Rep John Carter | My Amplog

Combat zone designation for Fort Hood massacre transcends semantics

WASHINGTON – Twelve of the 13 casualties in the Fort Hood massacre were soldiers. But were they combatants, and was an Army post in the middle of Texas a combat zone?

If the answer is yes – as many Texas lawmakers say – the victims of Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan’s rampage would be eligible for Purple Hearts and other benefits not typically available for soldiers injured or killed on American soil, including maximum life insurance payouts and extra housing allowances for family.

Last week, Rep. John Carter, R-Round Rock, filed legislation that states that the soldiers shot by Hasan “shall be deemed … to have been killed or wounded in a combat zone as the result of an act of an enemy of the United States.” Read more at www.dallasnews.com