Posted on 05/19/2010 7:04:39 AM PDT by laotzu
A major question is swirling around the 13 US service personnel who were killed, and the 30 who were wounded in the Ft. Hood shooting in November.
Central Texas Congressman John Carter (R-Tx), who represents Ft. Hood and Killeen, is introducing a measure in Congress to award the 43 victims of the shooting by Maj. Nadal Hasan the Purple Heart, and the benefits which come from being awarded the decoration.
“All these things are already given to soldiers who are killed or injured in combat,” Carter said, “And I think they should be extended to those soldiers who were killed or injured at Ft. Hood.”
The citation for the Purple Heart, which is the country’s oldest military decoration, and the first combat honor in the world which was granted to soldiers and not simply to officers and commanders, specifically states that to receive the Purple Heart, the recipient must have been killed or wounded ‘in combat.’
“This bill will treat them as if they had been killed or wounded in a combat zone, and will give them the benefits we give to combat casualties,” Carter said.
The problem from the Army’s point of view is that the suspected gunman, Maj. Nadal Hasan, is being handled as a criminal. He is facing 13 specifications of first degree murder and 30 specifications of first degree attempted murder, and is facing a court martial, possibly later this year. If Hasan is convicted, the Army says it will seek the death penalty.
If the victims of Hasan’s rampage are reclassified as combat casualties, miltiary authorities are afraid that would open the door for Hasan to claim he is an ‘enemy combatant,’ which would forbid the government from placing him on trial and would grant him privileges under the Geneva Convention for Prisoners of War.
Hasan allegedly opened fire on soldiers and their families at a mustering station at Ft. Hood on November 5th. He is charged with firing indiscriminately at military personnel who were preparing to deploy to Afghanistan, due to his concerns about being deployed into the war zone.
Domestic terrorism, not warfare.
The Purple Heart was created for a specific reason, but not this reason.
Didn’t the War on Terror come to Fort Hood? Yes, Purple Hearts.
Agree completely.
That would be akin to the medals that are now being given out for ‘restraint’.
What has happened to our military?
I think they should but only if its noted that they are casualties in a war our government refuses to acknowledge.
Yes!
Gallows humor! Pun intended.
Domestic terrorism my ass.
No question that the Purple Heart should be awarded to each of the victims of that act of war committed by the traitor, Hasan.
Hasan should also face a firing squad. Again, no question about it.
There's the problem in a nutshell. Our gub'mint, via the DoD, considers Hasan a run of the mill criminal, not the enemy combatant that he is.
Bullshiite.
I feel for these guys, but what’s next? They get a Combat Action Ribbon (CAR)? If you designate Fort Hood a combat zone, you would have to give them a CAR also. You would have to give everyone there who served at Fort Hood during that time hazardous duty pay for that month. This is political grandstanding. You can certainly memorialize them and recognize their sacrifices but not give them medals for this.
“miltiary authorities are afraid that would open the door for Hasan to claim he is an ‘enemy combatant,’ which would forbid the government from placing him on trial and would grant him privileges under the Geneva Convention for Prisoners of War. “
If he were classified as an enemy combatant and was wearing a U.S. military uniform, how would that not make him a spy, and mean his swift and most thorough execution? It doesn’t seem to me that he would come close to meeting the criteria for Geneva Convention treatment.
“Didn’t the War on Terror come to Fort Hood? Yes, Purple Hearts”.
...an earlier post stated “domestic terror” but I agree with your post. The shooter is a terrorist who sides with the enemy no matter what the media says or how they try to spin it.
” Domestic terrorism, not warfare. “
I disagree. This was a military installation, not a shopping mall.
Duh...Yes
From a technical awards perspective, they can receive the Purple Heart if they were attacked as part of the War on Terror. I believe that Obama does not think this was in any way associated with the WOT and as such, will not allow the award.
Islam’s war against the US. You’ve never been in a more serious war for your survival.
” Domestic terrorism, not warfare. “
I disagree. This was a military installation, not a shopping mall.
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