In 2009, the nation was horrified when it was announced that a live shooter was at the Fort Hood base. When the dust settled, 13 people were dead, and dozens were injured.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth now wants to have the shooter put to death.
The shooting was carried out by Major Nidal Hasan.
On November 5, 2009, he entered the Soldier Readiness Processing Center, where his unit was preparing for deployment.
After asking to see another Major, he went behind the desk, bowed his head, then yelled "Allahu Akbar !" before opening fire on everyone in the office.
SGT Michael Davis was an eyewitness to the shooting, and he stated, "The rate of fire was pretty much constant shooting. When I initially heard it, it sounded like an M16."
Hegseth is now reportedly seeking permission to carry out a military execution, which has not taken place in this country for decades.
He stated, "I am 100% committed to ensuring the death penalty is carried out for Nidal Hasan. This savage terrorist deserves the harshest lawful punishment for his 2009 mass shooting at Fort Hood. The victims and survivors deserve justice without delays."
This was an act of terrorism, and I can still remember very clearly the day this happened and news stories coming across the ticker. It was horrific, and an example needs to be set to ensure it never happens again.
Hegseth has been surrounded in controversy since taking his post, but this is a no-brainer as far as I am concerned. A death sentence should have already been carried out, in my opinion, considering the gravity of the crime.
This is not something that happens very often in our military, with the last execution taking place in 1961 when John Bennett was hanged at Fort Leavenworth.
Bennett, a black Army private, had been convicted of raping and attempting to kill an 11-year-old Austrian girl.
While the execution got little attention back then, it would have likely set our streets on fire today. Eugene R. Fidell, who teaches military justice at Yale Law School, explained, “The biggest concern with the military death penalty was that it fell disproportionately on African-American soldiers.”
During World War 11, there were 70 soldiers executed, and 55 of them were black, even though blacks only made up 10% of the Army at the time. The case was brought before President Kennedy, but he declined to get involved in the case. Today, I doubt such a case would even be considered for execution, but I just don't see that resistance in what Hegseth is asking for here.
