George P. Bush: Chris Kyle Was a 'True American Patriot'

Rising Republican star George P. Bush had planned to spend Thursday at a shooting range with America’s deadliest sniper Chris Kyle, he has revealed.

The two were due to discuss veterans’ issues during target practice, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

Kyle was killed at the weekend at another shooting range. Bush, the son of former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, called him a “true American patriot.

"He served our nation proudly, and when he returned home, he continued to serve," Bush, the grandson and nephew of presidents, wrote in a letter released to the Star-Telegram.

"I was immediately troubled by the irony of this tragedy — that one of our greatest and most decorated Navy Seals of our time, who fought so bravely for our country in multiple combat zones, was killed by one of our own, here at home,” wrote Bush.

Eddie Ray Routh, a former soldier, is accused of shooting Kyle and his friend, Chad Littlefield. According to authorities, Kyle and Littlefield had taken Routh to the gun range while trying to help him deal with problems with post-traumatic stress disorder.

Bush, who is expected to run for Texas Land Commissioner next year, is himself a veteran, and was deployed to Afghanistan as a Navy Reserve intelligence officer. He said few people talk about the disorder, even though estimates show as many as one in five veterans come home from Iraq and Afghanistan with it.