He was just a dumb kid caught up in a lot of rhetoric.
He never claimed to be a hero....he idolized them because heroes are cool.
We have an entire media playing to idolizing "heroes". From Superman to GI Joe...even the Hunger Games. We all want to be like or idolize heroes. Even the guy who got one up on Trump in a business deal is a hero of sorts to some.
Kyle bought into this non-stop hero-by-trying.
The truth though is vastly different. Heroes are the quiet sort....living an honest life and lifestyle that isn't glamorous or heralded but anymore is so unique and special that it isn't common anymore.
Those are the real heroes in today's society. Not the ones seeking fame by press....but the ones who parent their children, have an honest job, faithful to his wife, helps his local community in "average" and ordinary ways. The one who aspires to be an "average guy/woman".
Wanting more is what got Adam and Eve tossed from the Garden in Eden.....mankind has not changed or elevated from that yet. I don't think we are going to.