Sunday, February 8, 2015

CNN: Fort Hood victims to be awarded Purple Hearts

I couldn't help but to rejoice I was when I randomly say this headline. I happened to see it at work and did my best to contain my joy.

For those who don't know about the Fort Hood shootings in 2009, here's some cliff notes:


  • Army psychiatrist Nidal Hassan opened fire on the base, killing XX people
  • Soon after the attacks, President Obama dismissed it as "work place violence" when Hassan was shouting ALLAHU AKBAR while shooting. 
  • Hassan's business card read "Soldier of Allah"

There were a number of other glaring clues that the attack was, indeed, Islamic-driven, not just "work place violence".

All in all, I'm just happy that these brave soldiers finally received what they deserved. I salute them.

Below is an excerpt from the CNN story:

(CNN) -- The U.S. Army will begin awarding Purple Hearts to those killed or wounded in the 2009 shooting at Fort Hood, Texas. 
Secretary of the Army John McHugh announced the decision in a statement Friday, calling the honor "an appropriate recognition of their service and sacrifice."
The Army will also award the civilian equivalent of the Purple Heart, the Defense of Freedom Medal, to non-military victims. 
"The Purple Heart's strict eligibility criteria had prevented us from awarding it to victims of the horrific attack at Fort Hood," McHugh said, but noted that recent legislation has allowed them to move forward in recognizing the victims. 
The decision was made possible by an amendment to the 2015 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), sponsored by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), which expanded eligibility for the Purple Heart to include troops killed in an attack where "the individual or entity was in communication with the foreign terrorist organization before the attack," and where "the attack was inspired or motivated by the foreign terrorist organization."
"It's long past time to call the Fort Hood attack what it was: radical Islamic terrorism," Cruz said in a statement in December, after the NDAA was passed. "And, this recognition for Fort Hood terrorist victims is overdue. The victims and their families deserve our prayers and support, and this legislation rightly honors them for defending our nation in the face of a heinous act of terror."