Should the victims of Fort Hood receive a Purple Heart?

Yes because they were victims of an enemy attack in the war on terror.
36% (3691 votes)
Yes, as an exception to the standard procedure for awarding the Purple Heart, due to the unique circumstances of the incident.
15% (1506 votes)
No because this was a crime and not an act of terror.
5% (540 votes)
No because the Purple Heart should only be awarded for those wounded on the field of battle in a combat theater.
44% (4483 votes)
Total votes: 10220

 

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windsailor

March 26, 2010 - 9:06pm

Whether or not to give PurpleHearts to the military victims at Ft Hood is not a simple issue. The war against terrorists is not the old us against the enemy in combat type of conflict that existed historically. The situation is more diffuse, with the enemy not wearing uniforms, attacks that range from battlefields to commercial airlines to railroads, etc. Given a worse case scenario, it could well be a New York subway train or river tunnel. These are enemy combatants committing acts of war and to say that the military injured in these acts are undeserving because it offends the previous recipients is a pretty narrow interpretation. The major who committed the shooting at Ft Hood presumably uttered a Muslim praise to God while shooting. If this is proven in a court to be the case, he was/is a terrorist and the injured were in a local combat zone. Then, yes they should receive medals.

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