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“This was not workplace violence – everyone seems to know that but the Army and White House”

January 29, 2014

In an interview with Congressman Roger Williams (TX-25) today, Sgt. Alonzo Lunsford, a victim of the 2009 Fort Hood shooting, said the President has broken his promise to take care of the victims and survivors of the massacre. The four-minute video of the interview can be viewed or downloaded here.

"It's an embarrassment to have my commander-in-chief not fulfill his promise that he made to the families of the 14 deceased and the 32 survivors," Lunsford said. "One thing he stated verbatim was to ‘do not fear, we will take care of your families, the killed, wounded and injured.' He has not done that."

Lunsford was shot seven times by the former Army psychiatrist who was convicted and sentenced to death. His injuries left him blind in one eye, required multiple surgeries and the removal of internal organs, and resulted in a traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder. His 100-pound white great Pyrenees service dog Bomber, provided to him by K9s For Warriors, now accompanies him at all times.

"Some of my brothers and sisters that were with me that day are going to lose their homes. They don't have the proper healthcare they are supposed to receive, and they have not been given the benefits or honor to be given to an injured service member that was injured in Iraq or Afghanistan," said Lunsford.

Because the White House considers the mass shooting "workplace violence," rather than a terrorist attack, the victims do not receive combat-related benefits.

"Nobody in America thinks this was just a disgruntled employee…nobody but the President," Williams said. "The shooter is a self-proclaimed terrorist with ties to terrorist groups who admitted to shooting his fellow soldiers, saying he switched sides in what he called a U.S. war on Islam. He renounced his U.S. citizenship, abandoned his military oath as a commissioned officer, and said his Army uniform marks him as an enemy of Islam. For the commander-in-chief to ignore the evidence and neglect the victims is a disgrace to all who wear the uniform. The President needs to act now and restore the well-deserved, well-earned benefits for those whose lives were forever affected by this act of terror."

Williams, along with Congressman John Carter (R-TX31) and 225 House members, have been pushing for passage of H.R. 3111, the Honoring the Fort Hood Heroes Act. This bipartisan bill would ensure the victims receive the benefits and military awards they deserve along with labeling the shooting as a terrorist attack. The Federal Government set a historic precedent when it awarded military victims of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks with the Purple Heart medal, and civilian victims with the Secretary of Defense Medal for the Defense of Freedom, and this legislation will continue that precedent for the Fort Hood victims.

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Issues:Military