Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan's execution date set; calls for terrorism reclassification reignite

FORT HOOD, Texas - Survivors of the 2009 mass shooting are confronting a complex mix of emotions following a historic announcement.

Nearly 17 years ago, 13 people were killed by former Army major Nidal Hasan.

Nidal Hasan execution

The backstory:

An execution date has been set for Nidal Hasan, the former Army major and psychiatrist who carried out the deadly rampage. 

Pentagon Chief Spokesperson Sean Parnell announced on X that Secretary of War Pete Hegseth recommended, and President Donald Trump approved, the death by the U.S. firing squad for Hasan. 

It has been scheduled for Dec. 3 at 1 p.m., the execution—which the Pentagon intends to livestream—would mark the first U.S. military execution since 1961.

Survivor of shooting speaks out

Local perspective:

For survivors who have carried the trauma for almost two decades, the news brings a sharp focus back to an unresolved fight for justice and official recognition.

Julia Wilson was serving as a civil service civilian on post on Nov. 5, 2009, when the gunfire broke out. She was nine months pregnant.

"I’m never going to see the face of my child. I’m not going to live through this, they’re going to cut him out of my corpse, what’s going to happen to him?" Wilson recalled thinking during the chaos.

The shooting left 13 people dead and 32 injured. Wilson remembered the intensity of the attack as Hasan opened fire inside the processing center.

"The gunfire was so rapid, it was almost like an M-16 was going off just rapid, rapid fire," she said.

Wilson, who thinks about the victims every day, says she wants to be present at the execution, so Hasan knows she was not one of his victims.

Could there be potential legal delays?

Dig deeper:

Despite the set date, legal experts caution that Hasan’s execution may not occur as scheduled.

Eugene Fidell, who teaches military justice at Yale Law School, noted that Hasan could exercise his legal right to challenge his detention in federal court.

"How could that happen? It could happen if Dr. or Major Hasan exercises his right to go to federal district court for a writ of habeas corpus, which is the legal remedy for people who believe they should not be in custody for violation of the U.S. Constitution or other applicable laws," Fidell explained.

Fidell added that invoking habeas corpus could significantly prolong the timeline.

"If he seeks habeas corpus, he will outlive the Trump administration because these cases last for years and years. Even when the government exerts itself and when the courts exert themselves to move things along, it's not uncommon for these cases to last many years," Fidell said. "So I would say we'll know in the next few weeks whether this is going to come to closure sooner, or whether we're in for another prolonged wait."

Fight over terrorism classification and benefits

Big picture view:

While Wilson hopes the execution proceeds, she emphasizes that capital punishment alone will not bring full closure. She and other survivors are urging the Trump administration to formally reclassify the shooting as an act of domestic terrorism rather than "workplace violence".

Survivors argue that the official workplace violence designation has created significant barriers to care, particularly for civilian workers on post.

"If you're going to give justice, give full justice because it needs to be deemed domestic terrorism, not workplace violence," Wilson said. "Hasan needs to be deemed an enemy of the state."

The distinction carries major financial and medical implications for victims.

"Workplace violence doesn’t allow for those of us who were not severely injured, that didn’t have physical wounds, to obtain access to any help," Wilson explained. "Any help that I’ve gotten has been paid out of my pocket."

Alongside the terrorism reclassification, Wilson is calling on the administration to establish a dedicated benefits package and official awards for civil service civilians equal to what military service members received. She noted that civilians stood in the same building, faced the same gunman, and the same bullets.

"We fought for 17 years to be heard, and we’ve been betrayed," Wilson said. "It’s been a huge slap in the face, and it’s delaying any type of healing from being able to occur."

In Wilson's fight, she has written a letter to President Donald Trump: 

Wilson also has a book sharing more of her story, Rebellion of the Forgotten, "The Fort Hood Massacre."

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