Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed House Concurrent Resolution 85 (attached below) authorizing the posthumous award of the Texas Legislative Medal of Honor to “American Sniper” hero, U.S. Navy Chief Petty Officer Chris Kyle. The murdered former Navy Seal was a Texas native who served four tours of duty in Iraq, and has been recognized as the “most lethal” sniper in U.S. military history.
“Since its inception, the Texas Legislative Medal of Honor has been awarded to those in the State of Texas who have demonstrated extraordinary heroism as a member of state or federal military forces, and there is no one more deserving of this year’s award than Chief Petty Officer Chris Kyle,” said Governor Abbott. “Kyle is one of the legions of valiant warriors who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country and served our great nation with unrivaled honor, bravery and heroism. For his remarkable valiancy, it is my honor to posthumously award the 2015 Texas Legislative Medal of Honor to Chief Petty Officer Chris Kyle.”
The resolution was authored by State Representative John Wray (R-Waxahachie) and Senator Brian Birdwell (R-Granbury).
The story of Chris Kyle was brought to life in the movie “American Sniper” which became an instant box-office hit.
Kyle has been honored by the State of Texas two other times this year. Governor Abbott declared February 2nd to be Chris Kyle Day in honor of the fallen hero. Earlier this month, Breitbart Texas reported that Gov. Abbott signed House Bill 1187 into law. That bill authorized the renaming of a section of U.S. Highway 287 as the Chris Kyle Memorial Highway.
Kyle was murdered on February 2, 2013 by Eddie Ray Routh. Kyle and his friend Chad Littlefield were both killed while attempting to help Routh. On February 24, 2015, Routh was found guilty of the murder. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
The first presentation of this rarely-awarded medal was in 1997, when Texas posthumously awarded the medal to Army Technical Sergeant James Logan of the 36th Infantry Division. The award was for the Sergeant’s service in WWII. Of the eleven medals previously awarded, the only living medal recipient was Army Colonel M.B. Etheredge who served in the 3rd Infantry Division during WWII. Army Major Audie Murphy was finally awarded the State’s highest honor in 2013.
Earlier this month Army Air Corps Lt. Colonel William Edwin Dyess was also posthumously awarded the Texas Legislative Medal of Honor for his service in WWII. Dyess Air Force Base, near Abilene, is named after the late airman.
With the signing of this law, Kyle becomes the twelfth Texan to be so honored by the State of Texas. Kyle’s other service awards include: two Silver Star Medals, Five Bronze Star Medals, The Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal and two Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals.
Chief Petty Officer Kyle is the first member of the U.S. Navy to receive this honor from the State of Texas.
Bob Price is a senior political news contributor for Breitbart Texas and a member of the original Breitbart Texas team. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX.