The sign welcoming visitors to Fort Hood hails it as “The Great Place.” With its soldiers reeling and recovering from another on-base shooting rampage, however, that sign is taking on the specter of gallows humor.
A major in the U.S. Army opened fire this afternoon at a processing facility at Fort Hood, Texas, killing 12 and wounding 31 of his fellow soldiers…
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…
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 U.S. military – all of whom must be thinking there but for the grace of God….
(“‘Friendly Fire’ at Fort Hood,” The iPINIONS Journal, November 5, 2009)
I wrote the above five years ago, but it pertains in every material respect to the Iraq War veteran, Ivan Lopez, who opened fire on Wednesday at this same Fort Hood, killing three and wounding 16 of his fellow soldiers … before killing himself. (Hasan was captured, tried, and sentenced to death. He’s currently rotting on federal death row.)
[Lopez] was taking medication and receiving psychiatric help for depression and anxiety, and was undergoing a process to determine whether he had post-traumatic stress disorder.
‘We do not know a motive,’ Lt. Gen. Mark Milley, commanding general of III Corps and Fort Hood, said. ‘We do know that this soldier had behavioral health and mental health issues, and was being treated for that.’
(Associated Press, April 3, 2014)
I felt obliged to acknowledge this tragic episode, but I see no point in commenting any further. Well, except to note that it finally gave those ratings-seeking vultures at CNN a better rubbernecking tragedy to cover than the non-news story of the Malaysian airliner that disappeared four weeks ago.
Accordingly, until the next soldier goes postal, it will suffice to extend my condolences to all families affected this time.
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