Purple Heart for Fort Hood Victims?
You may have heard that Representative John Carter of Texas, the Congressman of the Fort Hood district has introduced a bill to Congress which would award the Purple Heart to the victims of Major Hasan’s shooting spree a few weeks ago. The bill reads;
For purposes of the laws specified below, a member of the Armed Forces or civilian employee of the Department of Defense who was killed or wounded by gunfire in the shootings that occurred at Fort Hood, Texas, on November 5, 2009, shall be deemed—
(1) in the case of a member, to have been killed or wounded in a combat zone as the result of an act of an enemy of the United States; and
(2) in the case of a civilian employee of the Department of Defense, to have been killed or wounded while serving with the Armed Forces in a contingency operation or to have been killed or wounded in a terrorist attack.
Covered Laws
1) Would make the military service members injured by gunfire on November 5, 2009 eligible for the award of the Purple Heart (Executive Order 11016).
Well, some guy named MOTHAX at The Burn Pit has too much time on his hands and explored the legal issues involved in honoring those casualties. I personally believe that they should be awarded the Purple Heart because it’s becoming more clear with every moment that the shooting was related to the war on terror.
However, it is my considered opinion that Representative Carter should include Privates William Long and Quinton Ezeagwula who were victims of a similar crime outside of a Little Rock recruiting station on June 1st in his bill.
Category: Legal, Military issues
Mothax is a tool. Hate that guy.
I gotta agree with you there, in both instances. The Ft. Hood victims and Long and Ezeagwula.
Early on in the buildup to Iraqi freedom I recall a member of the 101st (or maybe the 82nd) “fragging” a tent full of soldiers. Where they given Purple Hearts? The perp was a muslim who did it because he couldn’t stand the idea of the US attacking a muslim country wasn’t he?
From my perspective, that shitstain Hasan is a traitor and a terrorist. Award the medals AFTER the trial…in fact, award the medals at that asshole’s execution.
Not a chance. These people were shot by a member of the military, not an enemy. If you give these 13, then every case of friendly fire, a car accident that happens to include a minority, etc etc will be given a metal.
Unless the attack is eventually ruled an act of terror, then your little theory gets tossed on it’s ass…not unlike a certain former NJ democrat governor.
While I have to agree with TSO in regards to MOTHAX (total tool and rapes goats), I can see the difficulties in this.
Is there a dertimination that this was a terror attack? While I see it as such, as do many others, it will take an official designation for it to be elevated to that status. They would then need to have the shootings in Little Rock designated a terror attack, as well. In my mind, that, too, was a terror attack.
With the current administrations propensity to re-word a spade as actually a club; I doubt that it will happen, mores the pity.
If, by some stroke of common sense, the administration does give these attacks that status, then I don’t see how they could not get the Purple Heart.
Stilla,
The enemy can’t infiltrate the military? Big difference between an accident and a deliberate act of jihad (which translates as “Holy WAR”
Is the issue “intent” on the part of the individual?
a. The Purple Heart is awarded in the name of the President of the United States to any member of an Armed Force or any civilian national of the United States who, while serving under competent authority in any capacity with one of the U.S. Armed Services after 5 April 1917, has been wounded or killed, or who has died or may hereafter die after being wounded
(1) In any action against an enemy of the United States.
Although wearing the uniform of my Army, is their any doubt this scumbag became an enemy of the United States the INSTANT he made the decision to kill us?
We can come up with a dozen reasons NOT to award this medal.
But we can also come up with a dozen reasons TO award this medal.
And under the circumstances, when it comes to those who’ve shed their blood for this country at the hands of an enemy… ANY enemy… acknowledging that fact with this medal is the least we can do.
There were a number of purple hearts issued to sailors killed and wounded in the 1970’s by Puerto Rican separatists. I remember that in one instance they either bombed or shot up (or maybe both) a busload of sailors.
respects,
Does anyone know the history on this? Were the soldiers wounded in the grenade attack given purple hearts?
More to the point, were those in uniform at the Pentagon on 9/11 given wartime medals? 9/11 would seem to be the closest parallel to the attack at Fort Hood.
I agree with TSO and OldTroper that Mothax rapes goats, but I have to add that the goats he rapes are excluesively male and also dead, therefore making him a homosexual, bestial necrophilliac. That being said, I think it’s pretty clear that if an action is taken against a military target for the purpose of spreading jihad, that action is an enemy action and therefor deserving of a Purple Heart.
The issue with awarding the victims their deserved medals is that doing so explicitly acknowledges their attacker as an “enemy”, not the crackpot claimed by the media and WH narrative. The left and the current administration know this, and, being wholly invested in this not being a jihadist attack, they will fight against awarding the medals. The fact that granting the awards forces reconsideration of similar attacks (that have been successfully blocked from receiving the same level of public scrutiny as the Ft. Hood attack) is mostly peripheral to the left’s motivations. To wit, if the left loses the battle to define the most well-known attack as “non-jihadist”, the cascade definition of lesser-known attacks is of little consequence to them.
All of that said, I can’t imagine anyone honestly believing Hasan wasn’t an “enemy of the United States”, knowing what we do now. Give the victims and their families their due honor, and do likewise for victims of other attacks, past and future. Yes, I do absolutely believe their will be more, which is why ending this imbecilic, dishonest practice of declaration blatantly jihadist attacks to be motivated by anything but Islam is so important. Sun Tzu must be spinning in his grave to watch our supposed leaders not just refuse to know our enemy but institutionalize that ignorance.
Dave,
More to the point, were those in uniform at the Pentagon on 9/11 given wartime medals?
I’m pretty sure they were given medals…..
Does that mean Mothax is a necrosexual? Or is he a homophilliac?
According to DefenseLink, those killed in the Pentagon on 9/11 were awarded the Purple Heart. So the question becomes will Pres Obama admit this was a terrorist attack?
Sniper…just a small side note on Mothax…a Mothax was an bastard child of a Spartan warrior…usually the product of a rape of a lower class female…usually a slave, and most always scorned and treated as the LOWEST caste in Spartan society with no rights or priviledges given it and considered worthless and below even livestock (such as goats!) so this Mothax we are dealing with today is just living up to societies expectations…just wanted to point that out…thanks
Man I hope that Mothax guy doesn’t read what you have to say about him, his self esteem might kamikaze into the shitter.
But, Sniper is probably right, I’m guessing right now he is taking indecent liberties with a dead animal, so we don’t need to worry about it.
Well, as I pointed out above, the government would have to designate this as a terrorist attack, which this administration is in the process of re-labeling everything to have more benign meanings, it might be impossible, although every man and his dog in the joint calls it what it is; a terrorist attack, it doesn’t mean anything until made official by the powers that be.
As others have astutely pointed out, the very actions taken by this scum sucking drag queen were definitely terrorism under any definition.
And AHF, Mothakes (The plural) could be sponsored for the Agoge and given full citizenship rights if they proved themselves in battle, so not really lower than animals. They were sort of a step caste between the Helots and the full Spartiates. Not that I know or anything, but so I have heard.
http://www.livius.org/mo-mt/mothax/mothax.html
Ancient Sparta was famous for its warriors, the Spartiates, who had received a full military training (agoge) and were considered to be the elite of the city-state. The Spartiates, however, were not the only class in Spartan society. The mothakes are one of the lesser known groups. There at least four theories about their characteristics:
they were the sons of Spartiat fathers and helot mothers;
they were bastards;
they belonged to families that could not afford to pay the full training, but were sponsored by others;
they were orphans, whose training was overseen by guardians.
However this may be, it is reasonably clear that mothakes could enter the Spartan elite, and we know that several of them (e.g., Gylippus and Lysander) had important commands during the second phase of the Peloponnesian War. This may have been a crisis measure.
For those keeping score at home, Godzilla totally eff’d Mothra up…I’m just sayin’.
TSO…You know I love it when you talk dirty….seriously,thanks for the info,I was trying to remember my high school history classes from 30+ years ago,but I did remember that a few did attain high positions within Spartan society…just couldn’t remember their names (Gylippus and Lysander) with one becoming a King(?)…therefore the the “most always” in my post…thanks for helping me to remember…you were a great help!
Ah… TSO just gets all lathered up when anyone refers to the “Hot Gates”… something about naked men and steaming baths. Probably liked gladiator movies too… 🙂
Gives the phrase ????? ???? a whole new meaning.. heh.
Ah…. I see the Greek characters for “molon labe” don’t transfer in the comments box… sigh…
AHF- You are the first one to publicly note what my name meant, so you win that award anyway. I mean, Mothax’s name.
TSO…Thats great,I think….lol
His name comes from Spartan lore? I thought he was egotistically referring to his manhood, as in the MOTHer of all AXe handles. I’ve heard he thinks that much of himself. My bad.
BTW, the recruiting center shooter was charged with murder and 15 counts of terrorist activity, so under Purple Heart guidelines, they should both qualify.
Be carefull that the members of the IVAW dont come up with the idea to get the purple heart for PTSD………
Steve: Purple Hearts for PTSD has already been brought up, and forthwith shot down my the powers that be so you are safe there.
IMHO, these people will never have the option of the Purple Heart or not. The Government will never acknowledge it as an act of terror, continuing instead to call it the sole act of a crazy man. It doesn’t matter how many facts point to the contrary, the official statement is what counts.
Another thing to consider, if they did label it an act of terror, that would mean the enemy had infiltrated our military, et al, and I doubt anyone of import is ready to acknowledge that fact.
“if they did label it an act of terror, that would mean the enemy had infiltrated our military, et al,”
Then there’s no such thing as a lone wolf terrorist…
I just posted my comment at the burn pit:
I think you overlooked a sixth alternative which would maintain the balance of power in the award of a purple heart.
Allow Congress to make a determination of terrorism to avoid the conflict of interest the Secretary of the Army would face, BUT such determination would be approved or disapproved by a committee of combat commanders of multiple services. This would not preclude the current process of the SecArmy awarding combat honors. It would merely serve as an alternate track.
That would keep the political shenanigans confined, yet allow a valid honor to be granted to those deserving of it.
The Government will never acknowledge it as an act of terror, continuing instead to call it the sole act of a crazy man
Quoted for emphasis. This is precisely what will happen. You can make bank on it.
Otherwise The One loses the ability to claim “11 months of safety”
I was going to mention that, but thought it might make me sound racist.
Let’s see:
Against Health Care, check (according to Rev. Jackson)
Thinks Fort Hood was muslim terrorism, check (according to the Military)
Doesn’t agree with The One on most things, check and mate.
While I understand the sentiment, unless this guy can be confirmed to be a fifth columnist or something like that, then this was a friendly fire incident, not an act of war. He is a serving US commissioned officer who committed multiple acts of murder and attempted murder. I just don’t see where the purple heart would be rated.
Since our infantry battalion was used for target practice by every unit west of Kuwait in ’91, our friendly fire victims were awarded Purple Hearts.
While reading the news on CNN.com a few minutes ago, I was captured by a story discussing a proposal by Rep. John Carter, R-Texas, who represents the district that includes Fort Hood Army Post in the House of Representatives. (CNN STORY: Purple Hearts proposed for Fort Hood victims, retrieved 21 November 2009 from http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/11/17/fort.hood.medals/index.html) REP Carter, is quoted in the above article as saying “As far as I’m concerned, this was an attack by an enemy upon American troops on American soil,” While it is understandable for those feelings to be present, I don’t believe REP Carter has looked sufficiently at the ramifications of his bill and the second and third order effects of such a bill. To start off, if this bill would be passed then effectively an argument SHOULD be made that the first responders and anyone else who attempted to thwart MAJ Hasan’s attack be awarded the Bronze Star with Valor and for those medical personnel that were at the scene, the “Combat Field Medical Badge.” Any infantrymen that happened to be in attendance at the time would then be eligible for the Combat Infantryman’s Badge and all soldiers eligible for the Combat Action Badge and the right to wear a combat patch on their right shoulder. REP Carter and his staff, while attempting to do something good for the victims has failed to do sufficient research in this proposed bill and consider the effects this would have upon the Military and not solely upon the effects this can have on his next campaign. None of this even takes into consideration that while MAJ Hasan’s actions are terrible it still is not clear if he acted out as a terrorist or simply as a soldier frustrated with his situation who acted out in a violent manner. MAJOR Michael Messer, U.S. Army, Infantry Student, CGSC The author of the above account is a student at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College. The views expressed are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Army, Department of… Read more »
Major, your arguments are flawed.
First of all, these Soldiers were killed by a terrorist. I don’t care what the Army says, they screwed up with Hasan and you will never hear them admit to that. This man killed in the name of fundamentalist Islam for the purpose of hurting our war effort.
The Purple Heart can be awarded for terrorist attacks. All the Servicemembers killed on 9/11 in the Pentagon were awarded the PH, same as those on the USS Cole, attack on Barracks in Saudi Arabia, etc.
Your argument about the combat patch is ridiculous. The combat patch is awarded for a designated area of conflict, or in plain English a war zone! Texas is not considered a combat zone, just as the Pentagon wasn’t. However you can still be awarded the Purple Heart in an area that is not a war zone.
You’re Combat Infantrymen Badge (CIB) and Combat Badge (CAB) argument is also ludicrous. Those are also awarded for combat in war zones.
So you are a student at the Command and General Staff College, god help us!!
second the opinion that Major Messer is a retard. The PH hasn’t aways been given away with the BS, you know.
Per United States Army regulations, the Purple Heart is awarded in the name of the President of the United States to any member of the Armed Forces of the United States who, while serving under competent authority in any capacity with one of the U.S. Armed Services after April 5, 1917, has been wounded or killed, or who has died after being wounded. Specific examples of services which warrant the Purple Heart include any action against an enemy of the United States; any action with an opposing armed force of a foreign country in which the Armed Forces of the United States are or have been engaged; while serving with friendly foreign forces engaged in an armed conflict against an opposing armed force in which the United States is not a belligerent party; as a result of an act of any such enemy of opposing armed forces; or as the result of an act of any hostile foreign force. After 28 March 1973, as a result of an international terrorist attack against the United States or a foreign nation friendly to the United States, recognized as such an attack by the Secretary of the Army, or jointly by the Secretaries of the separate armed services concerned if persons from more than one service are wounded in the attack. After 28 March 1973, as a result of military operations while serving outside the territory of the United States as part of a peacekeeping force.
Now the lines that stand out are terrorist attack recognized by the SEC O’ Army. I truely think that with the current administration they will never admit this was an attack.
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