Chris Kyle statue to be placed at civic center
- Charity Fitch
- Aug 29, 2023
- 2 min read
During its June 13 meeting, the Waxahachie Community Development Corporation unanimously approved placing a statue of Chris Kyle in the Waxahachie Civic Center, located at 2000 Civic Center Lane, to honor Kyle’s service and honor veterans in Ellis County.
Kyle, from Midlothian, served as a Navy Seal sniper, including four tours in Iraq, and is considered the deadliest sniper in U.S. military history. He was awarded the Silver Star and three Bronze Star Medals for valor. Following his retirement from the military, Kyle wrote “American Sniper,” a book about his life. In 2013, Kyle and friend Chad Littlefield lost their lives helping a fellow veteran.
Patrick Souter shared the background of the Chris Kyle statue with the corporation, explaining how the Seminole Nation created the statue because of their respect for warriors. The statue was later transferred to the Cherokee Nation, which has been working with the Hero Service Coalition to find a permanent home for it.
“It needs to be something that honors the statue, honors Chris, but also honors our veterans,” said Robert Bell of Hero Service Coalition, which conducts the annual Ellis County Veterans Recognition Ceremony each November. “So, as we started talking about a couple options, we felt they weren’t as beneficial as far as getting the amount of people to see it. The Waxahachie Civic Center is right in front of our face. (We thought) that might be the best option.”
Because of the way the statue is coated, it cannot be outside and cannot be in direct sunlight, Bell explained, so it could not be located in the outdoor veterans memorial at the civic center. Instead, it will be placed within a foyer near the memorial, enclosed in a plexiglass case. The plexi glass will allow the statue to be accessible for cleaning while also protecting it, Bell said.
The statue is about 6.5 feet tall and includes “amazing detail,” Souter said.
Board member Jim Phillips asked Bell if there would be a plaque sharing Kyle’s story.
“I know here locally we all know Chris Kyle, but the civic center gets people from all over the county,” Phillips said. “I think it’s a great story that needs to be told.”
Bell said they will have a plaque, which includes specific wording from their contract with the Cherokee Nation, but they want to also have an additional plaque sharing more of Kyle’s story.
“That way it wouldn’t be just a piece that you could see, but you could actually learn something from it,” Bell said.
“We feel that this would be really a significant benefit to supporting our veterans and furthering our efforts to acknowledge what they’ve done,” Souter said.
Bell said the city is not responsible for any of the funds and would be held harmless if anything happened to the statue.
“We have the sole backing of Chris’ mom and dad, Wayne and Deby Kyle,” Bell said.
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