Fort Hood Shooter Got “Terror War” Medal

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Michael Isikoff

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Mark Hosenball

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Mark Hosenball

One awkward aspect of the official military record of Maj. Nidal M. Hasan, the accused Fort Hood shooter, is the fact that he was decorated with something called the “Global War on Terrorism Service Medal.” What exactly is this decoration? An Army spokesman told NEWSWEEK that the medal is “awarded to all U.S. military personnel who are serving on active duty while the U.S. is engaged in the Global War on Terrorism, regardless of where they serve.” In other words, it’s not an award for heroism, achievement or valor—it’s awarded to everyone who has actively been on military service during the war on terror, which presumably means since 9/11. Though no evidence has so far emerged to link Hasan or his rampage to any international plot or terror group, there would certainly appear to be some irony in his receipt of a medal for fighting a war in which he arguably made a contribution—but ultimately to the wrong side.