PrintNovember 7, 2010
Obama's Fort Hood amnesia
On the first anniversary of the Fort Hood massacre, Barack Hussein Obama and an entourage of 3,000 left Washington D.C. for India. As Mr. Obama and his fellow travelers were racking up $200 million a day in expenses, a solemn ceremony honoring the victims of Major Nidal Hasan was keeping the faith at the Central Texas army base.
Not willing to believe that the president or the White House staff could be so callous and disrespectful as to simply blow-off the soldiers, civilian staff, police and families whose lives were forever changed on November 5, 2009, I searched the whitehouse.gov website for some proof that the commander in chief really does care. Among the ‘Statements and Releases’ was the ‘Weekly Address: President Obama Calls for Compromise and Explains his Priorities on Taxes,’ the ‘Statement by the President on Diwali’ and a ‘Readout of the President’s Call with the SanFrancisco Giants.’ Not a word anywhere about Fort Hood.
A search of ‘Presidential Actions’ revealed ‘Presidential Proclamation-Veteran’s Day’ and ‘Presidential Proclamation-Military Family Month,’ wrapped around proclamations for a free trade agreement for Bahrain and National Adoption Month. No mention of the first anniversary of the Fort Hood massacre, not a word.
A search of ‘Presidential Actions’ revealed ‘Presidential Proclamation-Veteran’s Day’ and ‘Presidential Proclamation-Military Family Month,’ wrapped around proclamations for a free trade agreement for Bahrain and National Adoption Month. No mention of the first anniversary of the Fort Hood massacre, not a word.
Meanwhile in Mumbai Mr. Obama addressed a group of survivors and government officials, The Times of India reports:
US President Barack Obama on Saturday struck a strong bond with his audience at Mumbai’s Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, which bore the brunt of 26/11 terror, by saying America shared India’s grief over the attacks and would not forget the savagery.But not all 26/11 survivors were impressed, especially as Obama desisted from mentioning the Pakistan connection to the terror strike: something that has been established in the investigation by US’s own agencies.
A large number of Indians remain skeptical of Mr. Obama‘s intentions and many like writer Bhisham Mansukhani (a 26/11 survivor) are angry that conspirator David Headley remains in U.S. custody. Echoing the sentiment of a growing number of his countrymen, Mansukhani said that Headley “deserved to be in an Indian prison. Unless that happens Obama’s visit is meaningless. If he doesn’t give us Headley, he doesn’t give a damn about victims of attack.”
If Mr. Obama had gone to Fort Hood to honor the victims, their friends and family and the survivors of Major Hasan’s attack he would have been on hand when Sgt. 1st Class Maria Guerra was honored for her actions on that fateful day. The Dallas Morning News reports that Sgt. Guerra was honored for securing the front doors of the medical processing building during the attack and then organizing the other nurses and medics to help treat the wounded.
“Don’t ever forget us,” Guerra said. “Do not forget about us. That’s what we’d like to ask the rest of the country.”
Sadly those words did not reach the ears of the commander in chief .
