Mourning an American hero

Thousands attended the memorial for ex-Navy SEAL Chris Kyle at Cowboys Stadium on Monday. Hundreds of people then lined the highways and overpasses along the 200-mile procession from Midlothian to Austin for Kyle’s funeral and burial at the Texas State Cemetery on Tuesday. Kyle served four tours in Iraq as a sniper. He was known as the most lethal sniper in United States military history with an estimated 160 kills.

Family, friends, strangers and even high-profile names attended Kyle’s memorial service. Randy Travis and other country stars performed in honor of Kyle, and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and former Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman also attended. Sarah Palin also wrote on her Facebook that she was attending. People drove several hours just to honor the man who had earned such respect from the American people.

But did anyone notice the flags at half-staff on Monday or Tuesday? That’s because they weren’t. They should have been though. America mourned the loss of a great man and a true hero but did not decide to do it in that fashion. Flying a flag at half-staff or half-mast is a sign for grief and mourning. It is flown following the death of certain government officials, in times of national distress, on various holidays and at any other time it is instructed by the president or government. But they couldn’t do this in honor of an American hero? State governors can make the call on a situational basis if the president does not. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie chose to fly the flag at half-staff last year for the funeral of Whitney Houston. Rick Perry, the governor of Texas, did not decide to fly the flag at half-staff for Kyle. There is something wrong with this picture.

Kyle was an American hero. Many lives would be lost if it weren’t for Kyle and his service overseas. Kyle wrote the book “American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History.”  In it, and several interviews, Kyle explains the types of situations he faced and how he acted in order to save others. He may have killed 160 individuals, but he saved countless lives. Americans need heroes. We need people to look up to and to strive to be like. We need people who actively live out what they believe and who dedicate their lives to good.

Anyone who knew Kyle would say that he was a selfless guy and a great family man who cared deeply for others. His death was a tragedy. That is what you will see if you look up interviews about him. After leaving the Navy in 2009, he set up a security training company called Craft International. He also founded the nonprofit organization FITCO Cares that helps emotionally and physically wounded veterans. Kyle felt passionate about helping those who were suffering after coming home from war, yet this cause  ultimately led to his death. He and a friend, Chad Littlefield, had taken a veteran to a North Texas gun range to help him when the man turned on them and killed them both.

A man like this deserves recognition. He deserves to be remembered. A woman who did not even know Kyle sums up the idea perfectly. According to an article by Time U.S., Steven O’Bryan and his wife, Carol, drove more than two hours from their home in Marshall in East Texas because, as Carol O’Bryan said, “He’s just an American hero.”

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