Governor Greg Abbott presented the Texas Legislative Medal of Honor to Army Sergeant Rickey Wittner and to the family of Navy SEAL Special Warfare Operator First Class Nathan Gage Ingram at the Texas Capitol. The medal is the highest military decoration conferred to a service member of the Texas military forces.
Army Sergeant Rickey Wittner received the award for his actions on July 10, 1970, when he demonstrated bravery in grave danger and saved 12 lives. Wittner enlisted in the U.S. Army in August 1969 and served with the U.S. Army 242nd Assault Support Helicopter Company during the Vietnam War. He was awarded the Soldier's Medal for heroism, the Purple Heart, and the Air Medal. Following active-duty service through 1975 at the rank of Specialist Fifth Class, he joined the U.S. Army Reserve and later transferred to the Texas Army National Guard in Marshall, serving until his honorable discharge in 1987.
Navy SEAL Special Warfare Operator First Class Nathan Gage Ingram was posthumously awarded the medal for extraordinary courage and heroic action on January 11, 2024. Without hesitation or regard for his own safety, Ingram entered the water in an attempt to save the life of his teammate during a night mission off the coast of Somalia. Ingram enlisted in the Navy on September 25, 2019, and graduated Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training in December 2021. He reported to his first operational tour with SEAL Team THREE.