Perry gives medal to Marine's family

SAN ANTONIO (AP) - Gov. Rick Perry awarded the state's highest military decoration Thursday to the family of a Marine who was among many graduates of the same San Antonio school district killed in Vietnam.

Cpl. Roy Cisneros was posthumously recognized with the Texas Legislative Medal of Honor at a ceremony at an elementary school already named after him. Cisneros was killed in 1968 while charging a bunker and saving the lives of his squad members.

Cisneros is the eighth Texan to receive the medal, which the Legislature has awarded every session since 1997.

"Under the worst imaginable circumstances, up against impossible odds, Roy Cisneros never wavered and never hesitated in his duty," Perry said.

Perry was making his second San Antonio stop this week. His schedule has been packed since declaring he is running for president while he crisscrosses the state and country raising money for his campaign. Perry also had fundraisers scheduled Thursday in San Antonio and Midland.

He did not take questions from reporters after the ceremony.

Perry gave the award to Jim Cisneros, Roy's younger brother, and his mother. Jim Cisneros said the family plans to donate the medal to San Antonio elementary school already named after his brother.

Jim Cisneros said 54 students from the Edgewood school district wound up being killed or listed as missing in action during Vietnam . Texas lawmakers believe few school districts elsewhere in the nation suffered as heavy losses during the war.

"Hopefully, this will be a chance at sewing up the district's wounds," he said.