More than fifteen years have passed since the deadliest attack on a military installation in American history, and now the man responsible will face a firing squad. Retired Staff Sergeant Alonzo Lunsford, who survived multiple gunshot wounds during the Fort Hood massacre, has announced his intention to witness the execution of Nidal Malik Hasan.
President Donald Trump has approved the execution by firing squad for Hasan, a former Army major who murdered thirteen people and wounded more than thirty others on November 5, 2009. The terrorist attack occurred when Hasan opened fire on unarmed soldiers and civilians at the Texas military base while shouting “Allahu Akbar.”
Lunsford, who stands at six feet nine inches, sustained several gunshot wounds during the rampage, including one to the head. Speaking recently about the forthcoming execution, he expressed a straightforward view of justice. “You live by the sword, you die by the sword,” Lunsford said. “And the way that he went about doing his deed was a coward’s way because we didn’t have any way to defend ourselves that day.”
The survivor explained that his presence at the execution serves a dual purpose. First, it offers families of the deceased an opportunity to close a painful chapter in their lives. Second, it provides survivors with a measure of closure while sending an unmistakable message that such acts of terrorism will not be tolerated in the armed services or anywhere in the United States.
The emotional toll of the attack continues to reverberate through the lives of survivors and the families of victims. Lunsford noted that holidays have become permanent reminders of loss. Families who lost loved ones will never again share Christmas, Thanksgiving, or Easter with them. Even for survivors who can still celebrate these occasions, the shadow of that November day remains present.
“Me personally, the holidays will never be the same for me,” Lunsford acknowledged. “But what I can do for the ones that I lost that day is to live for them and to keep fighting so that we will never have this happen again.”
Hasan remains on military death row at Fort Leavenworth in Kansas. If carried out, his execution will mark the first by the United States military since 1961. The military has not employed a firing squad for an execution since 1945, making this case historically significant from both legal and procedural standpoints.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth recommended the method of execution, which President Trump subsequently approved. The decision represents a clear statement from the administration regarding the prosecution of terrorism on American soil, particularly when directed against military personnel.
The Fort Hood attack represented a stark failure in the military’s ability to protect its own personnel on domestic installations. The victims were unarmed, engaged in routine medical processing, when Hasan began his assault. The attack was later classified as an act of terrorism, though this designation took years to achieve and became a point of controversy regarding benefits for survivors and families.
As the date of execution approaches, Lunsford and others affected by the tragedy prepare to witness the final chapter of a case that has spanned more than a decade and a half. For them, justice delayed has not been justice denied, but the weight of waiting has been considerable. The execution will not restore what was lost that day in Texas, but it may provide a measure of peace to those who survived and to those who still grieve.
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