theater with an intimate setting where Kyle said, “we really feel the energy from them, and they feel the authenticity and energy from us.”
The feedback Kyle has received from the audience has inspired her and the group to continue with and expand Patriot Tour.
“What I’ve heard from people is that it stays with them for years and they wished everybody should go.” She said, “They left feeling inspired and that this country was going to be okay. We need that reassurance. It’s not so much telling them it’s going to be okay. It’s just a feeling; an energy when people come together. It feels like it’s a reminder that there are so many individuals in the county who are not well known, who are quiet, and fighting battles and doing good in the world, and craving that sense of community.”
“We do this with our heart. It’s exciting that we’ve got requests from all over the country and go to every city. It really is just a powerful feeling for us to be in that environment.
Kyle told Breitbart News that the company is considering taking the Patriot Tour international. “We get responses internationally from people who support and love what America stands for.”
“American Sniper taught us that there are stories that are so universally human, and that’s what you see on stage,” she said.
She says the Patriot Tour crosses country lines, race, and religion and shows us that it’s just about humanity. “And the Patriot Tour also shows that we are people who have experienced everything. It covers masculine to feminine to race, to life and death and the perspective that is universally beneficial because there’s not one of us that has it all. We each bring something to the table.”
She said the beautiful thing about Patriot Tour is that it’s apolitical.
“I think that’s the magic of this. We all, in this country, need a break from somebody with an agenda and somebody needing to discuss politics. It’s humanity, not politics. It’s perseverance and individual struggle.” Kyle added, “We can all disagree on politics and still be in one room together enjoying what it is it be human and what it is to struggle.” She added, “We all have the defining moments where we can change paths.”
In the end, Kyle said, Patriot Tour is about inspiring those who attend that “it’s about standing up for what’s right,” and finding the inner strength to do so.
Adelle Nazarian is a politics and national security reporter for Breitbart News. Follow her on Facebook and Twitter.
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