Medals for Fort Hood victims opposed

WASHINGTON, April 1 (UPI) -- The U.S. Department of Defense says it opposes giving Purple Hearts to victims of a 2009 shooting rampage at Fort Hood, Texas.

A position paper, delivered by the Pentagon to congressional staff members Friday, says giving the award, for injuries sustained in combat, to those injured at Fort Hood could "irrevocably alter the fundamental character of this time-honored decoration."

The Defense Department prepared the paper in response to proposed legislation by Rep. John Carter, R-Texas, whose district includes the Fort Hood military base. His bill would award combatant status to both military and civilian casualties of the shooting, ABC News reported Monday.

Thirteen people were killed and 32 injured in the November 2009 shootings on the base. Maj. Nidal Hasan, the alleged shooter, awaits a military trial on premeditated murder and attempted murder charges.