All victims in the 2009 shooting at Fort Hood will receive the Purple Heart or its civilian equivalent, the Defense of Freedom Medal, the Pentagon announced Friday.
The decision to award the medals reflects both a change in law and a change in the event’s designation. Last year, Congress passed legislation changing the eligibility for the Purple Heart to include victims of terrorist attacks or attacks inspired or motivated by terrorist organizations.
Thirteen people were killed and 32 were wounded when Maj. Nidal Hasan opened fire on the Texas base in November 2009. The designation and award open up military medical benefits to the Purple Heart recipients that they had been ineligible to receive.
“The Army determined there was sufficient evidence to conclude that Hasan was in communication with a foreign terrorist organization, before the attack, and that his radicalization and subsequent acts could be reasonably considered to be inspired or motivated by a foreign terrorist organization,” said Pentagon spokesman Army Col. Steve Warren.
Friday’s decision was limited to the 2009 attack. Whether any other past or future attacks would qualify for the award would depend on whether they are designated as acts of terrorism, the Pentagon said.
