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HOLLYWOOD, CA - FEBRUARY 22: Taya Kyle attends the 87th Annual Academy Awards at Hollywood & Highland Center on February 22, 2015 in Hollywood, California
Kevork Djansezian—Getty Images

Taya Kyle, the widow of American Sniper Chris Kyle, not only impressed at the Oscars on Sunday, she also brought with her a small memento to honor the late Navy SEAL: his dog tags.

As she made the rounds on the red carpet, Kyle was spotted clutching the tags and an accompanying metallic cross. She told ABC’s Robin Roberts that she wanted to represent her husband and “embrace everything that he should be here to do with me.”

The appearance at the Academy Awards was not easy for Kyle. In an emotional Facebook message posted hours before the Academy Awards, she wrote, “I am blessed to have my beautiful loving sister with me to hold my hand and dry my tears from what is sure to be an emotional evening.”

For the past two weeks, Kyle has also been at the murder trial of her husband’s killer and plans to continue attending the proceedings that were postponed until Tuesday due to icy weather in North Texas.

American Sniper, directed by Clint Eastwood, depicts the life of Chris Kyle, one of the U.S. military’s most lethal marksmen. The film has grossed nearly $430 million worldwide and was nominated for a Best Picture Oscar (losing out to Birdman). It won the award for Best Sound Editing.

Read next: American Sniper Screenwriter on the Challenges of Adapting a Book Into a Movie

HOLLYWOOD, CA - FEBRUARY 22: A detailed view of the purse of Taya Kyle at the 87th annual Academy Awards at Hollywood & Highland Center on Feb. 22, 2015, in Hollywood (Kevork Djansezian—Getty Images)
HOLLYWOOD, CA - FEBRUARY 22: A detailed view of the purse of Taya Kyle at the 87th annual Academy Awards at Hollywood & Highland Center on Feb. 22, 2015, in Hollywood
Kevork Djansezian—Getty Images
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