Hundreds honor those lost, wounded in Nov. 5 shooting as memorial is dedicated - Killeen, TX
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WalksfarTX
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Soldiers who were shot in one of the bloodiest mass shootings in American history, as well as family members of the fallen, were reunited today, more than six years after the 2009 Fort Hood shooting that left 13 people dead and 31 wounded.
Waymark Code: WMWEP7
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 08/24/2017
Views: 0
Killeen Daily Herald
Dozens of families who lost sons, daughters, spouses and other loved ones were in Killeen today for the official dedication of the “November 5, 2009 Fort Hood Memorial,” an outdoor memorial that honors those who were killed and wounded in the shooting.
The $400,000 memorial — which was paid for through donations and in-kind services — includes a gazebo, 13 statues symbolizing those killed and a flag pole in the center.
The dedication included a 3 p.m. ceremony inside the Killeen Civic and Conference Center, attended by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, Congressmen John Carter and other dignitaries.
Those killed on Nov. 5, 2009, “honored self service above all else,” Abbott said. “Together we all honor their sacrifice.”
Abbott presented Texas Purple Heart medals to family members of the fallen, and pinned the medals onto soldiers who were wounded. Most of them are no longer in the Army.
They were all previously awarded the federal Purple Heart medal in ceremony last April at Fort Hood, after a lengthy battle with the Department of Defense, which originally classified the shooting as workplace violence. An act by Congress reclassified the shooting as a terror attack, paving the way for the Purple Hearts, awarded to soldiers who are killed or wounded in combat.