Texas Highway Could Be Named After Chris Kyle

There's already a memorial in this Texas town dedicated to the man that the movie, 'American Sniper', was based on.  And now Texas lawmakers are considering a bill that would name part of a highway after Chris Kyle.

He's considered the deadliest sniper in American history, with 160 confirmed enemy kills as a Navy Seal.  A fellow veteran, Eddie Ray Routh, was convicted of killing Chris Kyle and Chad Littlefield at a shooting range in 2013, and Routh is currently serving a life prison sentence.

A privately funded memorial in Odessa was unveiled last year, with a bronze statue, plaques, and several trees that were moved from President George Bush's ranch near Crawford as symbols of patriotism.  Chris Kyle Memorial Plaza is made of granite and limestone, and it's strong.  And it draws visitors regularly.

The Texas House passed a bill unanimously (140 to 0), that would name Highway 191 after him.  Chris Kyle Memorial Highway would pass through Ector County, near Odessa, where Chris was born in 1974.

The bill now goes to the Senate, and if it's approved there it would head to the governor's desk to sign into law.

The movie, American Sniper, came out in 2014 and starred Bradley Cooper.  I remember how packed the theaters were when it first came out, and it felt like we were seeing it because the movie got good reviews, but also because we wanted to be supporters of Chris' legacy and his family, and honor his memory.  It showed Chris' journey as a Navy Seal from a personal perspective, which meant including his actual death, which wasn't the best idea.

TIME Magazine points out the fact that the movie shows everything leading up to Chris's death but doesn't include any scenes that show how he was killed, after his wife Taya pointed out the movie would have a huge impact on the way his kids remembered him.  So to end the movie, the director decided to show Chris walking off to go to the Rough Creek Lodge with Eddie Ray Routh while Taya watches anxiously at the front door.