Texas Medal of Valor

Eligibility
The Lone Star Medal of Valor is the second 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 also be awarded to federal military personnel, or state military personnel of other states. It is sometimes referred to as the "Texas Medal of Valor". Only the Texas Legislative Medal of Honor is of higher rank.

This medal is awarded for conspicuous valor and gallantry involving the possible loss of life by the recipient.

Texas code
The medal comes under the following Texas code:

Government Code, Title 4, Subtitle C., Chapter 431, Subchapter J. Awards, Section 431.132. Lone Star Medal of Valor. ''The Lone Star Medal of Valor shall be awarded to a member of the military forces of this state, another state, or the United States who performs specific acts of bravery or outstanding courage, or who performs within an exceptionally short period a closely related series of heroic acts, if the acts involve personal hazard or danger and the voluntary risk of life and result in an accomplishment so exceptional and outstanding as to clearly set the person apart from the person's comrades or from other persons in similar cicumstances. Awarding of the medal requires a lesser degree of gallantry than awarding of the Texas Legislature Medal of Honor, but requires that the acts be performed with marked distinction.''

Recipients
Recent recipients of the Lone Star Medal of Valor include:


 * 18 Choctaw Code Talkers (posthumously)
 * SGT Tomas Garces (posthumous)
 * LTC Joseph Crews
 * 1LT Melissa Macintyre
 * CW5 David Torres, SFC Juan Rendon
 * SSG Michael Faulk
 * SSG Michael McNutt
 * SGM Larry Rayburn
 * CW2 Howard Cook III (posthumous).

This medal ranks second only to the Legislative Medal of Honor, the state's highest military decoration.