A major in the US Army opened fire this afternoon at a processing facility at Fort Hood, Texas, killing 12 and wounding 31 of his fellow soldiers. (And given the nature of their wounds, the death toll is likely to increase.)
Preliminary reports indicated that military police killed him at the scene. But, even though shot, he’s evidently still alive and in custody. Two other soldiers who were arrested as suspects have since been released.
Fort Hood is the largest military base in the world. It is home to over 50,000 personnel. In providing initial insights as to motive, military commentators focused on the role Fort Hood plays not only as the place of no return for soldiers heading off to war but also as a debriefing center for those returning from war.
On the one hand, they suggested that the anxieties of an 18-year-old soldier being deployed for his first tour of duty might have triggered this massacre; while on the other, they suggested that it could have been the post-traumatic stress of a seasoned soldier coping with multiple deployments.
But I imagine this will all change, even if subtly, now that the gunman has been named as Nidal Malik Hasan. For, even though none of them would dare say so, I suspect most commentators are thinking that this gunman must have been an al Qaeda operative/sympathizer or a garden-variety Muslim fanatic.
Never mind the complicating irony that Hassan (39) is a psychiatrist who specialized in treating combat stress disorder. Also, he reportedly harbored conscientious (Islamic) objections to being deployed to fight against fellow Muslims, which he was scheduled to do on November 28.
Whatever the case, there’s no denying that the shock of having a military officer perpetrate this massacre is compounded by the fear that this perfectly sane and rational soldier might have been inspired to act by al-Qaeda propaganda. Not to mention that it now forces military brass to wonder whether there are any others like him, simmering with jihadist fervor and just waiting to attack: beware the anti-Muslim witch hunt / backlash….
It’s difficult enough when we lose these great Americans in battles overseas. It’s horrifying that they should come under fire at an Army base on American soil.
(President Obama)
Frankly, I would like to think that this “horrific outburst of violence” will compel Obama to reconsider his decision to send more troops to Afghanistan. But I fear it will have no such impact.
Meanwhile, whatever Hasan’s motive, I’ve always marveled at the fact that the post-traumatic stress of fighting in two senseless wars hasn’t driven many more soldiers to go postal….
My thoughts and prayers go out to the families of those affected and to all members of the US military – all of whom must be thinking there but for the grace of God….
Related commentaries:
Picture of Obama saluting war dead…
veronica pagano says
I resent the fact that you call this horrific act entitled, “Friendly Fire”. How dare you call it that. You need to apologize to the American Public and ServicePeople all over the world, sir.
peg says
This was a terrorist act against our US military! Not friendly fire. Better do some investigative reporting……….