Texas Legislative Medal of Honor
| Texas Legislative Medal of Honor | |
|---|---|
 Ribbon of the 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 | 2009 |
| Total awarded | 7 |
| Posthumous awards |
6 |
| Distinct recipients |
7 |
| Precedence | |
| Next (lower) | Texas Medal of Valor |
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 Air National Guard, Army National Guard, and 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.
Contents |
[edit] Details
[edit] 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.[citation needed]
This medal takes precedence over the "Texas Medal of Valor", the state's second highest military decoration.[1]
[edit] Institution
The following is an excerpt from Texas Code, Subtitle C, Chapter 431, Sub Chapter J:
The Texas Legislative Medal of Honor shall be awarded to a member of the state or federal military forces 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.[2]
[edit] Recipients
The Texas Legislative Medal of Honor has only been awarded seven times.
- Army Technical Sergeant James M. Logan, 36th Infantry Division, was awarded the first Texas Legislative Medal of Honor on Memorial Day 1997 at the Texas Capitol in Austin.
- Army First Lieutenant Jack L. Knight, 124th Cavalry Regiment/Mars Task Force, received the 1999 award posthumously.
- Army Master Sergeant Roy P. Benavidez, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne) was presented the medal posthumously in a joint session of the Texas Legislature in May 2001.
- Army Colonel M B Etheredge, 3rd Infantry Division, received the 2003 award.
- Army Captain Robert Thomas Edlin, 2nd Ranger Battalion, received the award posthumously in 2005.
- Marine Sergeant Alfredo Cantu "Freddy" Gonzalez, 1st Marine Division, received the award posthumously in 2007.[3][4]
- Army Private Pedro Cano, 4th Infantry Division, received the award posthumously in 2009.
Logan, Benavidez, Knight, and Gonzalez were also prior recipients of the United States Medal of Honor. Edlin and Cano were recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross and Etheredge was a multiple recipient of the Silver Star Medal.
On 18 June 2011, it was announced that Marine Corporal Roy Cisneros, of San Antonio, will be posthumously awarded the Texas Legislative Medal of Honor, 40 years after his death in Vietnam.[5]
