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85HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTIONWHEREAS, The Texas Legislative Medal of Honor was establishedto recognize gallant and intrepid service by a member of the stateor federal military forces, and U.S. Navy Chief Petty Officer ChrisKyle, the most successful sniper in U.S. military history, provedhimself a deserving recipient of this prestigious award; andWHEREAS, Born in Odessa on April 8, 1974, Christopher ScottKyle learned patience and marksmanship at an early age; his fatherbought him a rifle when he was eight, and he hunted on the familyranch for pheasant and deer; after high school, he worked as a ranchhand and a professional rodeo rider until he was injured; despitethe pins in his arm from his rodeo injuries, he actively sought toserve his nation, and thanks to his grit and determination, he wasaccepted into the elite Navy SEALs unit in 1999; andWHEREAS, Chief Petty Officer Kyle served four tours of dutyin Iraq as a member of SEAL Team 3, and he fought in every majorbattle of Operation Iraqi Freedom, including engagements in Ramadi,Fallujah, and Baghdad; working in hot, dirty, and dangerousconditions, Chief Kyle put himself in harm
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s way on a daily basis,setting up his sniper
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s post in abandoned buildings, sometimes foras long as five weeks at a time, watching tirelessly through hisscope for enemy combatants and, through his efforts, savingcountless American lives; andWHEREAS, Known by his peers as "the Legend" for his uncannyskill, Chief Kyle often successfully took long-range shots, and in123456789101112131415161718192021222324
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Sadr City in 2008, after he spotted an insurgent approaching an armyconvoy with a rocket launcher, he shot the man from a distance of2,100 yards, or 1.2 miles; as feared by the enemy as he wascelebrated by his fellow Americans, Chief Kyle was nicknamed
Al-Shaitan Ramadi
, or "The Devil of Ramadi," by the insurgents, whoput an $80,000 price on his head; andWHEREAS, Chief Kyle regularly demonstrated conspicuousgallantry in the thick of combat; during the second battle forFallujah in November 2004, two Marines and two journalists weretrapped near a heavily fortified enemy position, and as the Marinesaround him provided covering fire, Chief Kyle dashed through enemyfire, joined the trapped men, and provided suppressing fire toenable them to escape; then, as he made his own escape, hediscovered one of the Marines wounded in the road, and, with enemyrounds thudding all around him, he grabbed his wounded comrade byhis body armor and dragged him 50 yards to safety; he then returnedto the battle until the last enemy insurgent was killed; andWHEREAS, Chief Kyle
’
s bravery that day earned him one of hisfive Bronze Stars with Valor, and he also received two Silver Starsalong with many other decorations; he was shot twice and survivedsix IED explosions, and by the time he left the navy to return to hisfamily in Texas in 2009, he was credited with the highest number ofconfirmed kills in U.S. military history; andWHEREAS, Chief Kyle continued to distinguish himself incivilian life, running a security training company and publishing abest-selling combat memoir, which inspired an award-winning motionpicture; he worked with the FITCO Cares Foundation to provide123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627H.C.R.
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support to disabled veterans, and, tragically, he died while tryingto help another veteran; such was the respect and admiration he hadearned from his fellow Texans that his funeral procession fromMidlothian to Austin stretched for more than 200 miles, one of thelongest memorial processions in American history; andWHEREAS, Chris Kyle repeatedly risked his life to save thelives of his fellow soldiers and to advance their mission, and forhis remarkable heroism he is most assuredly deserving of thisstate
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s supreme military award; now, therefore, be itRESOLVED, That the 84th Legislature of the State of Texashereby direct the governor of the State of Texas to posthumouslyaward the Texas Legislative Medal of Honor to Christopher ScottKyle in recognition of his valiant service during Operation IraqiFreedom.Wray GerenFlynn BlancoMiller of Fort Bend CrownoverKacal MinjarezPaul PriceShaheen SpitzerThompson of Brazoria White of TylerZerwas
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