Huge lines of people began forming outside Cowboys Stadium on Monday to attend a memorial service for Chris Kyle, the former Navy SEAL sniper who was slain last week near Glen Rose.
At about 11:30 a.m., parking lots outside of the stadium were filling up quickly for the 1 p.m. service at the 80,000-seat stadium.
The crowd entered slowly into the stadium with the hymn Mansions of the Lord playing on the P.A. system and images of Chris Kyle on the jumbo screen.
No politicians were expected to speak at the service, however, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin posted on her Facebook that she and her husband, Todd, were attending the memorial. "I find it sad to see that flags aren't flying at half staff for this American hero," Palin wrote on the page.
Kyle, co-author of the book American Sniper, will be buried in the Texas State Cemetery in Austin on Tuesday. The Patriot Guard Riders have announced that they will escort the hearse from Arlington to Austin.
Free parking was available in Lots 1, 2 and 10, nearest to East Randol Mill Road and North Collins Street. People will enter the stadium at Gates A and K on the north side.
"In honor of the reverence this memorial service deserves, Chris Kyle's family has asked that the general public not take photographs or record video during the ceremony," police spokeswoman Tiara Richard said. "No cameras will be allowed inside."
Also, no bags, purses or substantial handheld items will be allowed, Richard said.
Nancy Clayton, office manager of Midlothian Funeral Home, which is handling arrangements, said Kyle's family will have a private funeral separate from the public memorial service.
Kyle, 38, and friend Chad Littlefield, 35, both of Midlothian, were shot to death Saturday at the Rough Creek Lodge near Glen Rose.
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