More than five years after a gunman opened fire on unarmed soldiers inside a Fort Hood medical processing center, victims of the deadliest mass shooting on a U.S. military post in history were honored Friday.
With about 1,000 people watching in front of III Corps Headquarters, 38 medals were presented to soldiers and civilians — or their family members — who were shot by Nidal Hasan on Nov. 5, 2009.
“There were days that I wondered if it was ever going to happen,” said former Staff Sgt. Eric Jackson, a Killeen resident who was shot by Hasan. He said he has struggled for years with the emotional and physical toll of the shooting and questioned if he and others would ever receive Purple Heart medals, normally reserved for soldiers injured or killed in combat zones.
Lt. Gen. Sean MacFarland, III Corps and Fort Hood commander, along with Secretary of the Army John McHugh awarded the medals.
“It is our hope today that we will help, in some small way, heal the wounds that you have suffered,” MacFarland said.
Others shot by Hasan said the Purple Hearts bring recognition to the pain and suffering many of them have gone through.
“I don’t think the closure is here, but the recognition is surfacing to the top,” said former Chief Warrant Officer 3 Christopher Royal, who was shot twice by Hasan.
Lunsford was shot 7 times
Former Staff Sgt. Alonzo Lunsford Jr., who was shot seven times in the attack, said the feeling of getting the medal pinned on was “priceless.”
“Today was very emotional for me,” he said.
Now a physical education teacher in North Carolina, Lunsford said he visited the site where the shooting occurred Thursday.
The building was torn down after Hasan was convicted of murder in a 2013 court-martial and sentenced to death.
Lunsford said he’s vowed to never forget the victims in the shooting, especially the 13 who were killed. He counts the number dead as 14 because one of the victims — Pfc. Francheska Velez — was pregnant.
“The 14 that were lost — they were here,” Lunsford said.
Twenty-six soldiers who were wounded in the attack received Purple Hearts on Friday, and another 10 were awarded posthumously to family members. Wounded soldiers who were not able to attend the ceremony will be awarded the medal near their hometowns at later dates, officials said.
2 civilians honored
Two Defense of Freedom Medals, the civilian equivalent of the Purple Heart, were awarded to Kimberly Munley, a former Fort Hood police officer who was shot while exchanging gunfire with Hasan, and Michael Cahill, the only civilian killed.
“It is a very big honor,” said Munley, adding she has “made peace in my mind” with everything that happened.
Gov. Greg Abbott, U.S. Sens. John Cornyn, Ted Cruz and Congressmen John Carter, Roger Williams, Michael McCaul and Bill Flores attended the ceremony, along with Sgt. Maj. of the Army Dan Daily and Gen. Mark Milley, commander of U.S. Army Forces Command.
“Texas is proud to be the home of Fort Hood,” Abbott said. “It’s a shame that this day even has to occur.”
Members of Congress fought for years to get the Purple Heart medals to soldiers wounded in the attack, which was designated as “workplace violence” by the Defense Department.
A provision passed in the 2015 National Defense Authorization Act allowed the victims of the shooting to be eligible for the Purple Heart and the Defense of Freedom medals.
The change made victims of an attack inspired or motivated by a U.S. State Department-designated foreign terrorist organization eligible for the medals. The Army approved the awards in February.
Retired Gen. Robert Cone, who was the III Corps and Fort Hood commander at the time of the shooting, said the event and its aftermath impacted thousands of lives.
“No one was more affected than those we honor today,” Cone said.
He praised the many soldiers and emergency crews who rushed to the scene on that tragic day.
“At the moment of the greatest need, these professionals were at their best,” Cone said, adding that is what the “Army is all about.”
Ten of the 30 soldiers wounded still serve on active duty or in the Reserves, MacFarland said.
Hasan, an Army major at the time of the shooting, is now on death row at Fort Leavenworth, Kan.
- Awards presented at ceremony
Purple Heart (wounded in action):
- Lt. Col. Randy Royer
- Capt. Dorothy Carskadon
- Capt. Lt. Brandy Mason
- Chief Warrant Officer 3 Christopher Royal
- Staff Sgt. Michael Davis
- Staff Sgt. Alvin Howard
- Staff Sgt. Eric Jackson
- Staff Sgt. Shawn Manning
- Staff Sgt. Paul Martin
- Staff Sgt. Joy Clark (Nelson)
- Staff Sgt. Thuan Nguyen
- Staff Sgt. Miguel Valdivia
- Staff Sgt. Patrick Zeigler Jr.
- Staff Sgt. Alonzo Lunsford Jr.
- Sgt. Nathan Hewitt
- Sgt. Keara Torkelson (Bono)
- Spc. Logan Burnett
- Spc. Dayna Roscoe (Ferguson)
- Spc. Grant Moxon
- Spc. John Pagel
- Spc. James Armstrong
- Spc. Mick Engnehl
- Spc. Najee Hull
- Pfc. Jonathan Sims
- Pvt. Joseph Foster
- Pvt. Amber Gadlin (Bahr)
Defense of Freedom Medal (wounded in action):
- Kimberly Munley
Purple Heart (killed in action):
- Lt. Col. Juanita Warman
- Maj. Libardo Caraveo
- Capt. John Gaffaney
- Staff Sgt. Justin DeCrow
- Staff Sgt. Amy Krueger
- Spc. Frederick Greene
- Spc. Jason Hunt
- Pfc. Aaron Nemelka
- Pfc. Michael Pearson
- Pfc. Francheska Velez
Defense of Freedom Medal (killed in action):
- Michael Cahill
Wounded soldiers not present (Purple Hearts to be presented at later dates near their home towns):
- Spc. Matthew Cooke
- Pfc. Justin Johnson
- Pfc. George Stratton III
- Pvt. Alan Carroll
Killed solders whose families were not present (Purple Hearts to be presented at later dates):
- Capt. Russell Seager
- Spc. Kham Xiong