This week, Veteran Energy takes a quick look at five famous Texas veterans:
Audie Murphy.
Born on a Texas sharecropper farm in Hunt County in 1925, Audie Murphy went on to become one of the most decorated American combat soldiers of World War II. The young U.S. Army soldier received 23 military decorations. After the war, he became a well-known actor who appeared in more than 40 movies. He died in a plane crash in 1971.
Edgar Mitchell.
Edgar Dean Mitchell was born into a ranching family in Hereford in 1930. After college, he joined the Navy where he flew jets and worked as a test pilot. In 1966, he was selected into NASA’s astronaut program, and by 1971 he was piloting Apollo 14’s lunar module. Mitchell was the sixth man to walk on the moon. He retired from NASA and the Navy in 1972.
In later years, Mitchell became known for his controversial views on UFOs. He died in 2016 at 85.
Oliver North.
Born in San Antonio in 1943, Oliver North is perhaps best known for his part in the Iran-Contra affair of the late 1980s that involved illegal sales of weapons in exchange of hostages.
North, who served in the U.S. Marine Corps for 22 years, has more than a dozen medals. In retirement, he went on the write several best-selling books, work as a political commentator and host a TV show.
Chris Kyle.
U.S. Navy SEAL Chris Kyle was born in 1974 in Odessa. He served four tours in the Iraq War and later became famous after the release of his autobiography, “American Sniper.” His story was made into a movie in 2014, a year after he was killed by an acquaintance suffering from PTSD. February 2 has officially been declared Chris Kyle Day in Texas. The veteran had received more than a dozen medals, including a Silver Star.
Marcus Luttrell.
A Houston native born in 1975, former U.S. Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell came into the spotlight after the release of the 2007 book “Lone Survivor.” The book, which Luttrell co-authored, details a Taliban ambush where Luttrell was the only one to make it out alive. He was awarded a Navy Cross for his actions. A major motion picture by the same name was released in 2013.
In 2010, Luttrell started the Lone Survivor Foundation, which takes a holistic approach to helping wounded veterans recover.
BONUS: Glenn McDuffie.
Long-time Texas resident Glenn McDuffie gained fame at age 80 when a forensic expert claimed McDuffie’s facial structure matched that of the notorious “kissing sailor” featured in an iconic World War II Life magazine photo. In the picture, a U.S. Navy sailor is kissing a nurse in Times Square, and a good deal of his face is obscured. Several men had come forward over the years claiming to be the sailor from the photo. McDuffie died in 2014 at age 86 in Dallas.
