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Magic from A to Z Elite user Sweet Home Alabama 482 Posts |
This was shared with me by a friend and thought I'd pass this along. Since the movie is being talked about by the Hollywood crowd, I’m passing on some details I did not know about regarding Chris Kyle’s funeral in Texas.
TEXAS GOODBYE This is why America will remain strong. We take care of our own as well as others who may not deserve taking care of. I just wanted to share with you all that out of a horrible tragedy we were blessed by so many people. Chris Kyle was Derek's teammate through 10 years of training and battle. They both suffer/suffered from PTSD to some extent and took great care of each other because of it. 2006 in Ramadi was horrible for young men that never had any more aggressive physical contact with another human than on a Texas football field. They lost many friends. Chris became the armed services number #1 sniper of all time. Not something he was happy about, other than the fact that in so doing, he saved a lot of American lives. Three years ago, his wife Taya asked him to leave the SEAL teams as he had a huge bounty on his head by Al Qaeda. He did and wrote the book "The American Sniper." 100% of the proceeds from the book went to two of the SEAL families who had lost their sons in Iraq . That was the kind of guy Chris was. He formed a company in Dallas to train military, police and I think firemen as far as protecting themselves in difficult situations. He also formed a foundation to work with military people suffering from PTSD. Chris was a giver not a taker. He, along with a friend and neighbor, Chad Littlefield, were murdered trying to help a young man that had served six months in Iraq and claimed to have PTSD. Now I need to tell you about all of the blessings. · Southwest Airlines flew in any SEAL and their family from any airport they flew into...free of charge. · The employees donated buddy passes and one lady worked for four days without much of a break to see that it happened. · Volunteers were at both airports in Dallas to drive them to the hotel. · The Marriott Hotel reduced their rates to $45 a night and cleared the hotel for only SEALs and family. · The Midlothian, TX Police Department paid the $45 a night for each room. I would guess there were about 200 people staying at the hotel, 100 of them were SEALs. Two large buses were chartered (an unknown donor paid the bill) to transport people to the different events and they also had a few rental cars (donated). The police and secret service were on duty 24 hours during the stay at our hotel. · At the Kyle house, the Texas DPS parked a large motor home in front to block the view from reporters. It remained there the entire five days for the SEALs to congregate in and all to use the restroom so as not to have to go in the house. Taya, their two small children and both sets of parents were staying in the home. · Only a hand full of SEALs went into the home as they had different duties and meetings were held sometimes on an hourly basis. It was a huge coordination of many different events and security. Derek was assigned to be a Pall Bearer, to escort Chris' body when it was transferred from the Midlothian Funeral Home to the Arlington Funeral Home, and to be with Taya. A tough job. · Taya seldom came out of her bedroom. The house was full with people from the church and other family members that would come each day to help. I spent one morning in a bedroom with Chris’ mom and the next morning with Chad Littlefield's parents (the other man murdered with Chris). A tough job. · George W Bush and his wife Laura met and talked to everyone on the Seal Team one on one. They went behind closed doors with Taya for quite a while. They had prayer with us all. You can tell when people were sincere and caring. · Nolan Ryan sent his cooking team, a huge grill and lots of steaks, chicken and hamburgers. They set up in the front yard and fed people all day long including the 200 SEALs and their families. The next day a local BBQ restaurant set up a buffet in front of the house and fed all once again. Food was plentiful and all were taken care of. The family's church kept those inside the house well fed. · Jerry Jones, the man everyone loves to hate, was a rock star. He made sure that we all were taken care of. His wife and he were just making sure everyone was taken care of….Class... He donated the use of Cowboy Stadium for the services as it was determined that so many wanted to attend. · The charter buses transported us to the stadium on Monday at 10:30 am. Every car, bus, motorcycle was searched with bomb dogs and police. I am not sure if kooks were making threats trying to make a name for themselves or if so many SEALs in one place was a security risk, I don't know. We willingly obliged. No purses went into the stadium! We were taken to The Legends room high up and a large buffet was available. That was for about 300 people. We were growing. A Medal of Honor recipient was there, lots of secret service and police and Sarah Palin and her husband. She looked nice, this was a very formal military service. The service started at 1:00 pm and when we were escorted onto the field I was shocked. We heard that about 10,000 people had come to attend also. They were seated in the stadium seats behind us. It was a beautiful and emotional service. The Bagpipe and drum corps were wonderful and the Texas A&M men's choir stood through the entire service and sang right at the end. We were all in tears. The next day was the 200-mile procession from Midlothian, TX to Austin for burial. It was a cold, drizzly, windy day, but the people were out. We had dozens of police motorcycles riders, freedom riders, five chartered buses and lots of cars. You had to have a pass to be in the procession and still it was huge. Two helicopters circled the procession with snipers sitting out the side door for protection. It was the longest funeral procession ever in the state of Texas. People were everywhere. The entire route was shut down ahead of us, the people were lined up on the side of the road the entire way. Firemen were down on one knee, police officers were holding their hats over their hearts, children waving flags, veterans saluting as we went by. Every bridge had fire trucks with large flags displayed from their tall ladders, people all along the entire 200 miles were standing in the cold weather. It was so heartwarming. Taya rode in the hearse with Chris' body so Derek rode the route with us. I was so grateful to have that time with him. The service was at Texas National Cemetery. Very few are buried there and you have to apply to get in. It is like people from the Civil War, Medal of Honor winners, a few from the Alamo and all the historical people of Texas. It was a nice service and the Freedom Riders surrounded the outside of the entire cemetery to keep the crazy church people from Kansas that protest at military funerals away from us. Each SEAL put his Trident (metal SEAL badge) on the top of Chris' casket, one at a time. A lot hit it in with one blow. Derek was the only one to take four taps to put his in and it was almost like he was caressing it as he did it. Another tearful moment. After the service Governor Rick Perry and his wife, Anita, invited us to the governor's mansion. She stood at the door, greeted each of us individually, and gave each of the SEALs a coin of Texas. She was a sincere, compassionate, and gracious hostess. We were able to tour the ground floor and then went into the garden for beverages and BBQ. So many of the Seal team guys said that after they get out they are moving to Texas. They remarked that they had never felt so much love and hospitality. The charter buses then took the guys to the airport to catch their returning flights. Derek just now called and after a 20 hours flight he is back in his spot, in a dangerous land on the other side of the world, protecting America. |
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arthur stead Inner circle When I played soccer, I hit 1773 Posts |
Wonderful story ... thanks so much or sharing.
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acesover Special user I believe I have 821 Posts |
I must ask. Was this not a national news story? I ask because I was not aware of this. Did I miss the coverage or was it now newsworthy?
If I were to agree with you. Then we would both be wrong. As of Apr 5, 2015 10:26 pm I have 880 posts. Used to have over 1,000
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balducci Loyal user Canada 227 Posts |
Quote:
On Jan 19, 2015, Magic from A to Z wrote: That TEXAS GOODBYE has been well circulated for many months on many sites. (Just saying, for those who have not seen it before.) I'm just curious, did you intentionally omit the "Punchline" that often comes with it or was that part not forwarded to you?
Make America Great Again! - Trump in 2020 ... "We're a capitalistic society. I go into business, I don't make it, I go bankrupt. They're not going to bail me out. I've been on welfare and food stamps. Did anyone help me? No." - Craig T. Nelson, actor.
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balducci Loyal user Canada 227 Posts |
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On Jan 20, 2015, acesover wrote: I don't know if it was a "national" news story (though I imagine it was), but I can confirm that it certainly was an "international" news story. E.g. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-......xas.html
Make America Great Again! - Trump in 2020 ... "We're a capitalistic society. I go into business, I don't make it, I go bankrupt. They're not going to bail me out. I've been on welfare and food stamps. Did anyone help me? No." - Craig T. Nelson, actor.
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Magic from A to Z Elite user Sweet Home Alabama 482 Posts |
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I'm just curious, did you intentionally omit the "Punchline" that often comes with it or was that part not forwarded to you? What's the "Punchline"? |
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balducci Loyal user Canada 227 Posts |
Predictably enough, the punchline is pretty much what a certain forum member posted the other day.
But you can find the full text of the Texas Goodbye at these links (lots of others online if you search). The punchline is at the end: https://www.facebook.com/ray.eder.5/posts/10203233616463367 http://patriotsforamerica.ning.com/forum......er-god-b http://mwamericanpolitics.blogspot.ca/2015/01/sniper.html I question the full truthfulness of the essay due to the tone of the punchline, and that various sites claim different authors for the essay.
Make America Great Again! - Trump in 2020 ... "We're a capitalistic society. I go into business, I don't make it, I go bankrupt. They're not going to bail me out. I've been on welfare and food stamps. Did anyone help me? No." - Craig T. Nelson, actor.
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arthur stead Inner circle When I played soccer, I hit 1773 Posts |
Doing one's patriotic duty is neither a far-left nor a far-right issue. Anyone who makes sacrifices for their country (whether that is firing a weapon, fixing an engine, feeding starving refugees, or working a desk job) deserves our respect and should be honored.
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Mr. Mystoffelees Inner circle I haven't changed anyone's opinion in 3623 Posts |
I'm with balducci. The "punchline" just ruined it all for me...
Also known, when doing rope magic, as "Cordini"
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mastermindreader 1949 - 2017 Seattle, WA 12586 Posts |
Ditto
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stoneunhinged Inner circle 3067 Posts |
When you have to kill people, you have to kill people. When you don't, you don't.
If you do, and you can do it for your country, then you are a hero. If you do, and you can do it for another reason, you are not a hero. Right? Ban me from the Café, and ban me from America, but listen: |
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arthur stead Inner circle When I played soccer, I hit 1773 Posts |
OK, I have now seen the punchline (compliments of Balducci's links above).
Can anyone tell me why that punchline ruins the story? |
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balducci Loyal user Canada 227 Posts |
Quote:
On Jan 21, 2015, arthur stead wrote: Whether or not it ruins the story, I don't know. I don't think I said that, myself. But I think it changes the tone of the essay. Here are some random thoughts on this. Instead of an essay celebrating Kyle, it now comes across as an essay written using Kyle's funeral as a prop with which to attack the President. It takes a backhanded swipe at someone who took a courageous stand (the athlete who came out ... the NFL player, I think). You may not approve, but what the athlete did was still brave at the time, and meaningful for many people. Factually, coming out as the first openly gay NFL athlete may be more impressive and deserving of a call than someone getting shot (at least in a non-war, non-terrorist, shooting situation with no controversy associated with it). Kyle said himself that he was no fan of politics. So would he have approved of someone using his name to make a political attack? Maybe not. Kyle (and subsequently his estate) were involved in a defamation suit at the time. So it may not have been appropriate for the President to comment or speak as to Kyle's character at the time. Kyle had a lot of issues. Among other things, he proudly claimed to have shot and killed civilians in the U.S. (during Katrina, and in Texas) basically because he could do so and get away with it. Should the President praise such a guy?
Make America Great Again! - Trump in 2020 ... "We're a capitalistic society. I go into business, I don't make it, I go bankrupt. They're not going to bail me out. I've been on welfare and food stamps. Did anyone help me? No." - Craig T. Nelson, actor.
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balducci Loyal user Canada 227 Posts |
BTW, my post above assumes the essay is accurate. For all I know, Obama did make a statement about Kyle that the essay fails to note.
Make America Great Again! - Trump in 2020 ... "We're a capitalistic society. I go into business, I don't make it, I go bankrupt. They're not going to bail me out. I've been on welfare and food stamps. Did anyone help me? No." - Craig T. Nelson, actor.
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mastermindreader 1949 - 2017 Seattle, WA 12586 Posts |
Exactly. It's much like acesover's comment earlier that the President didn't even mention Kyle in his State of the Union address. Disingenuously ignoring the fact that the State of the Union address was given one month BEFORE Kyle's untimely death in an accident.
The same people criticizing the president about this were also loudly, and falsely, proclaiming that he ordered flags to be flown at half staff in honor of Whitney Houston after her passing, something he didn't do to honor Kyle. Of course, he did no such thing. The only place that flags were flown at half staff for Houston was in New Jersey, where it was done by order of Republican governor Chris Christie. |
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arthur stead Inner circle When I played soccer, I hit 1773 Posts |
Interesting. There's an article on the BBC online that I think pretty much sums up how one half of American audiences (the right) embraces Kyle as a hero, while the other half (the left) perceives him as a liar and a coward. Worth reading:
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-30923038 Some personal observations: 1. If the football player had come out in the 50's or even 60's, I would consider that pretty brave. But this is the age of same-sex marriage ... coming out is no longer a big deal. Certainly not worthy of a presidential mention. 2. Whoever added the "punchline" to the essay clearly had political motivation ... but for any patriotic American (regardless of which side they lean to), that shouldn't distract from the meaning of the original story. And besides, the OP did not include that punchline in his post. Someone else brought that up. 2. "Should President Obama praise a guy who claims to have shot Americans?" No, he'd probably rather be playing golf! (It's a JOKE, people!) |
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mastermindreader 1949 - 2017 Seattle, WA 12586 Posts |
I think the BBC's conclusions are off. I believe Kyle was a great soldier, although I do have strong reservations about the looters he claimed to have shot to death during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina as well as other stories that he claimed to be true but were never verified.
I believe, though, that there ARE those who are trying to make it a left/right issue and seek to exploit it for political ends. From what I understand, Kyle himself was largely uninterested in politics. Quote:
...That sense of superhuman toughness perhaps led him to tell stories reporters couldn’t confirm. One involved a cold January morning at a gas station southwest of Dallas. Two armed men, he said, approached him and told him to hand over the keys to his black F350. “I told them I would get them the keys,” he told Mooney. “I told them they were in the truck and to just let me reach in.” Kyle then claimed he reached into the car, pulled out a gun and, shooting under his armpit, killed both men. “It’s true,” he said. http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morni......history/ |
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rockwall Special user 762 Posts |
The BBC's conclusions seem to be pretty spot on. The left certainly doesn't seem to care much for the movie or Chris Kyle.
http://www.salon.com/2015/01/26/american......cialflow "We’ve learned that, despite the fact that the film depicts Kyle as a hero and a martyr, the real American sniper was heartless and cruel. Rather than struggle with moral dilemmas as we see in the film, the actual man had no such hesitation and no such conscience." http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/new......20150121 "But to turn the Iraq war into a saccharine, almost PG-rated two-hour cinematic diversion about a killing machine with a heart of gold (is there any film theme more perfectly 2015-America than that?) who slowly, very slowly, starts to feel bad after shooting enough women and children – Gump notwithstanding, that was a hard one to see coming." http://www.vox.com/2015/1/21/7641189/american-sniper-history "Kyle repeatedly refers to Iraqis as "savages," and the film makes no effort to prove him wrong. Two out of three Iraqi children the film focuses on pick up weapons (though one puts it down before firing), and the third tortured by another Iraqi. When another soldier questions whether Kyle may have shot an innocent man, Kyle simply shouts him down. The issue never comes up again." http://www.commondreams.org/views/2015/0......n-sniper "Killing Ragheads for Jesus: On Watching 'American Sniper'" |
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landmark Inner circle within a triangle 5194 Posts |
Quote:
From what I understand, Kyle himself was largely uninterested in politics. Seems to me, if you're going to kill people you should at least do some due diligence and find out why you're killing them.
Click here to get Gerald Deutsch's Perverse Magic: The First Sixteen Years
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arthur stead Inner circle When I played soccer, I hit 1773 Posts |
When you're a soldier, you do what you're ordered to do. Hopefully your superiors will have figured out something you're good at, and assign you to that job. But in my experience, they often don't take the time and might assign you to something in which you have no interest. Regardless, in your capacity as a soldier, you have no right to question their orders.
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