Book Excerpt: Taya Kyle's Memoir, 'American Wife: A Memoir of Love, War, Faith and Renewal'

— -- Excerpted from 'AMERICAN WIFE': A Memoir of Love, War, Faith and Renewal' by Taya Kyle, written in collaboration with Jim DeFelice and published by William Morrow Publishers.

PREFACE: The Longest Day

When life brings you to your knees, you are in the perfect position to pray.

FEBRUARY 2, 2013

Saturday, and like a lot of Saturdays, we were going in a dozen different directions. But as always, we began the day together.

First up was a rec basketball game at the local church gym. Both of our children, Bubba and Angel, were on the team. My husband Chris and I made it a point of attending the games together. Not only were we were a vital part of the team’s cheering section, but the hour or two in the gym let us reconnect with our friends, maintaining the neighborly ties that are so important in a small town. It was always a fun time.

We took different vehicles—Chris his truck, me the family SUV—because we had to split up after the game. I was taking the kids to friends’ and then later the mall; Chris was going shooting at a range he’d helped design.

He was bringing a friend, and another man he knew only as a veteran in need.

A few days before, a woman had approached my husband while he was dropping the kids off at school. He didn’t know her, but like nearly everyone in the community, she knew who he was: Chris Kyle, American Sniper, former SEAL, war hero, and freshly minted celebrity. The story of his life had been a bestseller for over a year;Hollywood planned a major motion picture starring Bradley Cooper, the hottest actor in America. Since the book’s publication in January 2012, Chris had been on TV numerous times, starred in a reality series, and spoken at events across the country. His easygoing smile and matter-of- fact personality attracted admirers near and far.

He also had a warm heart and a genuine reputation for helping people, especially veterans and others in need in our community. And it was that reputation that brought the woman to Chris. She told him her son was just back from Iraq and having a little trouble getting the help he needed from the VA and fitting into civilian life. She asked if he might be able to talk to him.

Chris didn’t know the young man, nor was he told the vast depth of his problems: fitting in was the least of them. But as he nearly always did, Chris told her he’d see what he could do. Chris and I talked about where they might go. He settled on Rough Creek Lodge, a serene and peaceful place where they wouldn’t be bothered. He recruited our dear friend and neighbor, Chad Littlefield, to come with them.

That was today. It was a long drive, perhaps an hour and a half each way. Chris believed the time in the truck would give them a chance to get to know each other. Once the young man was comfortable, Chris would recommend people who might help him, assuming he thought that necessary. For many veterans coming home from a war zone, just being able to share the displacement they felt was enough to set them onto a normal course.