The Texas Medal of Valor is the second highest military decoration

Awards and decorations of the National Guard

Awards and decorations of the National Guard are presented to members of the United States National Guard and sometimes to members of the State Defense Forces in addition to regular United States military decorations...

 that may be awarded to a member of the Texas Military Forces

Texas Military Forces

The Texas Military Forces is the combined military strength of the U.S. state of Texas. It is composed of three branches, the Texas Army National Guard, the Texas Air National Guard, and the Texas State Guard; all report to the state Adjutant General and are under the command of the Governor of...

. This includes Air National Guard

Air National Guard

The Air National Guard , often referred to as the Air Guard, is the air force militia organized by each of the fifty U.S. states, the commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the territories of Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia of the United States. Established under Title 10 and...

, Army National Guard

Army National Guard

Established under Title 10 and Title 32 of the U.S. Code, the Army National Guard is part of the National Guard and is divided up into subordinate units stationed in each of the 50 states, three territories and the District of Columbia operating under their respective governors...

, and State Guard. This medal may also be awarded to federal military personnel, or state military personnel of other states.



It is also referred to as the "Lone Star Medal of Valor." This medal is awarded for conspicuous valor and gallantry involving the possible loss of life by the recipient. Recent awards include 18 Choctaw

Choctaw

The Choctaw are a Native American people originally from the Southeastern United States...

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

This medal ranks second only to the Legislative Medal of Honor

Texas Legislative Medal of Honor

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...

, the state's highest military decoration.

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