Local response to Chris Kyle Day in Texas
Texans will get to honor and remember American sniper Chris Kyle for years to come.
Gov. Greg Abbott proclaimed Feb. 2 as Chris Kyle Day. The announcement came on the second anniversary of Kyle’s death and the week before his accused killer’s trial begins. Kyle is the American war hero featured in the blockbuster hit “American Sniper” in theaters now. The film continues to break box-office records. The former Navy SEAL is the central character in the movie.
“Chris Kyle is a hero,” Dean Kinder said. “If you strap on a gun and a badge and you go to work then you put your life at risk for somebody else.” Kinder is a retired El Paso police officer who spent years in the special weapons and tactics team, known as SWAT. He now sells ballistic vests to military and law enforcement agencies with the company Sarkar Tactical.
“What law enforcement and what the military does is a necessary evil. People want it to be done but they don’t think about how it’s done. Then they see how it’s done and they’re taken aback by that,” Kinder said.
As a husband and father, Kyle’s story has sparked conversation about Operation Iraqi Freedom and the effects of war.
Not all ABC-7 viewers agree with Abbott’s decision to give Kyle his own day.
“What about all the other soldiers?” Diana asked on the station Facebook page. “Chris Kyle just happens to be more well known especially since he is from Texas.”
Kyle was killed at a Texas gun range in 2013, allegedly by a wounded former Marine he was trying to help, Eddie Ray Routh. Routh has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity.
