A warrior both on and off the battlefield’: Heartbreaking tributes from Chris Kyle’s widow and children as thousands gather in Texas to honor ‘America’s deadliest sniper’

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  • Crowds queued for hours to enter the Cowboys stadium in Dallas to pay tribute to former Navy Seal Chris Kyle
  • Wife Taya paid tribute to her loving husband and speaks of his pride at being a father as heartbreaking notes from his children are printed on the memorial’s program
  • Kyle was shot dead at a shooting range alongside friend Chad Littlefield earlier this month
  • Marine Eddie Ray Routh, 25, has been charged with their murders

Thousands of mourners attended a memorial service today for former Navy Seal Chris Kyle as his wife and young children paid painful tribute alongside his military colleagues who spoke of his unrelenting loyalty to the

Crowds queued to enter the Cowboys Stadium so they could hear memories of a kind and loving family man, a practical joker and a proud veteran dubbed ‘ America’s deadliest sniper’.

His wife Taya Kyle, said at the memorial service that her husband made her feel like ‘pure gold’ and loved her without judgement.

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Mourners: On Monday a large crowd packed a memorial service to Kyle in the Cowboys stadium
Mourners: On Monday a large crowd packed a memorial service to Kyle in the Cowboys stadium
Honored: Taya Kyle and her children walked behind the coffin of her husband Chris Kyle during his memorial service in Dallas today
Honored: Taya Kyle and her children walked behind the coffin of her husband Chris Kyle during his memorial service in Dallas
Tribute: The Cowboys stadium was a fitting venue for the memorial to proud Texan Chris Kyle today, left. Heart-breaking messages from his children aged 8 and 6 were printed onto the ceremony program, right
Tribute: The Cowboys stadium was a fitting venue for the memorial to proud Texan Chris Kyle today, left. Heart-breaking messages from his children aged 8 and 6 were printed onto the ceremony program, right
Tribute: The Cowboys stadium was a fitting venue for the memorial to Chris Kyle today, left. Heart-breaking messages from his children aged 8 and 6 were printed onto the ceremony program, right
Tribute: The Cowboys stadium was a fitting venue for the memorial to Chris Kyle today, left. Heart-breaking messages from his children aged 8 and 6 were printed onto the ceremony program, right

‘Thank you Chris thank you for loving me, all of me,’ she said through tears.

‘God worked through you to make me the woman I was supposed to be…You taught me I was okay just the way I am.

‘I stand before you a broken woman but I am now and always will be a wife of a man who was a warrior both on and off the battlefield.’

The couple’s children wrote heart-breaking tributes to him on the memorial program alongside pictures of their parents wedding day.

‘You are the best dad ever. I never wanted you to die, I miss your heart’, one of the messages simply signed by ‘Baby Girl’ from Kyle’s daughter read.

The other signed by ‘Bubba’ added: ‘One of the best things that has happened to me is you. I love you dad. I always will.’

The 38-year-old sniper, who completed four tours of Iraq and wrote best-seller, the American Sniper, was shot dead at the Rough Creek Lodge shooting range on February 2 alongside his friend Chad Littlefield.

Heartbreaking: Letters to Chris Kyle from his young children were printed on the memorial program which also carried the couple's wedding picture
Heartbreaking: Letters to Chris Kyle from his young children were printed on the memorial program which also carried the couple’s wedding picture
In action: America's deadliest sniper was remembered at a memorial service today
In action: America’s deadliest sniper was remembered at a memorial service today
In action: America's deadliest sniper was remembered at a memorial service today
In action: America’s deadliest sniper was remembered at a memorial service today
Paying respects: Hundreds queued to join a memorial service to former Navy Seal Chris Kyle today. The author of American Sniper' was shot earlier this month on a shooting range in Texas
Paying respects: Hundreds queued to join a memorial service to former Navy Seal Chris Kyle today. The author of American Sniper’ was shot earlier this month on a shooting range in Texas
Tearful: Many of those paying tribute to Chris Kyle broke down. His wife Taya, pictured, bravely shared her memories of her husband
Tearful: Many of those paying tribute to Chris Kyle broke down. His wife Taya, pictured, bravely shared her memories of her husband
Courage: Taya Kyle made a heartfelt tribute to her husband. Through her tears she told of how much her husband supported her
Courage: Taya Kyle made a heartfelt tribute to her husband. Through her tears she told of how much her husband supported her

Eddie Ray Routh has been charged over the shootings – it is alleged the murdered pair were trying to help the marine corporal recover from PTSD by taking him out for the day

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