Government pressed to declare Fort Hood massacre a terrorist act SAN ANTONIO (Reuters) - Survivors of the 2009 shooting rampage at the Fort Hood, Texas military base began on Thursday an effort to convince the Obama administration to classify the incident as an act of terrorism, a change that would clear the way for them to receive benefits. The government currently classifies the November 5, 2009 shootings at the military base, in which 13 people died and 32 were wounded, as an act of workplace violence. Army Major Nidal Hasan is accused of carrying out the massacre and is awaiting a court martial at Fort Hood. Active duty members of the military who were wounded and the relatives of those killed say a declaration that they were killed or wounded by a terrorist could make them eligible for medical benefits, compensation and the Purple Heart. Even victims who wouldn't be eligible for such benefits say the change is important. "All I want is for the government to take responsibility and acknowledge that they failed, and this was an act of terrorism," said Kimberly Munley, one of two civilian Fort Hood police officers who confronted and shot Hasan during the rampage. "It would restore my faith in our government and our ability to protect our national security," said Munley, who was among those wounded in the shootings. Hasan, 41, an Army psychiatrist, is accused of jumping on a table at a processing center at Fort Hood and opening fire on a group of soldiers who were undergoing medical exams in preparation for their deployment to Iraq. He could receive the death penalty if convicted. His trial has been delayed due to a dispute over whether he can keep a beard that he says he grew because of his Islamic faith. Army spokesman George Wright did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the proposal to change the classification, but he sent a list of criteria for the Purple Heart. Among the people eligible for the honor are those serving with one of the U.S. Armed Services who are wounded or killed "in any action against an enemy of the United States," according to Army regulations. Jeffrey Addicott, who heads the Center for Terrorism Law at St. Mary's University in San Antonio, said that federal law requires that the Fort Hood incident be redefined. "The USA Patriot Act defines "domestic terrorism' as the "unlawful use of force or violence by a group or individuals committed against persons in furtherance of political or social objectives,'" Addicott told Reuters, referring to the law that was passed in response to the September 11, 2001 attacks. Even as the trial process drags on, he is open about his devotion to radical Islam as the reason he murdered. U.S. Representative Michael McCaul, a Texas Republican who chairs the oversight subcommittee of the House Homeland Security Committee, called the Department of Defense's classification "inconceivable." McCaul and U.S. Representative John Carter, a Republican whose district includes Fort Hood, wrote Army Secretary John McHugh this week to urge him to reclassify the incident as an act of domestic terrorism. Staff Sergeant Shawn Manning, who was shot six times in the Fort Hood massacre, said he has attempted without success to get the Army to declare his wounds, which left him in constant pain, labeled "combat-related." As for those who died, he said: "I think the family members deserve that recognition, to know that their son, daughter, husband, sacrificed their life that day protecting this country." Editing by Corrie MacLaggan and Paul Simao