The deadliest marksman in U.S. military history has been memorialized in bronze at the hands of Heart Mountain sculptor Vic Payne.

Chris Kyle has been championed in film and writing for his accomplishments as a U.S. Navy SEAL and sniper. His autobiography, “American Sniper,” spent 37 weeks as a New York Times best seller and was later made into a movie by Clint Eastwood.

Payne was asked to put in a bid for the sculpture about two years ago by a committee spearheading a Chris Kyle Memorial Plaza in Odessa, Texas, following Kyle’s murder.

“There were a bunch of good artists invited to participate and we were real pleased when I ended up with it,” Payne said.

Payne has been sculpting for 38 years and specializes in Western sculptures. He moved to the Powell area about 10 years ago to be closer to the Buffalo Bill Center of the West and because the region fit his background, he said.

“I got excited because of the subject being Chris Kyle,” Payne said. “My bid was lower because I wanted to pay it forward.”

Payne said he is often involved with the Wounded Warriors program, donating small military bronze statues.

“When I can help wounded veterans, that is what I do — I gave a real fair bid, not trying to get rich with it,” Payne said.

Although he never got to meet Chris Kyle before his death, he got to know him through his book, the movie and by meeting his wife, kids and parents.

The first position had Kyle pointing and looking with his gun, but Kyle’s father didn’t like that pose so it was back to the drawing board.

“I learned more about what he had done, and one of the ways was when doing sniping work, it was hard to find guys, so he would use an American flag and hang it and it would draw fire and he would find these guys who were hiding — and that is how the idea got there,” Payne said.

Kyle always carried an American flag inside his body armor.

“It was just his thing, so it represented part of his feelings for America,” Payne said. “He wasn’t just shooting people for fun; he was a real patriot and was worried about where we are going, and the Marines on the ground too, in those dangerous areas.”

Payne also got to know several of the SEALS who knew Kyle and went to sniper training with him.

“He went against orders … go door-to-door trying to help young guys getting worked over,” Payne said. “That is why they nicknamed him ‘Legend’ over there, because he was so involved and took it personally whenever someone died.”

In  his death, Chris “Legend” Kyle will be remembered through the 2,800 square-foot Chris Kyle Memorial Plaza. Payne’s statue is the central figure.

“I really appreciate the Odessa Art Committee for spending so much time and money on this project for folks who went out on a limb for the rest of us,” Payne said.

The facility is actually three plazas, interlinked by Payne’s statue. Flanked on either side of Payne’s statue are memorials for unmentioned team members and unnamed SEALS who died while on duty.

The rendition of Kyle is 9 feet tall, and the top of the flag is 14 feet high; the guns are exact models of his guns. It took about a year to complete, Payne said.

Onlookers often ask about Kyle’s baseball hat. He wore one all the time — even in battle situations, Payne said.

“Almost every day he would wear a ball cap, so he kind of looks like a hunter,” Payne said.

Kyle and his team had painted The Punisher onto their body armor to keep their confidence up and as a way to send a message to their enemies. That comic book hero symbol is now blazoned in bronze as well.

“If we are going to stay historically correct, that is what we are going to do,” Payne said.

The personal touches didn’t end with the historical accuracy.

“What was really cool was, Bubba and Angel, his kids, they signed the sculpture to their dad,” Payne said, noting that Kyle’s wife and parents signed the bottom as well.

Payne noted that Metal Art Foundry in Lehi, Utah, worked around the clock to meet the deadline for completion.

Payne and his wife hit the road on July 26 with the statue in tow. The tricky part was watching out for other drivers trying to take a photo of the statue while it was in transit, he said.

Then on July 28, Payne’s statue was unveiled.

“You get kind of wired because there are so many people around,” Payne said. “I was wondering about the turnout, and it was phenomenal, and more than anything else at that point I wanted people to be satisfied and I wanted to leave there knowing it is in the history books now.”

The unveiling ended up making national news with Payne’s statue the center of it all.

“That unveiling wasn’t about me, it was about Chris Kyle and other people. One guy said there is so much we see in the movies and think we know, but you don’t know the smell, you don’t know the feeling, the loneliness — and I thought about that during the process of the sculpture, what is going on in the world today, all around us, in the Middle East and Europe and I think I get to do what I do in Wyoming — sit and sculpt here in Wyoming — and we get to do these things because others go out and keep us protected from forces in the world that don’t want us to be here,” Payne said. “That is what that means. I get to live my life because of what other people sacrificed.”

Payne stopped by the statue the next day for one last look before going back home to Heart Mountain, and there was an ambulance in the plaza. Its passenger was a Korean War veteran, Gale Holloman, who was lying on a stretcher and breathing with the aid of an oxygen tank. Holloman was on his way to another hospital and wanted to see the statue before he left.

“You could tell this vet was at the end of the line,” Payne said. “He said it brings back memories, you know, of things you did when you were younger.”