Letter: Fort Hood was terrorist attack
In this courtroom sketch, Staff Sgt. Alonzo Lunsford, rear right, testifies in front of military prosecutor Col. Steve Henricks, center, as presiding judge Col. Tara Osborn looks on during the court-martial of Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan in Fort Hood, Texas. (Aug. 6, 2013) Credit: AP
Why is it that so many of us have such difficulty coming to terms with the fact that Maj. Nidal Hasan, by his own admission, is a committed jihadist? ["Jury convicts Hasan," News, Aug. 24].
He has never wavered from the claim that he murdered 13 soldiers and wounded 32 more to prevent them from deployment to Iraq and Afghanistan, where they would be killing his fellow Islamists. Yet the trial judge, Col. Tara Osborn, suggests that this could all have been avoided were it not for a spontaneous flash of anger. This is wrongheaded and naive, and even drew a rebuke from Hassan himself.
The dead and wounded deserve to be honored for the brave military men and women they were and are, not as the victims of some workplace violence. They deserve Purple Hearts along with the lasting respect of this nation for the combat injuries inflicted upon them and the sacrifices they and their families have made and continue to make.
William Plackenmeyer, Deer Park
