Fort Hood Shootings

[Hellkite]

CNN) -- Eleven people plus a gunman were dead and 31 wounded after the gunman opened fire Thursday on a soldier-processing center at Fort Hood, Texas, officials said.

The gunman was a soldier, and two other soldiers have been detained as suspects, Army Lt. Gen. Bob Cone said.

The slain gunman was identified as Maj. Malik Nadal Hasan, according to a law enforcement source. The source believes he is 39 or 40 years old.

Ten of the other dead also were soldiers, while the remaining one was a civilian police officer who was working as a contractor on the base, Cone said.

Two of the injured were in "very serious" condition, Fort Hood spokesman Christopher Hogue said.

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More than one shooter may have been involved, Cone said.

"All the casualties took place at the initial incident, that took place at 13:30 [1:30 p.m. CT], at the soldier readiness facility," Cone said.

My thoughts are with the Family and and friend of our falling soldiers
this is on of the worst case of frataside in the history of the US Military history

 

[Oldfogey273]

My prayers go out to all the fallen soldiers families. May they all Rest in Peace.

 

[SciFiFan]

As a vet of the US Army, an American citizen, and a Human being, I find this type of action absolutely deplorable. If he wanted to make a statement against something, there were better ways to do it. With this killer (he stopped being a soldier the moment he open fired) being a major and having a seemingly Muslim name, it will make people wonder where their own soldiers loyalty lies.

My thoughts and prayers goes out to the families and friends of all.

I any of my remark offends anyone, I am sorry, that was not the intention. I have many friends of many ethnicity that would not go so low.

 

[Syf]

That is sad news to hear. My thoughts and prayers will be with the families of the injured and fallen. This never a good to hear of, be it one or more

 

[thunderfoot]

I too am saddened to hear of this. I was stationed at FT Hood in 1st Cav. I am sure as the rest of the details come out, we will discover what brought about this act. It seems to be similar to what happened in Afghansistan when British Army soldiers were shot and killed recently by an Afghani policeman. The world becomes a much poorer place whenever we lose such people, regardless of where they are from or who they are. My condolences and prayers go out for them and their families.

 

[Ryderstorm]

My thoughts and prayers go out to the families of the fallen. God what a devastating week this has been for many people. First the Sowel saga and now this act of ...Well I dont know what to call this yet. But indeed a very sad week.

 

[CrazyFrog1903]

As a current member of the US Army this both angers me and makes me sad. Our enemy is not suppose to wear the same uniform. If the traitor did not want to be deployed. Then he should have gone AWOL and not injured and killed those willing to do thier job. May those who lost thier lives rest in peace.

 

[Muad'Dib]

I've been following the news on this story and the shooter has now been confirmed to be alive, only wounded during the shootings but in stable condition and under guard.

From the looks of it Maj. Hasan, was given a pretty bad performance eval in his last posting in Walter Reed before being assigned to Ft. Hood. There is still no definitive motive known for the shootings though he had frequent arguments with fellow soldiers regarding his opinions that the President should pull troops out from Iraq and Afghanistan.

The other 2 suspects were interviewed, and possibly released, since authorities stated that they believe that Maj. Hasan was working alone.

This is simply horrible and as meager as it is, all I can do is send my condolences to those affected by this tragedy. I hope that those wounded during the attacks can find a complete way to recovery and my thoughts are with all our troops worldwide.

 

[dinosaurJR]

You know, its amazing how the media try to spin things...

It said on the radio here this morning that there was a suspected Al'Qaida involvement in this... But from the info you guys have, it seems more like he was acting alone...

Funny how just days ago, the new Afghani president was calling for peace with Al'Qaida...

IDK, its just horrible - I feel so sorry for the families of the dead, I guess its the last place you expect to die, as a soldier, well away from the battle zone, in your home base...at the hands of one who swore to fight beside you...that man showed no respect, no honour, and he betrayed the trust of the men (and women) who he served with...I say the death penalty would be too lenient... why does events such as this keep happening in the USA? Its senseless...

Again, I feel so sorry for the families of the dead, and also for those wounded.

 

[EAS_Intrepid]

I just read it on a News site. This is horrible, sad...

My condolences to the families of the wounded and killed soldiers. May the wounded heal quickly.

Apparently the shooter was a psychologist who treated soldiers coming from Iraq and Afghanistan and had Post-traumatic stress disorder.

The name, religion or heritage of Mr. Hasan is completly insignificant. His commanding officer stated, that, as of now, there is no evidence that the shooter had connections to any radical muslim groups.

I guess he was in complete horror to be deployed in Iraq, since he treated soldiers coming from there and had very traumatic experiences. Possibly his mind just snapped....
which doesn't justify his coward actions...

In September 22 there was already a murder in Fort Hood. A 22-year old soldier killed is CO and himself.

 

[Borg_Queen]

This is sad news indeed. My condolences to the families of the dead and wounded.

 

[La Patience]

This was just on the ITV news a minute ago, its terrible that someone would do such a thing. It isn't enough that troops our out their with constant danger and now to get killed needlesly at "home".

My thoughts are for their families and those whom are only wounded (although the news says they are seriously wounded)

 

[Katala]

That is indeed rather sad news and our thoughts and prayers go out to the fallen. Humanity seems to be slowly destroying itself

 

[dinosaurJR]

Sorry, I wanted to add something...

You know, grusome as this is, and believe me, I am so sorry for the deaths and the wounded, and the trauma that this has caused, I have heard / read a different story regarding this incident;

Apparently, the guy (an offiver, no less, and a psycho therapist) was having a lot of issues... He was a muslim, enlisted in an army that is fighting a war vs Muslim extremists... He was apparently bullied for being muslim, and raised the issue with superiors on several occasions that he was cracking up - he couldnt handle the pressure, i guess being deployed to a warzone where other muslims would not only be getting killed by his side, but would also be trying to kill him and his friends pushed him all the way over to "section 8".

Aparently, he even tried to resign, offering to pay back all the money the Army payed him, and for his education, he was (and believe me, Im not bad mouthing the army, they do an honourable and very very important job) turned down and still set for deployment to Iraq.

I dont know the full story, but it does kind seem that he snapped... but how the hell, if he was working alone did he get hold of the two pistols...?

I am a firm believer in that you sign up - and thats it. Soldiers dont set policy, they inforce it. They should not be allowed to pick and choose the missions they are sent on due to thier personal beliefs / agendas - the army defends democracy, and the interests of democracy abroad - but the army is not a democracy. Its really that simple. ou h\just cant pick and choose what you are ordered to do.

"Ours is not to reason why; ours is but to do and die..."​

Being a Soldier is not like any normal job - you will be told to do things you dont agre with - thats why you must think long and hard before signing up - once your in, its hard to get out again.

However, this soldier was clearly unwell - how ill do you have to be to walk into a room full of comrades, people you have sworn to defend and fight beside, and open fire?

[/My two cents]

 

[thunderfoot]

Does it really matter to those he shot dead why he did it? I was a US Army Platoon Sergeant. Although my service has long been over, I can state with some accuracy the US Army I was part of did not tolerate bullying. I cannot see such a fundamental policy rule concerning personal behavior towards another soldier changing so much since my service. What is more every single unit has or should have access to someone whose additional training and duties include training to identify and prevent bullying or discrimination. And an obligation to report any such to to the chain of command at once or assist those who have been bullied or discriminated against.

He is an officer. He took the same oath I did. Then he broke it. Apparently in the 21st Century it is entirely okay to evade any kind of personal accountability or responsibility. What is more if one does something such as this person did and waits long enough, the news media or someone else will come up with a perfectly plausible explanation as to why this occurred. Further, in the process of explaining, attempt to deflect/mitigate some of the blame and guilt onto others. Nonsense. The dead did not do anything at all to earn this. Neither did their families.

 

[dinosaurJR]

I wanted to respond to the above post. I posted here, but decided it better to respond in private.

 

[Ryderstorm]

I will say this out in the open and try not to become to political with my statement.

I hate to say this but I suspect that we(the general public) will never know the truth behind the reasons why this gruesome trajedy happened.

The first information that was leaked out about this incident was the primary suspects name. Before anything else came out we had a name. And what did that name point towards? Now for the next coming weeks we are gonna here a lot of rhetoric from the US government. When all is said and done I have a feeling that the responsibilty for this incident is going to be linked to radical islamic conections. And if that is not the case then the blame will fall on someone else. I am allmost willing to gurantee that if some islamic or muslim group is not blamed then it will be someone in the military chain of command, and yet another posibilty is that the "oh its not his fault because he was ill" excuse.

Hardly nobody is ever given sole responsibilty for their actions anymore. The media does not work this way, neither does the governments, neither does the individual either.

In the end there will be so much spin applied to this event that no one will ever be able to decipher what really was the cause except for the very select few.

Now that I have said that I will say that these are my personal views. I dont hide behind this words I stand right along side them. I will also say that its a **** shame to have to sit here and watch this spectacle unfold. We will watch as the media sensationalizes this event. Just as they did with Columbine and with the Sowel case in Cleveland. And the victims and their families shouldnt have to go through none of this.

May the fallen rest in peace...

 

[dinosaurJR]

I agree totally, well said.

 

[CrazyFrog1903]

I believe everyone agrees on how bad this event was. I also believe everyone has given thier respects to the fallen. While everyone is open to thier opinion, this thread is primed for a debate over politics and religion. Two subjects that are easy fuel for flame wars. So, I am going to lock this thread now and call it good. Also, all future threads on the shooting, unless started by a staff member, will be locked as well. If you feel this move is wrong, you are welcome to PM myself, or any of the 3 admins that out rank me on the site. But like I said, I think we all agree it should not have happened, we all wish a quick and complete recovery for the injured, and all wish the deceased will rest in peace. I also say this as a Specialist in the US Army. Thanks for everyones posts. -Specialist CFrog.