Greg Abbott to Declare February 2 Chris Kyle Day
Texas Governor Greg Abbot will deliver a proclamation at noon Monday in Austin. Drivers in Texas are being asked to turn their headlights on in honor of Kyle, who was killed at a gun range near Chalk Mountain, TX on February 2, 2013 by Marine Corps veteran Eddie Ray Routh. Kyle and a friend, Chad Littlefield, had reportedly taken Routh to the firing range to help him cope with post-traumatic stress disorder. Routh’s trial begins later this month in Stephenville.
Kyle was recently the subject of the film ‘American Sniper’, and a petition to award him a Medal of Honor had over 6,000 signatures as of Monday morning.
During his career as a United States Navy SEAL sniper, Kyle had 160 confirmed kills. He served for tours in the Iraq War and received multiple medals and honors. Iraqi insurgents nicknamed him the “Devil of Ramadi” and placed several bounties on his head.