By: Wray (Senate Sponsor - Birdwell) H.C.R. No. 85
(In the Senate - Received from the House May 13, 2015;
May 14, 2015, read first time and referred to Committee on Veteran
Affairs and Military Installations; May 21, 2015, reported
favorably by the following vote: Yeas 6, Nays 0; May 21, 2015, sent
to printer.)
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, The Texas Legislative Medal of Honor was established
to recognize gallant and intrepid service by a member of the state
or federal military forces, and U.S. Navy Chief Petty Officer Chris
Kyle, the most successful sniper in U.S. military history, proved
himself a deserving recipient of this prestigious award; and
WHEREAS, Born in Odessa on April 8, 1974, Christopher Scott
Kyle learned patience and marksmanship at an early age; his father
bought him a rifle when he was eight, and he hunted on the family
ranch for pheasant and deer; after high school, he worked as a ranch
hand and a professional rodeo rider until he was injured; despite
the pins in his arm from his rodeo injuries, he actively sought to
serve his nation, and thanks to his grit and determination, he was
accepted into the elite Navy SEALs unit in 1999; and
WHEREAS, Chief Petty Officer Kyle served four tours of duty
in Iraq as a member of SEAL Team 3, and he fought in every major
battle of Operation Iraqi Freedom, including engagements in Ramadi,
Fallujah, and Baghdad; working in hot, dirty, and dangerous
conditions, Chief Kyle put himself in harm's way on a daily basis,
setting up his sniper's post in abandoned buildings, sometimes for
as long as five weeks at a time, watching tirelessly through his
scope for enemy combatants and, through his efforts, saving
countless American lives; and
WHEREAS, Known by his peers as "the Legend" for his uncanny
skill, Chief Kyle often successfully took long-range shots, and in
Sadr City in 2008, after he spotted an insurgent approaching an army
convoy with a rocket launcher, he shot the man from a distance of
2,100 yards, or 1.2 miles; as feared by the enemy as he was
celebrated by his fellow Americans, Chief Kyle was nicknamed
Al-Shaitan Ramadi, or "The Devil of Ramadi," by the insurgents, who
put an $80,000 price on his head; and
WHEREAS, Chief Kyle regularly demonstrated conspicuous
gallantry in the thick of combat; during the second battle for
Fallujah in November 2004, two Marines and two journalists were
trapped near a heavily fortified enemy position, and as the Marines
around him provided covering fire, Chief Kyle dashed through enemy
fire, joined the trapped men, and provided suppressing fire to
enable them to escape; then, as he made his own escape, he
discovered one of the Marines wounded in the road, and, with enemy
rounds thudding all around him, he grabbed his wounded comrade by
his body armor and dragged him 50 yards to safety; he then returned
to the battle until the last enemy insurgent was killed; and
WHEREAS, Chief Kyle's bravery that day earned him one of his
five Bronze Stars with Valor, and he also received two Silver Stars
along with many other decorations; he was shot twice and survived
six IED explosions, and by the time he left the navy to return to his
family in Texas in 2009, he was credited with the highest number of
confirmed kills in U.S. military history; and
WHEREAS, Chief Kyle continued to distinguish himself in
civilian life, running a security training company and publishing a
best-selling combat memoir, which inspired an award-winning motion
picture; he worked with the FITCO Cares Foundation to provide
support to disabled veterans, and, tragically, he died while trying
to help another veteran; such was the respect and admiration he had
earned from his fellow Texans that his funeral procession from
Midlothian to Austin stretched for more than 200 miles, one of the
longest memorial processions in American history; and
WHEREAS, Chris Kyle repeatedly risked his life to save the
lives of his fellow soldiers and to advance their mission, and for
his remarkable heroism he is most assuredly deserving of this
state's supreme military award; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the 84th Legislature of the State of Texas
hereby direct the governor of the State of Texas to posthumously
award the Texas Legislative Medal of Honor to Christopher Scott
Kyle in recognition of his valiant service during Operation Iraqi
Freedom.
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