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CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
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WHEREAS, The Texas Legislative Medal of Honor was established |
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to recognize gallant and intrepid service by a member of the state |
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or federal military forces, and U.S. Navy Chief Petty Officer Chris |
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Kyle, the most successful sniper in U.S. military history, proved |
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himself a deserving recipient of this prestigious award; and |
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WHEREAS, Born in Odessa on April 8, 1974, Christopher Scott |
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Kyle learned patience and marksmanship at an early age; his father |
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bought him a rifle when he was eight, and he hunted on the family |
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ranch for pheasant and deer; after high school, he worked as a ranch |
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hand and a professional rodeo rider until he was injured; despite |
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the pins in his arm from his rodeo injuries, he actively sought to |
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serve his nation, and thanks to his grit and determination, he was |
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accepted into the elite Navy SEALs unit in 1999; and |
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WHEREAS, Chief Petty Officer Kyle served four tours of duty |
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in Iraq as a member of SEAL Team 3, and he fought in every major |
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battle of Operation Iraqi Freedom, including engagements in Ramadi, |
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Fallujah, and Baghdad; working in hot, dirty, and dangerous |
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conditions, Chief Kyle put himself in harm's way on a daily basis, |
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setting up his sniper's post in abandoned buildings, sometimes for |
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as long as five weeks at a time, watching tirelessly through his |
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scope for enemy combatants and, through his efforts, saving |
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countless American lives; and |
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WHEREAS, Known by his peers as "the Legend" for his uncanny |
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skill, Chief Kyle often successfully took long-range shots, and in |
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Sadr City in 2008, after he spotted an insurgent approaching an army |
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convoy with a rocket launcher, he shot the man from a distance of |
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2,100 yards, or 1.2 miles; as feared by the enemy as he was |
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celebrated by his fellow Americans, Chief Kyle was nicknamed |
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Al-Shaitan Ramadi, or "The Devil of Ramadi," by the insurgents, who |
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put an $80,000 price on his head; and |
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WHEREAS, Chief Kyle regularly demonstrated conspicuous |
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gallantry in the thick of combat; during the second battle for |
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Fallujah in November 2004, two Marines and two journalists were |
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trapped near a heavily fortified enemy position, and as the Marines |
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around him provided covering fire, Chief Kyle dashed through enemy |
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fire, joined the trapped men, and provided suppressing fire to |
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enable them to escape; then, as he made his own escape, he |
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discovered one of the Marines wounded in the road, and, with enemy |
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rounds thudding all around him, he grabbed his wounded comrade by |
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his body armor and dragged him 50 yards to safety; he then returned |
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to the battle until the last enemy insurgent was killed; and |
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WHEREAS, Chief Kyle's bravery that day earned him one of his |
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five Bronze Stars with Valor, and he also received two Silver Stars |
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along with many other decorations; he was shot twice and survived |
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six IED explosions, and by the time he left the navy to return to his |
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family in Texas in 2009, he was credited with the highest number of |
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confirmed kills in U.S. military history; and |
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WHEREAS, Chief Kyle continued to distinguish himself in |
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civilian life, running a security training company and publishing a |
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best-selling combat memoir, which inspired an award-winning motion |
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picture; he worked with the FITCO Cares Foundation to provide |
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support to disabled veterans, and, tragically, he died while trying |
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to help another veteran; such was the respect and admiration he had |
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earned from his fellow Texans that his funeral procession from |
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Midlothian to Austin stretched for more than 200 miles, one of the |
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longest memorial processions in American history; and |
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WHEREAS, Chris Kyle repeatedly risked his life to save the |
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lives of his fellow soldiers and to advance their mission, and for |
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his remarkable heroism he is most assuredly deserving of this |
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state's supreme military award; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the 84th Legislature of the State of Texas |
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hereby direct the governor of the State of Texas to posthumously |
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award the Texas Legislative Medal of Honor to Christopher Scott |
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Kyle in recognition of his valiant service during Operation Iraqi |
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Freedom. |