Ft. Hood victim: Hasan warnings ignored

NEW YORK, June 16 (UPI) -- A survivor of the 2009 massacre at Fort Hood said he remained bitter the accused gunman was able to remain in the U.S. Army despite some ominous behavior.

Maj. Nadal Hasan had come under FBI scrutiny after reportedly making e-mail contact with a radical Muslim cleric with links to al-Qaida in the weeks prior to the deadly shooting spree. However, he remained on active duty.

"You could lose your security clearance in the Army for having bad credit and be kicked out of the Army. But you can't lose your security clearance for talking to a member of al-Qaida, through e-mail. It doesn't make any sense," Staff Sgt. Shawn Manning told FoxNews.com.

Manning, who was shot six times in the melee, said he did not consider Hasan to be an officer and fellow soldier but rather one of the "domestic enemies" he swore an oath to defend the United States against.

"He tried to kill soldiers," said Manning. "I mean, he was an enemy -- plain and simple."

Hasan was charged with killing 13 people and injuring 43. Another survivor, Pvt. George Stratton, told Fox he and other wounded troops experienced a moment of dread when someone yelled out that the gunman was coming back to shoot the wounded.

"I just sat there," Stratton said. "(I) felt hopeless waiting for this person to come in and finish the job."

Stratton and Manning were interviewed for the first time since the incident for an upcoming episode of "Fox Files," FoxNews.com said.