Yes, snipers are heroes, regardless of what one thinks about Kyle specifically.

I was listening to an interview with another sniper who recently wrote his own book (don't recall the name) and he said 90% of what snipers do is gather intelligence. He also said some have a negative reaction to them because, when they hear the word "sniper," they think "assassin."

What I don't care for is the typical knee jerk reaction we've seen by certain libs in the media regarding American Sniper. Or, for that matter, many other movies that paint our military in a good light. It's like, any military action after WWII, Hollywood usually only wants to condemn and criticize it.