By Bill Perry
July 1, 2018

Almost nine years since the Ft. Hood Massacre and the victims and their families are still facing trauma every day, reliving the horror they went through on November 5, 2009, according to COL (RET), US Army, Dr. Kathy Platoni. She was on duty that day and is a survivor. The aftermath is still with her every day.

As a nationally renowned expert in the treatment of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, in 2015, COL Dr. Platoni was sworn in as a member of the 4th Civil Support and Sustainment Brigade, Ohio Military Reserve; and is now back in uniform for her 35th year, this time as Chief Psychologist for State Defense Forces. She has been a practicing clinical psychologist for more than 35 years and maintains her private practice in Centerville, Ohio. In service of her country and as an Army Reserve clinical psychologist, she has deployed on four occasions in time of war.

At 1:34 PM that fateful day, a US Army major and psychiatrist, Nidal Hasan, opened fire in the Soldier Readiness Processing Center, killing 14 people including an unborn child and wounding 32. Dr. Platoni, who was scheduled to become the shooter’s supervisor and later was told that she was at the top of his kill list, lost a close friend, Capt. John Gaffney, who died at her knees.

Eyewitness statements indicate that after pausing to bow his head, the shooter, armed with an FN 5-7 pistol and a Smith and Wesson .357 magnum revolver, stood up, suddenly shouting, “Allahu Akbar!” (God is great), seconds before spraying a hail of bullets throughout the room and before taking direct aim at soldiers in uniform, one a pregnant soldier who pleaded for the life of her unborn child. In the ten minutes following and without regard for their own safety, dozens of soldiers rushed to save the lives of the fallen and to remove them from harm’s way.

As a survivor, Dr. Platoni’s efforts were very instrumental in the awarding of the Purple Heart Medal to the Fort Hood wounded and to the families of those who lost their lives on that tragic day. “They were awarded under a special clause of the National Defense Authorization Act, but not all medical compensation benefits are being awarded,” she emphasized. It is a hang-up that won’t go away because the Ft. Hood Massacre is not considered an act of terrorism, nor Nidal Hasan an enemy of the state. As a result, medical benefits, combat action badges and medical badges have not been awarded. “But this shooting happened when we were on active duty, getting ready to deploy to Afghanistan, which we did anyway,” she said.

Dr. Platoni has been an ardent activist and voice for reconsideration of this shooting incident as terror to assure that the wounded and the families of the deceased are awarded long overdue benefits. “I’ve had a lot of support from colleagues, but none as far as anybody in DoD, VA and the U.S. Government. The only one who has stepped up to help me is Congressman Warren Davidson (R-Ohio, 8th District) and his incredible staffer, Ben Thaeler, who has been working with me for six months.”

Dr. Platoni has been shut down despite all of the efforts from Congressman Davidson, because the House Armed Services Committee will not consider the proposed legislation to change the Fort Hood Massacre shooting designation to a terror incident. “In addition, Congressman Davidson was unable to get, through Freedom of Information requests that I submitted, the transcripts of the Court Marshall. I also was unable to get copies of any of the sworn statements taken in the aftermath of the shootings from the FBI, Army CID, and the Texas Rangers,” she said.

Survivors are not getting the entitlements they deserve because of government actions. Dr. Platoni said these benefits are always awarded as a result of military engagement for soldiers wounded in action. The benefits would include:

Special Compensation for Assistance with Activities of Daily Living
Traumatic Injury Protect Under Service Member’s Group Life Insurance
Social Security Disability
TRICARE Benefits
Concurrent Retirement and Disability Pay
Combat-Related Special Compensation
Education and Training Benefits

Platoni said that additionally, the families of the deceased should also receive all entitlements due to them retroactive to November 5, 2009. This should include, but has not been provided:

Full reimbursement for burial benefits for deceased service members killed in this terrorist attack, which includes a gravesite in any VA national cemetery with available space, perpetual care of the grave at no cost to the family, a government provided headstone or marker, Presidential Memorial Certificate, and provision of the American burial flag.
Dependency and Indemnity Compensation monthly for surviving spouses, with additional benefits for dependent children.
Life insurance carried at the highest level, currently $400,000.
Access to Tricare benefits for surviving spouses and dependent children
Refund in full of Service Members unused portions of GI Bill benefit contributions
Educational assistance through the VA’s Survivors’ and Dependents’ Educational Assistance Program.
VA-guaranteed home loan accessibility for surviving spouses and children.

A soldier injured in line-of-duty during the Fort Hood Massacre by other than gunshot wounds would also be entitled to these benefits.

At the time of the dedication of the Fort Hood Memorial in March of 2016, the Department of Defense and federal law enforcement agencies continued to classify the Fort Hood Massacre of 2009 an act of workplace violence by a disgruntled employee. All requests by the survivors and the family members of the slain to reclassify this mass execution as a terrorist act have been denied.

Families also filed suit against the government in November of 2011, charging willful negligence in preventing the acts of the shooter and compelling this reclassification as an unmistakable act of terrorism.

In addition, on November 5, 2012, a wrongful death suit was filed against the US Government, the shooter, and the estate of Anwar al-Awlaki by 148 plaintiffs, including the victims of the massacre and their families, alleging violations of due process, intentional misrepresentation, assault and battery, gross negligence, and civil conspiracy.

Al-Awlaki, considered a clear security threat to the United States by the FBI and the subject of several investigations by the Joint Terrorism Task Force because of his involvement in operational planning for the Islamic militant group, al Qaeda, had supported the shooter for his personal jihad against American Soldiers and blessed his acts against such military targets.

Dr. Platoni said the necessity of such legal proceedings has become a dagger to the souls of the victims of this rampage, as well as the grieving survivors and their loved ones, adding to the trauma and wounds that will last a lifetime, stemming from this mass murder.

She said most Americans have long forgotten this national tragedy and remain far removed from the long trail of damages that remain. Dr. Platoni vows to continue fighting for the services hoping that her efforts to continue speaking out will rekindle public interest and help to impact a change.

She admits that at this point, after all of her work and advocacy, the only way forward is a designation from President Donald Trump. Dr. Platoni has reached out to Congressman Davidson’s office to help her get a meeting with the President to request an executive order to reconsider the Fort Hood Massacre an act of terrorism.