TX - Mass Shooting at Fort Hood, 5 November 2009 #1

[fran]

http://www.kdhnews.com/news/story.aspx?s=36896

Death toll rises to 13 in Fort Hood mass shooting

Fort Hood officials have confirmed the new death toll from the Fort Hood mass shooting rising to 13 killed and 30 wounded. News of the new numbers came from post around 1:30 a.m. Further updates will continue following a 6:30 a.m. press conference at Fort Hood today.

Earlier reports of the tragic events that unfolded yesterday at Fort Hood and killed 13 were clarified by an evening press conference by Gen. Robert Cone.

Thirteen people were shot and killed Thursday at Fort Hood and another 31 were wounded. The shooter was shot by a civilian Fort Hood officer but was not killed. The shooter, Maj. Malik Hasan, is currently hospitalized.

The female officer who shot the shooter is also hospitalized currently.


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[trigger]

This is so very sad. One civilian killed and 12 soldiers. I feel so sorry for everyones loss. Tragic.

 

[fran]

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/storie...TING?SITE=WIJAN&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

Army says suspect shouted `Allahu Akbar!' before shooting rampage that left 13 people dead

FORT HOOD, Texas (AP) -- The base commander at Fort Hood says soldiers who witnessed a shooting rampage that left 13 people dead reported that the gunman shouted "Allahu Akbar!" before opening fire at the Texas post.

Lt. Gen. Robert Cone told NBC's "Today" show on Friday that suspected shooter, Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, made the comment, which is Arabic for "God is great!" before the rampage Thursday that also left 30 people wounded.

Military officials say they are still piecing together what may have pushed Hasan, an Army psychiatrist trained to help soldiers in distress, to turn on his comrades.

Cone says Hasan was not known to be a threat or risk.

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[danni]

We are going to see this more!

I know this horrible tragedy did not occur because this man was coming back from Iraq and may have nothing to do with PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) but.....

I wish PTSD would get the coverage like TBI(traumatic brain injury) gets. I mean it really took a news journalist that was embedded in Iraq to get REALLLLLLLY messed up to bring a light to TBI and that is sad. THOUSANDS of soldiers dealing with TBI but a news junky gets hurt and its all over the place and stuff gets done about it.

I would not wish it on anyone but maybe if a journalist comes back with severe PTSD something will be done!

 

[trigger]

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/storie...TING?SITE=WIJAN&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

Army says suspect shouted `Allahu Akbar!' before shooting rampage that left 13 people dead

FORT HOOD, Texas (AP) -- The base commander at Fort Hood says soldiers who witnessed a shooting rampage that left 13 people dead reported that the gunman shouted "Allahu Akbar!" before opening fire at the Texas post.

Lt. Gen. Robert Cone told NBC's "Today" show on Friday that suspected shooter, Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, made the comment, which is Arabic for "God is great!" before the rampage Thursday that also left 30 people wounded.

Military officials say they are still piecing together what may have pushed Hasan, an Army psychiatrist trained to help soldiers in distress, to turn on his comrades.

Cone says Hasan was not known to be a threat or risk.

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My heart is racing. Im so angry. This is treason. This coward should hang for what he did . Soon we will see the faces of those he killed. This is horrible. :furious:

 

[Silk]

Without going into too much detail, I worked with a physician from a muslim country. He and I were a department of two so it was a very close relationship. On more than one occasion, I witnessed behavior that screamed red flags to me that the person had the potential for having beliefs/interests that were directly the opposite of what he professed. Behavior that was extremely suspicious.

I reported this on more than one occasion to the powers that be and they thought I was nuts. In my heart of hearts and after 31 years of nursing, I know my gut feelings and there is something not on the up and up with this guy. I could not prove it but I sure as heck saw it on more than one occasion and the reaction to my having done so. Being an MD, most administrators feel they are above reproach. I can totally see where TPTB were aware of this man's issues but his value and status as an MD meant that his reported issues were not dealt with. He was simply packed up and sent elsewhere to be someone else's problem. No one wants to believe after 9/11 that someone they know could be not what they appear to be, Everyone thinks you are just profiling, unfairly.

I still work (not as closely) with the person I observed and I would not be surprised one iota to hear someday that he was involved in some action relating to anti-American issues.

 

[believe09]

I think it is going to be irresistable to jump to all kinds of conclusions in this situation. I am going to sit on my hands until more is known-it is a horrific situation. The commander of FT Hood worked long and hard to try and alleviate the stresses being experienced by his soldiers.

 

[momtective]

http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=9013279

Kimberly Mulney the officer who stopped Hasan.

 

[Lindsaym]

Being Muslim certainly should not prevent one from joining the army or being a great soldier. But the details emerging from this case make me wonder why his request to be discharged was not taken more seriously. For instance, just some random details:

He prayed five times a day, and was frustrated (according to his imam) by his inability to find a wife who was conservative enough to suit his requirements -- which, as one article specifically mentions, included a woman who also performed salaat (5x/daily prayer) and wore hijab. He refused to be photographed with the female soliders with whom he worked (one article mentions that his fellow soldiers would pin up a photo of him beside the group photos taken at the holidays, perhaps jokingly, perhaps just to make sure everybody was represented).

I mention these details because I think they set him apart somewhat from the majority of believing, religious Muslims in the U.S. Together, they suggest a man who is very serious in honoring his religious beliefs in a manner that many U.S. Muslims would call at least somewhat conservative. It surprises me then to think of this guy serving in the army, simply because the very real prospect of being deployed would certainly give him pause, no? Since the Quran has some very clear passages indicting a Muslim who takes up arms against a fellow Muslim. This isn't to say that you can't be Muslim and serve in the US Army. And as a psychiatrist, he would not have been taking up arms. Only that, I think it would seem predictable if the prospect of deployment to Iraq or Afghanistan provoked much contemplation and thought and even angst for him. I wonder how long he had been dreading this, and what he'd said about it to others. I wonder how he had thought about/rationalized this possibility before he lost it and became a murderer. I wonder if warning signs in his mental deterioration were missed.

One other thing puzzles me. This man who took such pains to live according to the five pillars of Islam -- why did he omit to mention his religion on his paperwork, as so many articles claim?

It seems to me that the evidence suggests he was in the grip of a serious mental conflict over reconciling his identity with his duty. I wonder how closely this conflict was scrutinized and discussed when he requested, and was denied, discharge from the army. The fact that there was, apparently, already some question as to whether he had been posting inflammatory statements online about suicide bombers makes the whole thing that much more baffling to me.

(I should add: as I write this, I actually hear the call to prayer being broadcast from the local mosque -- which reminds me, of course, of how many Muslim Americans I know, all of them horrified by yesterday's events.)

I feel wrong dwelling at such length on this guy, when it is the victims who deserve my thoughts and prayers. So, let me conclude by saying: this is a terrible tragedy, and my heart goes out to everyone affected.

Edited to add: as I read over this post, it occurs to me that I might sound sympathetic to this murderer. In which case OMG! not at all what I intended. I'm just totally baffled, to be honest, about why he signed up for the military when he a) feared deployment, and b) would have forseen that being deployed might conflict with his beliefs. And also... is it normal for the army to keep a soldier in good status, when he is suspected of posting such disturbing thoughts (verging on support for terrorism) on the web? If I were a military mom, this thought would give me nightmares.

 

[magnolia]

I respectfully disagree. Not everyone's car is checked.

I know they don't check every car going in the gate at Ft. Rucker.
When they have an event going on, it would be impossible to check out every car.

 

[RoseRed]

Being Muslim certainly should not prevent one from joining the army or being a great soldier. sages indicting a Muslim who takes up arms against a fellow Muslim. This isn't to say that you can't be Muslim and serve in the US Army. web? If I were a military mom, this thought would give me nightmares.

I know I will be slapped for saying this but I do not believe Muslims should be allowed in the military and definitely not be elected to serve in government positions as long as we are being targeted by Muslims terrorist groups. JMHO

 

[MissieMt]

So when I first woke up this morning I had kind of forgotten this had happened in my haze. That was a nice feeling, as fleeting as it was.
My heart is aching for my hometown. I ran as quickly and as far away from Killeen as I could, the first chance I had. But it is always in my heart.

 

[believe09]

I know I will be slapped for saying this but I do not believe Muslims should be allowed in the military and definitely not be elected to serve in government positions as long as we are being targeted by Muslims terrorist groups. JMHO

I understand your position and it is likely a popular one. That is exactly what terrorists count on-creating an evironment where freedoms are eroded. The same position has been taken regarding Catholics, Jews, Asians and Blacks....and then there is of course don't ask/dont tell.

We are stronger than this threat, imo-Our values, our committment to personal freedoms, our belief in each others goodness. Unless we over react by profiling and effectively quarantine others based on a superficial set of rules. Then we all lose. JMVHO.

 

[Trino]

Reports are now indicating that some may have been done so by friendly fire (responders).

 

[believe09]

Reports are now indicating that some may have been done so by friendly fire (responders).

I read this as well on both Yahoo and CNN. It makes sense-a whole lot of armed people responding to a threat...

 

[danni]

Someone here was OUTRAGED yesterday because Obama called Ft. Hood a BASE and not a POST.

I was just watching CNN and the reporter/anchor whatever she is called Ft. Hood a FORT!

 

[miss lisa]

Someone here was OUTRAGED yesterday because Obama called Ft. Hood a BASE and not a POST.

I was just watching CNN and the reporter/anchor whatever she is called Ft. Hood a FORT!

Post or Fort either one would be correct for an Army facility.

 

[danni]

I know they don't check every car going in the gate at Ft. Rucker.
When they have an event going on, it would be impossible to check out every car.

Thank you for posting this for every crazy wack job that might want to get on an army base to do harm can see this and know what base to target because ya know ft. so and so has less than par security.

Has no one ever heard of OPSEC?

Here maybe this will help... http://www.opsecprofessionals.org/articles/OPSEC_Rules.html

OPSEC Rules for (forum, blog, chatroom name):

1.Do not post exact deployment dates or redeployment dates
2.Do not reveal camp locations, including nearby cities. After the deployment is officially announced by Military officials, you may discuss locations that have been released, normally on the Country level.
3.Do not discuss convoy routes (“we travelled through Takrit on our way to X”)
4.Detailed information on the mission, capabilities or morale of a unit
5.Specific names or actual nicknames
6.Personnel transactions that occur in large numbers (Example: pay information, powers of attorney, wills, etc)
7.Details concerning security procedures, response times, tactics
8.Don’t discuss equipment or lack thereof, to include training equipment
9.Don’t speculate about future operations
10.If posting pictures, don’t post anything that could be misconstrued or used for propaganda purposes. A good rule of thumb is to look at your picture without your caption or explanation and consider if it could be re-captioned to reflect poorly on coalition forces. For example, your image might show your Soldier rescuing a child from a blast site, but could be re-captioned to insinuate that the child being captured or harmed. (it’s happened!)
11.Avoid the use of count-up or count-down tickers for the same reason as rule #1
12.be very careful if posting pictures of your loved one. Avoid images that show significant landmarks near their base of operations, and black out last names and unit affiliations
13.Do not, ever, post information about casualties (coalition or enemy) before the official release of the information.
14.Do not pass on rumors (“I heard they’re coming home early”, etc)

 

[Blue_Dolphin308]

You know, after all the lawyers, and arguing with the army to discharge him, and they told him no, he may have started to do stupid things, to show that he was unfit for service as a way for him to be discharged and sent home. Maybe the reason he was not flagged, and discharged, was because they thought he was doing the stuff (posting on the internet, making the Muslims should rise up comments) deliberately so they had NO choice but to discharge him.... Anyone remember the M*A*S*H character about Corporal Clinger?? He kept trying to prove that he was psychiatrically unfit for the military, just to be discharged. He would do stupid things like dressing up as a woman, and making it seem like he was a threat to the army.

Just a thought!

 

[danni]

You know, after all the lawyers, and arguing with the army to discharge him, and they told him no, he may have started to do stupid things, to show that he was unfit for service as a way for him to be discharged and sent home. Maybe the reason he was not flagged, and discharged, was because they thought he was doing the stuff (posting on the internet, making the Muslims should rise up comments) deliberately so they had NO choice but to discharge him.... Anyone remember the M*A*S*H character about Corporal Clinger?? He kept trying to prove that he was psychiatrically unfit for the military, just to be discharged. He would do stupid things like dressing up as a woman, and making it seem like he was a threat to the army.

Just a thought!

YUa mean like the boy who cried wolf?