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Fort Hood victims want shooting called terror act
Maj. Nidal Hasan, the Army psychiatrist charged in the deadly 2009 Fort Hood shooting, is seen in this undated file photo provided by the Bell County Sheriff's Department via The Temple Daily Telegram. / AP Photo/Bell County Sheriff's Department via The Temple Daily Telegram
FORT HOOD, Texas Nearly three years after the shooting rampage at Fort Hood, many of those affected are urging the government to declare it a terrorist attack, saying wounded soldiers and victims' relatives otherwise won't receive the same benefits as those in a combat zone.
About 160 people, including relatives of the 13 people killed at the Texas Army post and some of the more than two dozen wounded and their families, released a video Thursday expressing their frustration.
They say soldiers injured or killed deserve fair benefits and Purple Heart eligibility.
"The victims are being forgotten and it's frustrating," Kimberly Munley, one of the first two officers who arrived at the shooting scene on Nov. 5, 2009, told The Associated Press on Thursday.
The soldiers injured or killed have not received certain benefits and are not eligible for the Purple Heart, because the defense secretary has not declared it a terrorist attack, said John Stone, a spokesman for U.S. Rep. John Carter. The Texas Republican has sponsored a bill that would make those provisions available for the Fort Hood victims.
Maj. Nidal Hasan, an American-born Muslim, faces the death penalty if convicted of 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted premeditated murder. The case is on hold as his lawyers fight the trial judge's order that Hasan either shave his beard, which violates Army rules, or be forcibly shaved before trial.
Staff Sgt. Shawn Manning, who was shot six times that day, said his injuries prevented him from continuing to serve. But he won't receive the same benefits as those severely wounded on the battlefield because an Army medical evaluation board didn't deem his injuries to be combat-related, he said.
Manning also said he is upset that the Defense Department has referred to the shooting as workplace violence.
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An October 2011 letter on behalf of Defense Secretary Leon Panetta was sent to U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman, chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee, saying "the department is dealing with the threat of violent Islamist extremism in the context of a broader threat of workplace violence."
The Department of Defense did not return a call or email seeking comment from the AP.
Witnesses have said that after lunch on Nov. 5, 2009, a gunman wearing an Army combat uniform opened fire after shouting "Allahu Akbar!" -- or "God is great!" in Arabic -- inside a Fort Hood medical building where deploying and returning soldiers received vaccines and other tests. He rapidly fired, pausing only to reload, shooting at soldiers hiding under desks and those fleeing the building, according to witnesses.
In the "Fort Hood coalition of heroes" video, soldiers recount being shot that day while others describe how they tried to crawl to safety.
"It was an act of terrorism," said Munley, who was shot three times.
A Senate report released last year said the FBI missed warning signs about Hasan, who the report said had become an Islamic extremist and a "ticking time bomb" before the rampage.
U.S. officials have said they believe Hasan's attack was inspired by the radical U.S.-born cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, and that Hasan and the cleric exchanged as many as 20 emails. Al-Awlaki was killed in a U.S. drone strike in Yemen last fall.
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Maybe the people reporting on this story can contact some soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan and ask their opinion. Do they feel the Ft Hood victims should be eligible for purple hearts? Should the Ft Hood vivtims get preferential treatment over those soldiers?
The Ft Hood shooting was a tragic event, we as a society seem to be inured to tragic events as a general rule, unless we can somehow connect it to a primary agenda. We have plenty of victims in this country, many who are receiving nothing for the pain and suffering inflicted on them by some deranged sociopath.
If the posters here are truely outraged, I am sure there is a victim fund they can send money to, to help these soldiers cope with their pain and suffering. Since, it seems (at least for now) their plight is far more important than the Thousands killed in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the tens of thousands wounded there.
10-21-12
Dear General Dempsey,
To address the consternation of those who lost loved ones in the Fort Hood shooting and all of those killed in terrorists attacks where the Purple Heart Medal can't be presented, I tried to cover that base back in 1996-2000 only to be ignored by the DOD.
I designed a medal I called the, "Peace Heart Medal" for all people wounded or killed in a non-combat situation where a Purple Heart could not be given. According to the criteria at the time, the Purple Heart was supposed to be used in combat situations only. Then I learned by order of President Regan it included terrorists attacked and foreign nationals working abroad.
Being a Purple Heart holder wounded five times in combat, I didn't feel that it was appropriate for anyone in a non- combat situation to be handed a medal that we in combat were wounded or died for. It was my opinion that it diminished the medal by using it as an all-purpose medal to cover everything, ergo my idea.
I spent four years trying to get the medal implemented. With the help of then Congressman Floyd Spence of South Carolina who has since passed, he submitted the idea in two bills. The first was shot down without any consideration.
I had the support of just about every military organization in the country. The VFW, DAV, Marine Corps League and Military Order of the Purple Heart to name a few as well as numerous senators and congressman who unanimously passed the idea in the second bill to be passed on to then President Clinton who signed it and sent it to the DOD for a so called, "study."
I designed the medal like the Purple Heart. It had a white stone vs. the purple and had a dove carrying an olive branch in place of the bust of George Washington. The ribbon was white with a thin red and blue line to represent the United States flag.
The whole idea was to keep the Purple Heart sacred and use the Peace Heart to cover any injuries or deaths that occurred while serving our country. It the person that died fell off a ship on the way to a combat zone, which happened, then the family would have something to honor them. At the time there were numerous accidental deaths and no medal to honor the sacrifices made.
After four long years of collecting support and fighting the system to get the medal implemented the DOD shot it down stating that they had enough medals to cover every situation. Of course this was a lie. I designed one because they didn't have one. Now the government in their infinite wisdom has changed the names defining a terrorist attack to deny the families and injured the honors they deserve. It's insulting to know that our fighting men and woman could have had a medal to honor their sacrifices and don't because of bureaucrats who could care less.
Former Cpl. USMC 66-69
100% total permanently disabled
Marine Vietnam veteran
Gregory J. Topliff
395 Glenwood Dr.
Warrenville, SC 29851
Top62@att.net
There was certainly an absence of healthy leadership in the local area that discouraged any Anti-Muslim hatred. President Bush did warn us the day after the 911 attack about guarding ourselves from launching hatred campaigns against Muslims or nationals of Muslim nations, but the country seems to forgotten what they heard, and President Bush never seemed to mention it again. It was clear that the radio and TV airwaves were making Muslim hatred a fashionable topic of discussion.
For the most part, the very same community that is calling for terror prosecution, is the VERY same community that was fueling the hatred poured out against his religion.
Prosecution of a military psychiatrist-turned killer can really be a moral dilemma for those who are conscious of the rights of others.
He should be found insane and spared of prosecution...simply on the basis that mitigating circumstances prohibited him for resolving the acute levels of hatred dumped upon him. I know the insanity defense is not popular for those desiring vengeance and "Justice". It does teach the military that harboring hatred is self-defeating behavior. Testaments of hateful soldiers and marines doing unspeakable things against civilians is proof that mental healthiness declines under exposure to acute hatred.
The Senate report that signs of Hasan's deteriorating behavior were missed should result in the immediate firing or dishonorable discharge from the military."
The only reason Obama wants this referred to as a workplace incident is that Hasan is a Muslim.
One more time Obama wants to play down terrorist attacks by Muslims here in the US.
Can you guess why.??!!
There shouldn't even be any discussion as to wether or not this was a terrorist attack.
The families of those who were killed and all those who were wounded should have begun getting every benefit there is from the day after the attack.
Hasan's beard is just an excuse to delay his trial, because Obama doesn't want to alienate any Muslims here in the US until after the election for fear they will vote against him.
Fort Hood is one of the main jumping off points for sending troops into combat, and many of those in that office were there to complete their papers before being deployed.
To deny these families ANYTHING (including the Purple Heart) is a disgrace
and is a classic example of how low our government (Obama) has sunk.
Obama has been stepping on everything the United States stands for since his first days in office.
He has used and abused Executive Privilege 309 times simce he has been in Office.
He has given himself the power to literally take control over every aspect
of the people and businesses and industries (including farming) at will.
I think the media should obtain copies of all these Orders and read them to the public before the election (preferably tomorrow) so the American people will know what we are really up against.!!
Remember all the injustices commited upon our military since Osama has been in office as well as how far this country has deteriorated since January 2009 when you go to vote.!!!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/22/obama-executive-privilege_n_1617594.html
http://nation.foxnews.com/fast-and-furious/2012/06/20/obama-asserts-executive-privilege-over-justice-dept-documents
The victims should be allowed the Purple Heart and given the same benefits as if it had happened on the battle field because this Muslim brought the battlefield to them.
Step one, shave his head. Step two, have the trial. Step three, hang him. Step four, shove his carcass in an unmarked grave in the middle of nowhere like the Dakotas. Step five, have a ceremony honoring those who were injured or died.