Breaking News: Ft. Hood Under Attack from 3 "shooters".
There are reports this afternoon that there are one or more shooters at a PX (Post Exchange) at Fort Hood, Texas. Ft. Hood is reportedly the largest military base in the world with 50,000 military personnel and 9,000 civilians stationed on the base. KCEN-TV in Killeen Texas is reporting that there are 12 dead and 31, (43 total shooting victims) wounded so far. The Shooters are wearing military uniforms, but have not been identified as members of the military. There is speculation at this time that it may be a Ft. Dix type incident that succeeded, or possibly a PTSD incident. Given the fact that there are 3 shooters, the likelihood that it is a mental health/PTSD issue is less likely.
Fort Hood is on “lockdown”. One gunman is reportedly in custody, and the third gunman is reportedly firing on S.W.A.T. teams that have been deployed.
www.CentralTexasNow.com (To get realtime updates)
*** As of 4:32 eastern, the warning sirens have started again. There are reports of gunfire again in one of the neighborhoods on post.
*** As of 4:50 eastern there are reports that the suspect in custody is an Army Major.
A Major is the bottom rank of the "field grade" officers. Field grade officers include Majors, Lt. Colonels, and Colonels. A Major would be designated as an O-4 with a golden oak leaf cluster on the uniform. Major is a position of some experience, usually a career member of the military. Officers can ascend to O-2 Lieutenant , or O-3 Captain on the initial contract, but not usually O-4. It is noteworthy that it would be a Major if that report is accurate.
***As of 5:05 eastern, President Obama calls it a "horrific outburst of violence."
*** As of 5:28 eastern, Malik Nidal Hasan is the name of the Major in custody. Hasan is a 39 year old Major in the U.S. Army.
***As of 5:37 Maj. Malik Nidal Hasan is reported to have been killed at the scene.
***As of 9:15 eastern, Gen. Bob Cone, Commanding General of Ft. Hood has reported that Maj. Hasan is alive an recuperating. Maj. Hasan was shot but not killed at the scene.
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Comments
Now they are adding that the captured shooter is an Army Major with "an Arabic sounding name".
I totally agree. I was just afraid that that was the kind of wild rumor, reported by the press, that would cause some kind of immediate retaliation in neighborhoods. Now, MSNBC is speculating that it's due to PTSD. Clearly, everyone is making shit up to fill air time.
The scene is horrific. I feel for the families...
They SAID that the one shooter used two handguns. He had to be an expert to make that many kills in so short a time with two handguns only.
Malik Nadal Hasan is the name being reported as the Army Major.
So much for that theory.
" A law enforcement official says a shooting suspect at Fort Hood has been identified as Army Maj. Malik Nadal Hasan...
"...[I]nvestigators are trying to determine if Hasan was his birth name, or if he changed his name and converted to the Islamic faith at some point in his life."
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/top/all/6705789.html
I give it to the count of 10 before fear-inspired backlash aimed at Arab-Americans begins on that base and elsewhere.
These two facts focus special attention on an incident like this due to the obvious, and the recent tragic history at Virginia Tech. What is in the mind of an individual with these tiles in his personal mosaic? Did Maj. Hasan suffer sympathetically from his treatment of others? Is this a concern for other psychiatrists? Is it political?
"A veteran US sergeant was today charged with murdering five fellow soldiers at a forces stress clinic in Iraq.
The shootings yesterday were the deadliest case of soldier-on-soldier violence since the Iraq war began in 2003 and drew attention to the issue of combat stress and frequent deployments to battle zones. "
It remains the same sad song...
I truly do believe this is the classic lone gunman syndrome. There may be someone who he told he was going to do it that they are questioning, but this isn't terrorism or some shit like the right would love to spin, considering he has a Jordanian name. He was born in America for God's sake. Or was he birthers???????!!!!!!!!
It's truly sad Bill and as I wrote in my piece from November that I just reposted, PTSD is going to reach epidemic levels from these wars and from stop/loss.
Are there other mental health professional, or even other health professionals being over stressed by the stress being placed on our whole system? This appears to be a ripple effect which has traveled beyond the front line soldier.
What happens when you subject people to more stress than they can handle for far. far too long?
Nobody knows until it happens, but sadly, it can take a horrific form.
Thank you for this post and the information.
Fasten your seatbelts, people. It's gonna be a bumpy ride.
sad.