Ret. Army Sgt. Howard Ray, awarded for saving the lives of 9 people in the Ft. Hood massacre, said it's a "slap in the face" that the 2009 incident is not called terrorism.
"It really is a slap in the face that the Department of Defense called this something other than what it truly is — that is, terrorism," Ray said Monday on "Fox & Friends."
Ray, who is running for the Texas state House, called on the White House to label the shooting rampage an act of terrorism so that the victims can receive appropriate compensation.
"What's important is that government officials, starting at the White House, demand that this be, first of all, classified as it is, terrorism," Ray said.
U.S. Army Maj. Nidal Hasan, who allegedly held extremist Muslim beliefs, admitted to the shooting rampage in November 2009 that killed 13 people and injured more than 30 others.
Hasan last week was found guilty of 13 counts of murder and 32 counts of attempted murder.
The tragic event has been referred to as an incident of workplace violence, rather than terrorism. Because of that designation, the military victims of Hasan's rampage have been denied certain combat-related benefits that could possibly have been available to them under other circumstances.
Ray pointed to the issue of political correctness as an obstacle in designating the shootings an act of terrorism.
"We've really got to remove the ideals of political correctness. I think that's one of the things that got us to where we are today. And certainly, I believe there was enough evidence to support that," he said.
Ray emphasized that it was important as a matter of precedent, should similar acts occur in the future.
"It's important because, if this ever does happen again, honestly, victims of future events do not need to wait four years to be compensated, and don't need to be waiting four years to get their real justice," he said.
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