Purple Hearts Approved After DOD Admits 2009 Fort Hood Attack Inspired by Foreign Terrorist Organization

Purple Hearts Approved After DOD Admits 2009 Fort Hood Attack Inspired by Foreign Terrorist Organization ---

February 6, 2015 Purple Hearts Approved After DOD Admits 2009 Fort Hood Attack Inspired by Foreign Terrorist Organization  Army Secretary John M. McHugh announced today that he has approved awarding the Purple Heart and its civilian counterpart, the Secretary of Defense Medal for the Defense of Freedom, to victims of a 2009 shooting at Fort Hood, Texas, following a change in the medals' eligibility criteria mandated by Congress. In a review of the Fort Hood incident and the new provisions of law, the Army determined that there was sufficient evidence to conclude Hasan "was in communication with the foreign terrorist organization before the attack," and that his radicalization and subsequent acts could reasonably be considered to have been "inspired or motivated by the foreign terrorist organization." Previous criteria required a finding that Hasan had been acting at the direction of a foreign terrorist organization.


*Sources

Army Rules That Fort Hood Shooting Victims Will Receive the Purple Heart Feb 6, 2015 Thirteen people were killed and 32 were injured in the shooting carried out by Major Nidal Hassan, an Army psychiatrist, military officials said today. The move was precipitated by a change in the law that broadened the strict eligibility rules for the medal, which is awarded to those wounded in combat. The shooting victims were previously deemed not eligible for the award because the Nov. 5, 2009, shooting by Hassan was ruled by the military to be a workplace violence incident. Advocates for the shooting victims have urged the Army for years to reconsider that assessment as a case of terrorism given that Hasan was in communication with Anwar al Awlaki, the American cleric who was a senior leader in Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).

Army Awards Purple Heart to Fort Hood Terror Attack ... Breitbart Feb 9, 2015 President Obama’s Pentagon refused to recognize the massacre as an act of terror, referring to it as “workplace violence,” instead.

Hasan, who is believed to have been inspired by al-Qaeda, shouted “Allahu Akbar” (Arabic for “God is great”) before he opened fire.

The massacre was called an “act of terror” in a 2011 Senate report, and it has an official ID number in the Global Terrorism Database.

Army officials have been directed to identify soldiers and civilians who are now eligible for the awards.

Army Approves Purple Hearts for Fort Hood Shooting Victims defense.gov

From a U.S. Army News Release
WASHINGTON, Feb. 6, 2015 – Army Secretary John M. McHugh announced today that he has approved awarding the Purple Heart and its civilian counterpart, the Secretary of Defense Medal for the Defense of Freedom, to victims of a 2009 shooting at Fort Hood, Texas, following a change in the medals' eligibility criteria mandated by Congress.
Thirteen people were killed and more than 30 were wounded in the attack by Army Maj. Nidal Hasan, who was convicted in August 2013, of 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted murder.
"The Purple Heart's strict eligibility criteria had prevented us from awarding it to victims of the horrific attack at Fort Hood," McHugh explained. "Now that Congress has changed the criteria, we believe there is sufficient reason to allow these men and women to be awarded and recognized with either the Purple Heart or, in the case of civilians, the Defense of Freedom Medal. It's an appropriate recognition of their service and sacrifice."
Law Expanded Eligibility
Under a provision of the National Defense Authorization Act of 2015, Congress expanded the eligibility for the Purple Heart by redefining what should be considered an attack by a "foreign terrorist organization" for purposes of determining eligibility for the Purple Heart. The legislation states that an event should now be considered an attack by a foreign terrorist organization if the perpetrator of the attack "was in communication with the foreign terrorist organization before the attack" and "the attack was inspired or motivated by the foreign terrorist organization."
In a review of the Fort Hood incident and the new provisions of law, the Army determined that there was sufficient evidence to conclude Hasan "was in communication with the foreign terrorist organization before the attack," and that his radicalization and subsequent acts could reasonably be considered to have been "inspired or motivated by the foreign terrorist organization."
Previous criteria required a finding that Hasan had been acting at the direction of a foreign terrorist organization.
Identifying and Notifying Those Now Eligible
McHugh directed Army officials to identify soldiers and civilians now eligible for the awards as soon as possible, and to contact them about presentation of the awards. Soldiers receiving the Purple Heart automatically qualify for combat-related special compensation upon retirement. Recipients also are eligible for burial at Arlington National Cemetery.
Following his 2013 conviction, Hasan was sentenced to death by a general court-martial. He is incarcerated at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, while post-trial and appellate processes continue
White House Denies ’09 Fort Hood Victim's Request for Meeting With Obama  April 11, 2014 ABC Neqws As President Obama spoke of old "wounds” at Fort Hood this week, the White House declined a request from a survivor of the 2009 massacre there to meet with Obama for a few minutes so the veteran could explain face-to-face how he believes the government has mistreated and disrespected the victims of that attack. Despite Hasan’s admission that he carried out the attack on behalf of the Taliban and revelations that he had been in contact with high-profile al Qaeda recruiter Anwar al-Awlaki, the Department of Defense has refused to classify the shooting as “terrorism,” which the survivors claim in lawsuit against the government has meant they’ve been denied Purple Hearts and combat-related benefits afforded to victims of other terrorist attacks.

Fort Hood Hero Says President Obama 'Betrayed' Her, Other Victims 
Feb. 12, 2013By NED BERKOWITZ and BRIAN ROSS  BRIAN ROSS Three years after the White House arranged a hero's welcome at the State of the Union address for the Fort Hood police sergeant and her partner who stopped the deadly shooting there, Kimberly Munley says President Obama broke the promise he made to her that the victims would be well taken care of. "Betrayed is a good word," former Sgt. Munley told ABC News in a tearful interview to be broadcast tonight on "World News with Diane Sawyer" and "Nightline."
No Purple Hearts for Fort Hood Victims, affects fair trial for killer, Pentagon Says
April 1, 2013
By NED BERKOWITZ via WORLD NEWS

The Department of Defense is making it clear: The military opposes awarding Purple Hearts to the victims of the Fort Hood shooting... saysgiving the award to the Fort Hood victims could "irrevocably alter the fundamental character of this time-honored decoration" and "undermine the prosecution of Major Nidal Hasan [the alleged Fort Hood shooter] by materially and directly compromising Major Hasan's ability to receive a fair trial." he Fort Hood Families Benefits Protection Act would award both military and civilian casualties of the Fort Hood attack combatant status.... ABC News investigation detailing claims by victims that they have been neglected by the military. In a report that aired on "World News with Diane Sawyer" and "Nightline," former police sergeant Kimberly Munley, who helped stop the Ft. Hood shooting, said she felt "betrayed" by President Obama and that he broke a promise to make sure the victims would be well taken care of. 
There has been no comment from the White House about Munley's allegations.