Memorial Day - and Ft. Hood

Visit our News page May 24, 2013 When will the Pentagon properly remember those who were wounded at Ft. Hood? On Monday, Americans remember those who have fallen in the defense of our country. In past years, ACT! for America president Brigitte Gabriel has sent out a personal email of thanks to the heroes and their families we remember on Memorial Day. Those who have heard Brigitte speak at our public events know how deeply Brigitte feels about the sacrifices made by those in the military on our behalf. This is why we are so disturbed about the treatment of our soldiers who were wounded during the jihadist attack at Ft. Hood. Sadly, as we prepare to commemorate Memorial Day 2013, we feel compelled to ask a question of our leadership in the Pentagon. What we’re referring to is an NBC News story below (highlights added). The May 20th story reports that the Ft. Hood jihadist, Maj. Nidal Hasan, has continued to receive military pay totaling $278,000… …while the soldiers who were wounded in the attack have been denied medical and other benefits provided to those who are wounded in combat. The reason for this gross injustice is that the Pentagon has refused to classify the attack as a terrorist attack, calling it an act of “workplace violence” instead. This is an outrageous and unacceptable capitulation to political correctness. So while Pentagon leaders remember the fallen on Memorial Day, we would like to know, when will these leaders properly remember those who were wounded at Ft. Hood?? Awaiting Trial, Maj. Nidal Hasan Paid $278,000 By SCOTT FRIEDMAN NBCDFW.com updated 5/20/2013 11:16:42 PM ET http://www.nbcnews.com/id/51947575 The Department of Defense confirms to NBC 5 Investigates that accused Fort Hood shooter Major Nidal Hasan has now been paid more than $278,000 since the Nov. 5, 2009 shooting that left 13 dead 32 injured. The Army said under the Military Code of Justice, Hasan’s salary cannot be suspended unless he is proven guilty. If Hasan had been a civilian defense department employee, NBC 5 Investigates has learned, the Army could have suspended his pay after just seven days. Personnel rules for most civilian government workers allow for "indefinite suspensions" in cases "when the agency has reasonable cause to believe that the employee has committed a crime for which a sentence of imprisonment may be imposed." Meanwhile, more than three years later soldiers wounded in the mass shooting are fighting to receive the same pay and medical benefits given to those wounded in combat. Retired Army Spc. Logan Burnett, a reservist who, in 2009, was soon to be deployed to Iraq, was shot three times when a gunman opened fire inside the Army Deployment Center. “I honestly thought I was going to die in that building,” said Burnett. “Just blood everywhere and then the thought of -- that's my blood everywhere.” Burnett nearly died. He's had more than a dozen surgeries since the shooting, and says post-traumatic stress still keeps him up at night. Burnett is now fighting a new battle; only this one is against the U.S. Army. The Army has not classified the wounds of the Ft. Hood victims as “combat related” and declines to label the shooting a “terrorist attack”, The “combat related” designation is an important one, for without it Burnett and other shooting victims are not given combat-related pay, they are not eligible for Purple Heart retirement or medical benefits given to other soldiers wounded either at war or during the Sept. 11, 2001 attack on the Pentagon. As a result, Burnett, his wife Torey, and the families of other Fort Hood victims miss out on thousands of dollars of potential benefits and pay every year. To Burnett the shooting felt like combat. “You take three rounds and lose five good friends and watch seven other people get killed in front of you. Do you have another term that we can classify that as?” asked Burnett. The Army has categorized the shooting as a case of “workplace violence.” “Sickens me. Absolutely sickens me. Workplace violence? I don't even know if I have the words to say,” said Burnett. "They don't need to be treated like this. They don't need to sit and fight every day for this benefit or that,” said Torey Burnett. As that fight continues, Burnett was stunned to see a letter detailing the more $278,000 Hasan has been paid since his arrest. NBC 5 Investigates received the letter from the Department of Defense in response to a request under the Freedom of Information Act. "There have been times when my wife and I cannot afford groceries. We cannot afford gas in our car,” Burnett said. “Literally, times where we ate Ramen noodles for weeks on end. This [that Hasan is still earning a paycheck] makes me sick to my stomach,” said Burnett. Burnett isn’t alone in his outrage. “We're giving the defendant in this case every benefit of the doubt. But yet we're not giving the benefits to the victims,” said Rep. Thomas Rooney (R) Florida Rooney, a former prosecutor at Fort Hood, recently signed a bi-partisan letter urging defense secretary Chuck Hagel to "...reclassify the victims' deaths and injuries as 'combat related'..." The letter said the current situation has "...resulted in an embarrassing lack of care and treatment for the victims and their families." “What happened here is not a case of workplace violence. What happened here was an attack on our military by a terrorist element specifically targeting our military, which just so happened to be in the United States of America,” said Rooney. [Continue reading full article here] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ACT for America P.O. Box 12765 Pensacola, FL 32591 www.actforamerica.org ACT for America is an issues advocacy organization dedicated to effectively organizing and mobilizing the most powerful grassroots citizen action network in America, a grassroots network committed to informed and coordinated civic action that will lead to public policies that promote America’s national security and the defense of American democratic values against the assault of radical Islam. We are only as strong as our supporters, and your volunteer and financial support is essential to our success. Thank you for helping us make America safer and more secure. 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