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Texas governor declares Feb. 2 ‘Chris Kyle Day’ Texas Gov. Greg Abbott declares ‘Chris Kyle Day’ as ‘American Sniper’ continues to surge
(2 days later)
As the rest of the nation wrangles over the complicated legacy of Chris Kyle, the Navy Seal’s home state is leaving little doubt about where it stands. As Americans elsewhere wrangle over Chris Kyle’s complicated legacy and his portrayal in “American Sniper,” the Navy SEAL sharpshooter’s home state is leaving little doubt about where it stands.
On Friday, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) said he would declare Feb. 2 “Chris Kyle Day” in the state as a way of honoring the legacy of the late sharpshooter, whose autobiography of the same name is the basis of they box office smash “American Sniper.” On Monday, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) proclaimed Feb. 2 “Chris Kyle Day,” a declaration made to honor the late marksman, whose autobiography, “American Sniper,” is the basis of the box office smash by the same name.
“In honor of a Texas son, a Navy SEAL and an American hero – a man who defended his brothers and sisters in arms on and off the battlefield – I am declaring February 2nd Chris Kyle Day in Texas,” Abbott said during the speech at the Texans Veterans of Foreign Affairs Mid-Winter Convention in Austin, according to Reuters. “We will commemorate his passing, but more importantly, remembering his answering of the call of duty.”
I have declared Feb. 2 to be Chris Kyle Day in Texas. We honor our military heroes. @ChrisKyleFrog #txlege #tcot pic.twitter.com/rhLhIlevNM — Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) January 30, 2015I have declared Feb. 2 to be Chris Kyle Day in Texas. We honor our military heroes. @ChrisKyleFrog #txlege #tcot pic.twitter.com/rhLhIlevNM — Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) January 30, 2015
I have declared Feb. 2 to be Chris Kyle Day in Texas. We honor our military heroes. @ChrisKyleFrog #txlege #tcot pic.twitter.com/rhLhIlevNMI have declared Feb. 2 to be Chris Kyle Day in Texas. We honor our military heroes. @ChrisKyleFrog #txlege #tcot pic.twitter.com/rhLhIlevNM
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) January 30, 2015— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) January 30, 2015
@GregAbbott_TX @ChrisKyleFrog YES YES YES YES YES YES!!!!!!! — But…Conservatives! (@Gooms) January 30, 2015 “We can never repay the debt we owe for the lives he saved and the freedom he preserved — but we can honor his memory, his patriotism, his sacrifice and his inspiration,” Abbott said at the statehouse in Austin.
@GregAbbott_TX @ChrisKyleFrog YES YES YES YES YES YES!!!!!!! At Texas Capitol, @GregAbbott_TX announcing Chris Kyle Day #txlege pic.twitter.com/k83J7gclnk — Mark Wiggins (@MarkW_KVUE) February 2, 2015
— But…Conservatives! (@Gooms) January 30, 2015 At Texas Capitol, @GregAbbott_TX announcing Chris Kyle Day #txlege pic.twitter.com/k83J7gclnk
@GregAbbott_TX @RightCandidates @ChrisKyleFrog lied about shooting Katrina looters, and about beating up jessie ventura — Psychedelic Socrates (@erstlecocq) January 30, 2015 — Mark Wiggins (@MarkW_KVUE) February 2, 2015
@GregAbbott_TX @RightCandidates @ChrisKyleFrog lied about shooting Katrina looters, and about beating up jessie ventura Abbott encouraged “all Texans to pay tribute to the legacy of Chief Petty Officer Kyle, a great Texan and a true American hero.”
— Psychedelic Socrates (@erstlecocq) January 30, 2015 Kyle was killed on Feb. 2, 2013, at a Texas shooting range.
Kyle’s passing occurred Feb. 2, 2013, at a Texas  gun range, where he and a friend where shot and killed while trying to help a fellow veteran struggling with PTSD. A trial for Eddie Ray Rough, the gunman accused of murdering Kyle and his friend Chad Littlefield, is scheduled to begin Feb. 9, according to the Dallas Morning News. He and a friend, Chad Littlefield, were fatally shot while trying to help a fellow veteran who was struggling with post traumatic stress disorder. A trial for Eddie Ray Routh, who is accused of killing Kyle and Littlefield, is scheduled to begin on Feb. 9.
Routh had been staying at the VA medical center and Green Oaks Hospital in Dallas in the days before the shooting, according to the Morning News. [Trial of Eddie Routh, alleged killer of Chris Kyle, will be darkest chapter of ‘American Sniper’]
RELATED: Trial of Eddie Routh, killer of Chris Kyle, will be darkest chapter of ‘American Sniper’ J. Warren St. John, Routh’s attorney, will reportedly pursue an insanity defense. But he already has questioned whether he can get a fair trial while a blockbuster film about Kyle plays in theaters nationwide.
His lawyer, J. Warren St. John, will reportedly pursue and insanity defense. But St. John has already questioned whether he can get a “fair trial” while a blockbuster film about one of the men his client killed plays in theaters nationwide. The Clint Eastwood-directed film starring Bradley Cooper is the nation’s top earner, having made nearly $250 million since its release, according to Variety. The film — nominated for six Academy Awards, including best picture — fell just short of setting a box-office record over Super Bowl weekend. But, box office analyst Paul Dergarabedian told USA Today: “This is still the movie that everyone is talking about. It has really struck a national chord in a profound way.”
The Clint Eastwood-directed film starring Bradley Cooper — nominated for six Academy Awards, including best picture — is the nation’s top earner, having made $217 million in three weeks of release, according to the Wrap. Those numbers place it ahead of Steven Spielberg’s “Saving Private Ryan” as the “top domestic grossing war movie of all time,” the Wrap reported. “He would just be in awe of it, really,” Kyle’s widow, Taya, told People about the success of the film.
People asked Kyle’s widow, Taya Kyle, what her husband would have thought of the film’s success? Here’s her response: “At the same time, I can also see him being almost uncomfortable in some ways with the attention,” she added. “He got used to it in some ways with the book but not entirely – not ever.”
“He would just be in awe of it, really,” Taya says of her husband. “Part of the beauty of it is that he was just so humble. It makes me really emotional when I think about how he would react.   “At the same time, I can also see him being almost uncomfortable in some ways with the attention,” she says. “He got used to it in some ways with the book but not entirely – not ever.” Taya recalls that at book signings for his autobiography, when people admitted they were nervous meeting him, “He would tell them, ‘My knees are shaking now,’ almost apologetically.”  [Everything you need to know about the ‘American Sniper’ culture wars controversy]
“He would just be in awe of it, really,” Taya says of her husband. “Part of the beauty of it is that he was just so humble. It makes me really emotional when I think about how he would react.   “At the same time, I can also see him being almost uncomfortable in some ways with the attention,” she says. “He got used to it in some ways with the book but not entirely – not ever.” Taya recalls that at book signings for his autobiography, when people admitted they were nervous meeting him, “He would tell them, ‘My knees are shaking now,’ almost apologetically.”  Here is the Chris Kyle Day proclamation #txlege pic.twitter.com/ywzcIVTyX7 — Matthew Waller (@waller_matthew) February 2, 2015
Abbott didn’t not release any specific details about how the state will honor Kyle, according to the Morning News. Here is the Chris Kyle Day proclamation #txlege pic.twitter.com/ywzcIVTyX7
“We thank Chris Kyle and all of you for your service and sacrifice,” the governor said, according to the Dallas newspaper. “And we rededicate ourselves to a cause greater than ourselves — to freedom for our children, their children and for generations yet to be born. May God bless you and all who wear the uniform of the United States of America.” — Matthew Waller (@waller_matthew) February 2, 2015
RELATED: Everything you need to know about the ‘American Sniper’ culture wars controversy Here is the full text of Abbott’s proclamation:
Since the birth of our nation, in times of war and in times of peace, brave men and women have stepped forward, placing service above self to fight for a higher cause.  As the best and brightest our state and nation has to offer, these courageous patriots deserve the utmost honor and respect. One of those patriots is a Texas legend.  Chief Petty Officer Chris Kyle of Midlothian, Texas, is widely known as the United States military’s most prolific sniper, but his legacy is so much more than marksmanship.  As a dedicated Navy SEAL, Kyle was called on every day to make life-and-death decisions on too many battlefields to count, sacrificing comfort and safety to fight for our country and save lives at home and abroad.  From his Texas roots to the front lines on which he served, his loyalty to our flag and commitment to liberty and justice for all stands as a shining beacon to this generation and the next — a beacon reminding us of the uncommon courage that our fearless warriors display daily. Kyle survived the battlefields of Iraq, but he was tragically killed on Texas soil on February 2, 2013.  We can never repay the debt we owe for the lives he saved and the freedom he preserved — but we can honor his memory, his patriotism, his sacrifice and his inspiration. By proclaiming today, February 2, 2015, as Chris Kyle Day, I recognize — as Chief Petty Officer Kyle would insist — that he is the face of a larger force for freedom that has made this country the bravest, strongest and freest in the history of the world.  Kyle is one of the legions of valiant warriors who made the ultimate commitment to our country: they put their lives on the line for a cause greater than themselves.  They faced risks few Americans can comprehend, but all Americans should honor.  So many Texans like Kyle have served with unmatched honor, bravery and heroism, and a grateful country is better because of them. Chief Petty Officer Kyle would be the first to remember and recognize his friend, his ballast and fellow Texan, Chad Littlefield, who lost his life at the same time and place.  Kyle was a man of deep faith who trusted that God would provide for him and his family.  As his wife, Taya, said, Kyle taught her how to turn a life full of fear into a life full of faith.  Texas thanks God for Kyle and his family. Kyle will forever be enshrined in our memory as an example all who have served and continue to serve to protect our families and our freedoms.  I encourage all Texans to pay tribute to the legacy of Chief Petty Officer Kyle, a great Texan and a true American hero.  Today, we commemorate his passing, and we honor his service and the service of his comrades in arms who have joined him to defend our great nation. Therefore, I, Greg Abbott, Governor of Texas, do hereby proclaim February 2, 2015, to be Chris Kyle Day.
Since the birth of our nation, in times of war and in times of peace, brave men and women have stepped forward, placing service above self to fight for a higher cause.  As the best and brightest our state and nation has to offer, these courageous patriots deserve the utmost honor and respect.
One of those patriots is a Texas legend.  Chief Petty Officer Chris Kyle of Midlothian, Texas, is widely known as the United States military’s most prolific sniper, but his legacy is so much more than marksmanship.  As a dedicated Navy SEAL, Kyle was called on every day to make life-and-death decisions on too many battlefields to count, sacrificing comfort and safety to fight for our country and save lives at home and abroad.  From his Texas roots to the front lines on which he served, his loyalty to our flag and commitment to liberty and justice for all stands as a shining beacon to this generation and the next — a beacon reminding us of the uncommon courage that our fearless warriors display daily.
Kyle survived the battlefields of Iraq, but he was tragically killed on Texas soil on February 2, 2013.  We can never repay the debt we owe for the lives he saved and the freedom he preserved — but we can honor his memory, his patriotism, his sacrifice and his inspiration.
By proclaiming today, February 2, 2015, as Chris Kyle Day, I recognize — as Chief Petty Officer Kyle would insist — that he is the face of a larger force for freedom that has made this country the bravest, strongest and freest in the history of the world.  Kyle is one of the legions of valiant warriors who made the ultimate commitment to our country: they put their lives on the line for a cause greater than themselves.  They faced risks few Americans can comprehend, but all Americans should honor.  So many Texans like Kyle have served with unmatched honor, bravery and heroism, and a grateful country is better because of them.
Chief Petty Officer Kyle would be the first to remember and recognize his friend, his ballast and fellow Texan, Chad Littlefield, who lost his life at the same time and place.  Kyle was a man of deep faith who trusted that God would provide for him and his family.  As his wife, Taya, said, Kyle taught her how to turn a life full of fear into a life full of faith.  Texas thanks God for Kyle and his family.
Kyle will forever be enshrined in our memory as an example all who have served and continue to serve to protect our families and our freedoms.  I encourage all Texans to pay tribute to the legacy of Chief Petty Officer Kyle, a great Texan and a true American hero.  Today, we commemorate his passing, and we honor his service and the service of his comrades in arms who have joined him to defend our great nation.
Therefore, I, Greg Abbott, Governor of Texas, do hereby proclaim February 2, 2015, to be Chris Kyle Day.
RELATED: The ‘unverifiable’ legacy of Chris Kyle, the deadliest sniper in American historyRELATED: The ‘unverifiable’ legacy of Chris Kyle, the deadliest sniper in American history
[This post has been updated.]