Texas Legislative Medal of Honor

Texas Legislative Medal of Honor
Awarded by Texas
Type Military decoration
Eligibility Awarded to members of the Texas Military Forces
Awarded for Gallantry
Status Currently awarded
Description The neck ribbon is green with white stars, and the medal features an image of the reverse of the Seal of Texas, including Vince's Bridge, cannon of the Battle of Gonzales, Alamo Mission in San Antonio and the six historical flags of Texas.
Statistics
First awarded 1997
Last awarded 2015
Total awarded 12
Posthumous
awards		 11
Distinct
recipients		 12
Precedence
Next (higher) None (highest)
Next (lower) Lone Star Medal of Valor

Texas Legislative Medal of Honor service ribbon

The Texas Legislative Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration that may be awarded to a member of the Texas Military Forces. This includes Texas Air National Guard, Texas Army National Guard, and Texas State Guard. This medal may only be awarded to federal military personnel, or state military personnel who serve in the Armed Forces of the State of Texas.

Details

Description

The neck ribbon is green with white stars, and the medal features an image of the reverse of the Seal of Texas, including Vince's Bridge, cannon of the Battle of Gonzales, Alamo Mission in San Antonio and the six historical flags of Texas.

This medal takes precedence over the Lone Star Medal of Valor, the state's second highest military decoration.[1]

Institution

The Texas legislative Medal of Honor was created for those individuals who served in the Texas National Guard and who received the Medal of Honor.[2]

The following is an excerpt from the Texas Government Code, Title 4, Subtitle C, Chapter 431, Subchapter J. Awards, Sec. 431.131:

The Texas Legislative Medal of Honor shall be awarded to a member of the state or federal military forces (effective June 20, 2003) designated by concurrent resolution of the legislature who voluntarily performs a deed of personal bravery or self-sacrifice involving risk of life that is so conspicuous as to clearly distinguish the person for gallantry and intrepidity above the person's comrades. Awarding of the medal shall be considered on the standard of extraordinary merit. The medal may be awarded only on incontestable proof of performance of the deed.[3]

Initially, the law permitted one person to be selected from various nominees for the award by a 5-member nominating committee (effective June 20, 2003) every two years since 1997. The nominating committee consist of the Lieutenant Governor, the Speaker of the House, the Adjutant General of the Texas Military Forces and the heads of the defense and veterans affairs committee in both chambers of the legislature or their designated representative. The person selected must then be approved by the governor to receive the award:

(d) The legislature by concurrent resolution may direct the governor to award the Texas Legislative Medal of Honor to a person nominated by the nominating committee. The committee chairs serving on the nominating committee shall jointly prepare a concurrent resolution directing the governor to award the medal to a person nominated. The legislature may direct the medal to be awarded only during a regular session (effective June 20, 2003) and may not direct the medal to be awarded to more than one person during a regular session.

In 2013, HB 1589 was signed into law by Governor Perry amending the statute for the bestowal of two Texas Legislative Medals of Honor each legislative session, one for service pre-1956 and one for service post-1957.[4]

Recipients

The Texas Legislative Medal of Honor recipients:

  • 1997: United States Army Technical Sergeant James M. Logan, 36th Infantry Division, World War II, presented posthumously.
  • 1999: United States Army First Lieutenant Jack L. Knight, 124th Cavalry Regiment/Mars Task Force, KIA-World War II, presented posthumously.
  • 2001: United States Army Master Sergeant Roy P. Benavidez, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), Vietnam, presented posthumously.
  • 2003: United States Army Colonel M B Etheredge, 3rd Infantry Division, World War II.
  • 2005: United States Army Captain Robert Thomas Edlin, 2nd Ranger Battalion, World War II, presented posthumously.
  • 2007: United States Marine Corps: Sergeant Alfredo Cantu "Freddy" Gonzalez, 1st Marine Division, KIA-Vietnam, presented posthumously.[5][6]
  • 2009: United States Army Private Pedro Cano, 4th Infantry Division, World War II, presented posthumously.
  • 2011: United States Marine Corps Corporal Roy Cisneros (San Antonio), 3rd Marine Division, KIA-Vietnam, presented posthumously.[7]
  • 2013: United States Army 2nd Lt. Darryn Deen Andrews (Cameron), 501st Parachute Regiment, KIA-Afghanistan, presented posthumously.[8]
  • 2013: United States Army Major Audie Leon Murphy (Farmersville), 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division, World War II, awarded posthumously.[9][10][11][12]
  • 2015: United States Navy Chief Petty Officer Chris Kyle (Midlothian), Naval Special Warfare Group 1, SEAL Team 3, Iraq War, awarded posthumously.
  • 2015: United States Army Air Forces Lieutenant Colonel William Edwin Dyess (Albany), 21st Pursuit Squadron, World War II, awarded posthumously.

Logan, Benavidez, Knight (KIA), Gonzalez (KIA), and Murphy were also prior recipients of the Medal of Honor (any Texas MOH recipient eligible effective Sept. 9, 1999).
Edlin, Cano and Dyess were recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross.
Cisnernos (KIA) was recipient of the Navy Cross.
Etheredge was the recipient of 3 Silver Stars and Andrews (KIA) one Silver Star.

Recipients by war:

World War II - 7
Korean War - 0
Vietnam War - 3
Gulf War - 0
Iraq War - 1
Afghanistan War - 1

Notes

  1. ↑ "Ribbon regulations". Txusa.com. Retrieved 2013-08-21.
  2. ↑ Texas State Historical Association. The Handbook of Texas. Logan, James Marian (the first recipient for the medal in 1997). Retrieved July 28, 2013
  3. ↑ "GOVERNMENT CODE CHAPTER 431. STATE MILITIA". www.statutes.legis.state.tx.us.
  4. ↑ "Texas Legislature Online - 83(R) Actions for HB 1589". Capitol.state.tx.us. Retrieved 2013-08-21.
  5. ↑ The Monitor 2007-06-20.
  6. ↑ "Texas Legislature Online - 80(R) History for HCR 121". www.legis.state.tx.us.
  7. ↑ Archived September 27, 2011, at the Wayback Machine.
  8. ↑ "Legislature Awards Medal of Honor to Cameron Man". Kbtx.com. Archived from the original on 2014-12-26. Retrieved 2013-08-21.
  9. ↑ Root, Jay (20 June 2013). "Audie Murphy, a Texas Hero Still Missing One Medal" – via NYTimes.com.
  10. ↑ "Texas Legislature Online - 83(2) Actions for HCR 3". Capitol.state.tx.us. Retrieved 2013-08-21.
  11. ↑ Staff, CALEB SLINKARDHerald-Banner. "Audie Murphy finally gets medal".
  12. ↑ Audie Murphy American Legend (25 July 2013). "Texas Senate Votes to Award Audie Murphy Texas Leg. Medal of Honor" – via YouTube.
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