AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - Chris Kyle, the retired Navy SEAL depicted in the blockbuster movie "American Sniper," has received a state day in his honor two years after his death.
Gov. Greg Abbott signed a proclamation declaring Monday as "Chris Kyle Day" in Texas, where Kyle was raised and lived after serving in Iraq. Flags statewide were to fly at half-staff.
Abbott called Kyle "the face of a legion of warriors who have led the mightiest military in the history of the world."
Kyle is reputed to be the deadliest sniper in American history. Bradley Cooper plays him in the movie based on his autobiography.
Kyle and another man were fatally shot in February 2013 at a North Texas gun range. The man charged in their deaths goes on trial this month.
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