Ft Hood shooting: I'm surprised it doesn't happen more often
I can only imagine the stress of being a mental health professional in the Army, as Maj. Malik Nadal Hasan, the purported Ft. Hood shooter, was. We want to pretend that these wars we are fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan are easier somehow, simply by virtue of being more technologically advanced and fought solely by a volunteer force.
But in many ways, these wars are harder than any of the past wars in which Americans have fought. Some of the soldiers in Odysseus's (my boyfriend) unit have been deployed to Iraq four times now. FOUR. This is Odysseus's second time, and he's 26 and he's been an Army officer for barely three years. More and more of our soldiers are parents; some are Guard or Reserve. The length of time we keep our soldiers away, and the demands we make on them and their families, have consequences that are permanent and not easily healed.
I have students whose childhood timelines (every student of mine gives an autobiographical presentation the first week of class) are divided by parental deployments. A few kids at the school where I teach have had both parents deployed at the same time, or dad and brother deployed at the same time. Even if they ended tomorrow, these wars are going to affect us for the next two generations.
An Army shrink has to deal with war fallout every day. Every day, the shrink hears about the violence in Iraq (things get swept under the rug, trust me.) Every day, he listens to soldiers whose lives are in disarray, some with angry or sad spouses and acting-out kids. Some soldiers themselves are what my students call "a hot mess." Every weekend, a handful of soldiers (or more) get DUIs in Savannah. When I lived in Augusta, angry packs of enlisted guys from Ft Gordon would roam the main drag, Broad Street, like rabid dogs but worse, picking fights with locals and yelling vulgarities at women.
The dark humor part of my brain revels in the irony that at least one shooter was an Army psychologist (or psychiatrist, the news reports aren't clear on which.)
How bad are things that the Army support system itself is imploding? Will the Army finally admit that they are not adequately addressing the effects of PTSD? Can we finally admit that 12, 14, 15 month deployments cost more in the long term than they save? Can we finally admit that multiple redeployments in a short span of time are not a great idea, especially if you are pretending to care about "family values"? Most of all, can we admit that fighting endless wars (for which we have no exit strategy) is asinine, irresponsible, and dangerous?
Because of Maj. Hasan's name, I am sure wacky conspiracy theorists will continue to insist that the Ft Hood shooting was some kind of terrorist attack. Maybe it will prove to be so, but I doubt it. (For one thing, to make major, a person goes through a very, very thorough background check; if this dude sneaked through, we've got big problems.)
I think the poor man was just seriously stressed out. I'm simply surprised this doesn't happen more often than it does.
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nuttmeg
Kerry Lauerman
Joan Walsh
Salon.com
Comments
Men like Cheney have made millions on the war, but do people notice? Men like David D. McKiernan and Stanley A. McChrystal make livings as insane warmongers, but do people stop to wonder why?
The Second Congo War, Africa's World War, the Great War of Africa has been going on since August 1998. By 2008 the war and its aftermath had killed 5.4 million people, mostly from disease and starvation.
One insane and insignificant killing spree, this time in the back yards of the same ignorant Americans who think war is right and America is the greatest country on earth, and people suddenly take notice.
America is a land of hopeless hypocrites. I say if you or your family make a living as a warmonger, you'd better be prepared for the consequences.
I would say Cheney and the warmongers are one of the main reasons Obama won the election/ McCain lost. A significant minority of the American people DO realize that there is mass war profiteering going on...
However, you are conflating the war profiteers with the soldiers. While soldiers do receive extra money for combat pay, it's a paltry sum when you consider the possible danger they face. Contractors and private militaries, on the other hand, are making money in Iraq hand over fist. The KBR employee who hands out towels at the gym at Camp Liberty or wherever makes $80K tax-free, etc.
Furthermore, you can disagree with our current wars all you want (I certainly do, for the most part, and more so now that my love is away because of them), but our founding fathers had the right idea that a strong democracy is a protected, armed democracy. At this point in history, I think we spend too much money on the military-industrial complex, but where would we be without it?
There is a happy, SANE medium.
Soldiers protect our democracy, and for that, we should thank them.
And don't insult them by confusing them with war profiteers!
If you haven't read Lily Burana's "I Love a Man in Uniform," I suggest that you do. She writes about her and her husband's experiences with PTSD when he came back from Iraq; she had PTSD from unrelated childhood experiences, but the stress of his deployment exacerbated her PTSD.
My bf is well-adjusted and will talk openly about the times when he first returned that he exhibited some PTSD, although at times I see other patterns that may be PTSD-related (eg. he started smoking A LOT more right before he left for Iraq again.) In another blog post I hope to address this in full... I am hoping that since he has an office job this deployment, that will mean little or no PTSD, but I can't count on that.
I'm sending you my thoughts and hopes for your loved ones.
Rated.
I think it's great that the military has finally recognized PTSD and are treating people for it. There was a time in World War I when such soldiers were dismissed as cowards, and the British Army notoriously executed over 300 of them for cowardice under fire because these patients recently returned from medical care in rear areas would act out in ways that today we recognize are PTSD symptoms. What a tragedy.
That attitude continued for decades: in WWII Patton had the infamous 'slapping incident' in which he slapped a soldier hospitalized for shell-shock and berated him for cowardice, and this (foolishly) while news media were present to catch his tirade.
We've come a long way since then. But where we have yet to go is in the considered treatment of all personnel who have dealt with extraordinary circumstances that severely tax a well-adjusted adult's ability to cope. There is more evidence for that in the maladjusted soldier landscape, than for PTSD as such.
As to the unfortunate Maj. Hasan, I hear speculation that he suffers from PTSD himself, but that seems to be simply speculation. It's not a contagious condition, and the ordinary course of conducting psych business is not likely to produce PTSD in a practitioner. From statements from his relatives he sounds like he reached a point of moral outrage over the war (apparently reinforced by having to deal with one of the seamy undersides of its aftermath), as well as being the target of anti-Arab sentiment because of his Arab-American's heritage. That he chose this way to deal with his outrage will surely be a case study for psychiatrists and psychologists to come.
I hope we learn something from it.
-Teramis
(Vietnam Era Army vet and Arab-American)
We need to get over our ethnocentrism and ethnophobias.
I have nothing but scorn for this asshole. I ran across his type years ago in another war. Freaking pencil pusher. Crap, the more I type, the angrier I get. You want to lighten the load on our all volenteer army, well then either get out of the war or re-instate the draft and get fresh bodies in there. Nothing takes the load off like some fresh cannon fodder. I hate this war because I have fought a war. Nothing about it is good but I damn sure don't equate anything that pretains to this fool as being indicitive to the rest of the brave men and women who actually FIGHT the war.
The man is a sleazy whacko who they just need to pull the plug on.
But then, that's just my opinion.
The army gave him a free education so that he could become a doctor and this is how he paid them back. A lot of information will be released in the next couple of weeks and it won't be about his stress level.
Most jobs, and even more so foreign service like the Peace Corps or over seas civilian jobs take 6 months for the person to get up to speed. If the tours of duty were much shorter, wouldn't the war be fought by an army composed of people who don't know that much about the country and the war? There's only so much you can do to prepare.
PS, my guess is the KBR guys who make 80K for handing out gym towels get paid that much because not enough people will take the job for less. War zones usually merit very high danger pay allowances.
You have no idea the pressure military doctors face. Have you ever counselled someone who has all their limbs shot off and faces a life they never intended and then moved on to someone who has a head injury that affects how they think, how they feel, and they aren't done processing what happened to them in the last battle they fought? I thought not. Forming judgments about things you don't understand is cheap and easy compared to doing ones best to understand, since that would be a lot of work, and could actually lead to protecting everyone from similar harm in the future.
This was a good article about PTSD, and i believe that it played a part in this event, just most likely not how it is being portrayed by the media. If you pay close attention, the "story" is being laid within hours of this event for the people to believe. First impressions last the longest. Claims are being made that can't possibly have been investigated yet.
From KOB.com:
("In Washington, a senior U.S. official said authorities at Fort Hood initially thought one of the victims who had been shot and killed was the shooter. The mistake resulted in a delay of several hours in identifying Hasan as the alleged assailant."
The truth is probably something VERY different. For example:
'Two US privates John Smith and John Henry had been seeing a military psychiatrist major Hasan at Fort hood for a few weeks. Both privates said they were completely against the war of oppression in the middle east and would refuse to report for active duty if ordered to do so.
So the army put them both in therapy with Dr. Hasan. After more than five weeks of therapy both Christian privates were called to go to Afghanistan. Both privates warned they would not go and they would defend themselves with force if the army tried to force them to fight in a war they believed was morally wrong.
Yesterday fellow soldiers tried to surprize the two consciencious objectors but the privates were prepared and killed 12 soldiers who tried to force their way into the privates' barracks at Fort Hood.
During the mele their psychiatrist major Hasan, tried to talk the two privates into surrendering but he was shot twice.
Finally both privates were overcome and killed. Their psychiatrist major Hasan is in hospital recovering.'
Officials of the military have spun the story to make it seem the privates' doctor (who has a muslim sounding name) was the perpetraitor so that the public does not understand just how much resistance there is to the middle east war in the military rank and file.
The whole official Fort Hood cover story is 98% a lie - just like 9/11. Do you trust the main stream media for the truth in a story like this? Heck, for any story?
I do not.
Support the troops. End the war in the middle east and bring the troops home.
Now.)
http://www.kob.com/article/stories/s1235603.shtml#disqus_thread
Like I said, I didn't write this, but it makes wonder that if some of our young men are suffering PTSD, they would be more then willing to stand up and say NO, I'm not going back. After all, they have faced death over there, it would be no different then facing it here. But that would mean some of our troops are getting closer to mutiny, and that wouldn't be a good thing for those pushing these "Honorable and Noble" wars now would it?
Let me first say, I am a combat vet although not Iraq, I’m a bit older. However, I do know several Iraqi vets, and everyone of them that I personally know have changed their minds about the war after being there for any length of time.
I think our vets, like most people that are honest with themselves, realize we are not the good guys over there. We have been lied into these wars and there is no "winning" for us or those doing the fighting. Only a select few are winning in this thing and they (our troops) know it.
So, as you asked, why would there be any incentive to cover this up and what would be the point? Our government can NOT afford for one minute for the American people to think that our troops have completely lost faith in this mission(s) and have had enough. These guys are being put through a meat grinder, multiple times, and my heart goes out to each and every one of them. They have just about had enough, and I can't blame them one bite. I think they realize all to well that their buddies that have fallen was not for a good and just cause.
Also, look at the skyrocketing suicide rates in our military or the number of officer resigning in protest. So, "Their" incentive is to keep this under wraps as long as they possibly can and deflect any possible hint of this possibility. But, that’s just my humble opinion on it.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/02/01/military.suicides/index.html
vietnam might have taught the barons of the beltway not to make imperial war, but instead it only taught them to use professional killers, as volunteers are not well-placed to complain about how they are used.
when you hand over the right to choose your targets to someone else, for pay, you become a professional killer, not a defender of the nation. since your masters commonly have avoided getting within earshot of angry gunfire, they can not be expected to know how to use gunmen wisely. the result is likely to be a military coup, when the professional killers get tired of the disparity of pay and conditions between their masters and themselves.
The liberals in here are really beginning to make me vomit, especially making excuses for a murdering excuse for a human being. According to you liberals, we should be sending out men with a white flag from the get go.
It used to be that men in the armed services were real men willing to kill the enemy to protect our country or be killed while protecting our country. You liberals would be hightailing it for the mountains rather than defend our country.I am beginning to believe this country is becoming filled with nothing but a bunch of excuse making liberal cowards.
You liberals will not be happy until Muslim extremists or some other foreign entity is in control of the U.S.A. You will be making excuses right up until the time they behead you for not accepting their way of life.
You wonder why the people of this great nation voted against Democrats in the recent elections, it is because of traiterous cowards like yourselves riding the lies of the present administration.
Excuse me, but I am really pissed off with the antics of liberals about this story. Tell the families of the murdered why their sons blood was spilled because you think he could not handle stories from other men.
I would have no problem apologizing to the families of the slain; "I am very sorry that this doctor was so overwhelmed that he plainly lost contact with reality. I am so, so sorry that he did not receive the help he clearly needed. I am sorry that you are now suffering for that."
In every tragedy there is a lesson. The lesson here is: even our caregivers need a break. I love teaching, but I need a break (summer!) from it so that I can give my kids my best during the school year. My sister is an oncology nurse and she makes sure to take vacations and exercise and talk about her most upsetting cases so that she can process.
The people who should have been watching out for Dr. Hasan and his patients did not do so. This does not lessen Dr. Hasan's cupability one iota. However, our concern now should be; How can we prevent this from happening again?
He wanted out of the Army. He offered to pay back the cost of his medical education. Why didn't they let him out? Or heck, why didn't they give him some desk job looking over ultrasounds and x-rays, something to give him a (perhaps permanent) break from counseling? He signed a contract with the US Army, not the devil. He was in for quite a while before he realized he couldn't hack it. I know I have started things I thought I'd be wonderful at, all gung-ho, but sometimes you learn about weaknesses you never knew you had.
Did he do something wrong? Hell yes, and I'm sorry if some of you read my post to mean otherwise. Is there room here for compassion? As the facts look now, I think so.
Frankly, I think anyone with that attitude should put on a uniform and take the next plane over, if you think it's so easy. Yes, they signed up for the military; that doesn't mean they have turned into emotionless robots.
Some people see horrible events that are so wrong--or they witness a series of disturbing events without time to process them--events that they are wholly unprepared to deal with. The Army --and our society--has a responsibility to help soldiers cope with war trauma in successful ways.
This IS possible, but we have to believe that war is traumatic and that the soldier has a right to feel pain and anger, etc., before we can fix the problem.
You are blaming everyone but the killer himself. You are actually making a list of excuses for this murderer.Sorry, I can not agree with that. Go ahead, visit the families of the dead and say to them what you said you would say. Do you have the guts to say that to those families faces? Bring a tissue to wipe the spit off your face.
Men used to be men and not little children having excuses made up for them. No doubt about it, men came back traumatized and shell shocked in WWII and any war. That was due to the horrendous conditions in protecting our Nation. Bombs, blood and guts. It was not from hearing stories or wanting to back out of a commitment to protect our Nation. Where did his allegiance really lie? If he had a problem with killing other muslim extremists, he never should have went into the service. Too many people go in for free education and benefits and when the rubber meets the road, the going gets tough, they want to bail out. Well, this man was called upon, like millions of men and women before him.
He turned traitor to his country and betrayed himself.
DO NOT EVEN DARE TO MAKE EXCUSES FOR THIS MURDERER!!!
Great post. R
First of all, as a professional, I have to say that your reading comprehension sucks. What part of "This does not lessen Dr. Hasan's cupability one iota." do you NOT understand?
Is the vocabulary too hard for you?
Or is it too hard for you to admit that there are ambiguities in life? It's much easier to see things in black and white, good and evil.
Secondly, please don't tell ME about the hardship of war. This blog came about because the man I love is now deployed. Plus, I work every day with teenagers whose lives are directly impacted because their parents and other family members serve. I apprreciate your father's and uncles' service, but did you yourself ever serve? Are YOU directly impacted by this war right now?
Which brings me to--if you think it's easy, there are flights leaving every hour. Please, sign up. My boyfriend, MY LOVE, would appreciate the help.
YOU make ME sick. You coward, hiding behind a keyboard and your ancestors' service.
I am trying to *understand* why this happened so that we can prevent it in the future.
It is always much easier to merely condemn and get angry, and unfortunately we Americans are getting much too skilled at doing so.
But my mian instinct as a person has always been to solve problems, regardless of blame. Odysseus himself laughs at me sometimes: "How come you always want to fix everything? Stop trying to fix everything. Some things can't be fixed."
Maybe not, but damned if I'm going to stop trying!! :)
So to anyone who commented here who wants to push the issue, please feel free to go fuck yourself you armchair general piece of shit.
The American people claim to honor and revere those who put themselves in the line of fire to defend the nation but at no point -- from the top down to the bottom up -- does it amount to anything more than lip service.
tom wasn't defending the shooter, who is not just a Dr. he is a soldier, (the rank of Maj. isn't an honorary one,) he's making the point that people have breaking points, and depending on the circumstance, those can be accelerated.
It's not excusing the act.
You equating your experience, tomwhatever, to a lesser level than others, may come more out of respect than fact, I don't know. But having been in a fair share of violent situations, some potentially deadly, what you say you went through is not any less impact-wise on your psyche than what others may have gone through.
Levels of terror and trauma are unique to the person. As you said, you understand the feeling. You didn't say you know what it felt like for him. That's common amongst people who have actually experienced situations. They don't presume to say they know how someone felt. Or that they even know what was going on with someone.
Unlike people who have never been there. They so often seem to have some sort of hidden higher wisdom about what was really going on with people.
Also, PTSD is not contagious. This guy was never deployed. He was angry about the war and American policies. He was in the wrong profession.
The big statement you made is, and I quote, “Secondly, please don't tell ME about the hardship of war. This blog came about because the man I love is now deployed. Plus, I work every day with teenagers whose lives are directly impacted because their parents and other family members serve. I apprreciate your father's and uncles' service, but did you yourself ever serve? Are YOU directly impacted by this war right now?”
You know what booklover555, shut your mouth and join the service to experience it firsthand. But then again with your ignorant attitude, you would be a detriment to our people in uniform, telling them not to fire at the enemy because they have personal issues. Yeah, they have personal issues, they personally want us DEAD!
My dad and his brothers lived through WWII!!!
Me and my brothers in arms lived through Nam!!!!
Nephews and nieces in the service, including Iraq, of which I just got some pictures from him. Family in Afghanistan as well as posted in friendly nations.
I will tell you what, get your ass into the service and see what it is like. It should build character and pride into the very pit of your soul. You do a lot of talking for someone acting out on other's actions!!
At my age now, if they took me, I would go in a heartbeat!!!
Thank you for proving my points with your post. 1) Your reading comprehension sucks, 2) You never served. Now you're too old? That's convenient!
Your response makes no sense. You: "But then again with your ignorant attitude, you would be a detriment to our people in uniform, telling them not to fire at the enemy because they have personal issues. Yeah, they have personal issues, they personally want us DEAD!"
I do not even know what you are responding to with this comment.
I never said anything like this. I never said soldiers should not engage the enemy. I think you are confused.
As far as military service goes, no, I won't join up because personally I know I couldn't handle killing someone. End of story. I know mentally and emotionally I couldn't hack it, and I'm not afraid to say so. That's exactly why I appreciate our soldiers so much.
As a public school teacher, I do have a job that "gives back" to society, and I very much enjoy my job, and by every measure, I am good at it. This is my calling, and this is how I contribute. So I'm not going to apologize for not joining the military.
Then you say,” As a public school teacher, I do have a job that "gives back" to society.”
The way you added quotes, it sounds like you believe our men and women in the military do nothing for society. It is their blood being spilled that enables you to teach. Maybe as a schoolteacher, you should teach and not indoctrinate the children with your beliefs. If some teachers got their way, we would have no military and then try teaching in a communistic or socialistic government, because this Nation would have fallen a long time ago.
I appreciate the fact that you state you are not cut out for military service. God bless you for telling the truth. If more people believed that way, the victims below would be alive today.
DEAD
Michael Grant Cahill, 62, of Cameron
Staff Sgt. Justin M. DeCrow, 32, of Plymouth, Ind.
Reservist John Gaffaney, 56, of Serra Messa, Calif.
Spc. Jason Dean Hunt, 22, of Tipton, Okla.
Sgt. Amy Krueger, 29, of Kiel, Wis.
Pfc. Aaron Thomas Nemelka, 19, of West Jordan, Utah
Pfc. Michael Pearson, 21, of Bolingbrook, Ill.
Russell Seager, 51, of Racine, Wis.
Pvt. Francheska Velez, 21, of Chicago
Military physician assistant Juanita Warman, 55, of Pittsburgh
Spc. Kham Xiong, 23, of St. Paul, Minn.
WOUNDED
Chief Warrant Officer Chris Birmingham of Eclectic, Ala.
Sgt. Patrick Blue III, 23, of Belcourt, N.D.
Amber Bahr, 19, of Random Lake, Wis.
Keara Bono Torkelson, 21, of Ostego, Mo..
Alan Carroll, 20, of Bridgewater, N.J.,
U.S. Army Reserve Dorothy “Dorrie” Carskadon of Rockford, Ill.
Staff Sgt. Joy Clark, 27, of Des Moines
Spc. Matthew Cook, 30, of Binghamton, N.Y.
Staff Sgt. Chad Davis of Eufaula, Ala.,
Pvt. Joey Foster, 21, of Ogden, Utah,
Cpl. Nathan Hewitt, 26, of West Lafayette, Ind.
Justin Johnson, 21, of Punta Gorda, Fla.
Staff. Sgt. Alonzo Lunsford, of Richmond County, N.C.
Shawn Manning, 33, formerly of Redman, Ore.
Army 2nd Lt. Brandy Mason, of Monessen
Reserve Spc. Grant Moxon, 23, of Lodi, Wis
Sgt. Kimberly Munley, 34, of Killen.
Warrant Officer Christopher Royal of Elmore County, Ala.
Maj. Randy Royer of Dothan, Ala.
Pvt. Raymondo “Ray” Saucedo, 26, of Greenville, Mich.
George Stratton III, 18, of Post Falls, Idaho
Patrick Zeigler, 28, of Orange County, Fla.
Francheska Velez
Velez, 21, of Chicago, was pregnant and preparing to return home. A friend of Velez's, Sasha Ramos, described her as a fun-loving person who wrote poetry and loved dancing."She was like my sister," Ramos, 21, said. "She was the most fun and happy person you could know. She never did anything wrong to anybody."Family members said Velez had recently returned from deployment in Iraq and had sought a lifelong career in the Army."She was a very happy girl and sweet," said her father, Juan Guillermo Velez, his eyes red from crying. "She had the spirit of a child."Ramos, who also served briefly in the military, couldn't reconcile that her friend was killed in this country — just after leaving a war zone."It makes it a lot harder," she said. "This is not something a soldier expects — to have someone in our uniform go start shooting at us."
Capt. John Gaffaney
Gaffaney, 56, was a psychiatric nurse who worked for San Diego County, Calif., for more than 20 years and had arrived at Fort Hood the day before the shooting to prepare for a deployment to Iraq.Gaffaney, who was born in Williston, N.D., had served in the Navy and later the California National Guard as a younger man, his family said. After the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, he tried to sign up again for military service. Although the Army Reserves at first declined, he got the call about two years ago asking him to rejoin, said his close friend and co-worker Stephanie Powell."He wanted to help the boys in Iraq and Afghanistan deal with the trauma of what they were seeing," Powell said. "He was an honorable man. He just wanted to serve in any way he can." His family described him as an avid baseball card collector and fan of the San Diego Padres who liked to read military novels and ride his Harley-Davidson motorcycle.Gaffaney supervised a team of six social workers, including Powell, at the county's Adult Protective Services department. Ellen Schmeding, assistant deputy director for the county's Health and Human Services Agency, said Gaffaney was a strong leader.He is survived by a wife and a son.
Pfc. Aaron Thomas Nemelka
Nemelka, 19, of the Salt Lake City suburb of West Jordan, Utah, chose to join the Army instead of going on a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, his uncle Christopher Nemelka said."As a person, Aaron was as soft and kind and as gentle as they come, a sweetheart," his uncle said. "What I loved about the kid was his independence of thought."Aaron Nemelka, the youngest of four children, was scheduled to be deployed to Afghanistan in January, his family said in a statement. Nemelka had enlisted in the Army in October 2008, Utah National Guard Lt. Col. Lisa Olsen said.
Michael Grant Cahill
Cahill, a 62-year-old physician assistant, suffered a heart attack two weeks ago and returned to work at the base as a civilian employee after taking just one week off for recovery, said his daughter Keely Vanacker."He survived that. He was getting back on track, and he gets killed by a gunman," Vanacker said, her words bare with shock and disbelief.Cahill, of Cameron, Texas, helped treat soldiers returning from tours of duty or preparing for deployment. Often, Vanacker said, Cahill would walk young soldiers where they needed to go, just to make sure they got the right treatment."He loved his patients, and his patients loved him," said Vanacker, 33, the oldest of Cahill's three adult children. "He just felt his job was important."Cahill, who was born in Spokane, Wash., had worked as a civilian contractor at Fort Hood for about four years, after jobs in rural health clinics and at Veterans Affairs hospitals. He and his wife, Joleen, had been married 37 years.Vanacker described her father as a gregarious man and a voracious reader who could talk for hours about any subject.The family's typical Thanksgiving dinners ended with board games and long conversations over the table, said Vanacker, whose voice often cracked with emotion as she remembered her father. "Now, who I am going to talk to?"
Pfc. Michael Pearson
Pearson, 21, of the Chicago suburb of Bolingbrook, Ill., quit what he figured was a dead-end furniture company job to join the military about a year ago.Pearson's mother, Sheryll Pearson, said the 2006 Bolingbrook High School graduate joined the military because he was eager to serve his country and broaden his horizons."He was the best son in the whole world," she said. "He was my best friend and I miss him."His cousin, Mike Dostalek, showed reporters a poem Pearson wrote. "I look only to the future for wisdom. To rock back and forth in my wooden chair," the poem says.At Pearson's family home Friday, a yellow ribbon was tied to a porch light and a sticker stamped with American flags on the front door read, "United we stand."Neighbor Jessica Koerber, who was with Pearson's parents when they received word Thursday their son had died, described him as a man who clearly loved his family -- someone who enjoyed horsing around with his nieces and nephews, and other times playing his guitar."That family lost their gem," she told the AP. "He was a great kid, a great guy. ... Mikey was one of a kind."Sheryll Pearson said she hadn't seen her son for a year because he had been training. She told the Tribune that when she last talked to him on the phone two days ago, they had discussed how he would come home for Christmas.
Spc. Jason Dean Hunt
Hunt, 22, of Frederick, Okla., went into the military after graduating from Tipton High School in 2005 and had gotten married just two months ago, his mother, Gale Hunt, said. He had served 3 1/2 years in the Army, including a stint in Iraq.Gale Hunt said two uniformed soldiers came to her door late Thursday night to notify her of her son's death.Hunt, known as J.D., was "just kind of a quiet boy and a good kid, very kind," said Kathy Gray, an administrative assistant at Tipton Schools.His mother said he was family oriented."He didn't go in for hunting or sports," Gale Hunt said. "He was a very quiet boy who enjoyed video games."He had re-enlisted for six years after serving his initial two-year assignment, she said. Jason Hunt was previously stationed at Fort Stewart in Georgia.
Sgt. Amy Krueger
Krueger, 29, of Kiel, Wis., joined the Army after the 2001 terrorist attacks and had vowed to take on Usama bin Laden, her mother, Jeri Krueger said.Amy Krueger arrived at Fort Hood on Tuesday and was scheduled to be sent to Afghanistan in December, the mother told the Herald Times Reporter of Manitowoc.Jeri Krueger recalled telling her daughter that she could not take on bin Laden by herself."Watch me," her daughter replied.Kiel High School Principal Dario Talerico told The Associated Press that Krueger graduated from the school in 1998 and had spoken at least once to local elementary school students about her career."I just remember that Amy was a very good kid, who like most kids in a small town are just looking for what their next step in life was going to be and she chose the military," Talerico said. "Once she got into the military, she really connected with that kind of lifestyle and was really proud to serve her country."
Kham Xiong
Kham Xiong, 23, of St. Paul, Minn., a 2004 graduate of Community of Peace Academy, enjoyed hunting and fishing."The sad part is that he had been taught and been trained to protect and to fight. Yet it's such a tragedy that he did not have the opportunity to protect himself and the base," his father, Chor Xiong, told KSTP-TV through an interpreter.Xiong's 17-year-old brother, Robert, described Kham as "the family clown, just a real good outgoing guy."Community of Peace Academy Principal Tim McGowan told the AP that Chor Xiong informed the charter school of his son's death. Family members picked up pictures of Xiong on Friday for a memorial service, McGowan said."He was just a well-rounded individual with a great personality. He was very fun-loving, one who brought a smile to everyone's face he came across," McGowan said.
Juanita Warman
Warman, 55, was a military physician assistant with two daughters and six grandchildren.Her sister, Margaret Yaggie of Roaring Branch in north-central Pennsylvania, told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that her sister attended Pittsburgh Langley High School and put herself through school at the University of Pittsburgh. She said her sister spent most of her career in the military.
Russell Seager
Russell Seager's uncle said he joined the Army a few years ago because he was a psychiatrist who wanted to help soldiers returning from war adapt to civilian life again. He taught at Bryant & Stratton College in Milwaukee.
it was only within the last few years that the US military even officially acknowledged PTSD.
the end game of all this is for the public to realize that war is an aberration and not healthy... where would that leave the military? so of course they are in total denial about PTSD. if they acknowledged it, maybe we wouldnt go to war. or torture. etcetera.... its whats called "cognitive dissonance" and our whole country has been plunged in it forever....
surprise.. war is hell!!
You are right, war is hell. We wish wars never had to be fought but the fact is, so long as there are nations’ looking to conquer other nations, war is a fact of life that will need to be confronted. Unfortunately, there will always be war. For the sake of people, with certain ideologies, be thankful there are men and women willing to go to war for our way of life.
@vzn
it was only within the last few years that the US military even officially acknowledged PTSD.
Not so, men have come back and the term then, was shell shocked.
Now, we are just getting all of these scientific, fancy terms.
@vzn
the end game of all this is for the public to realize that war is an aberration and not healthy... where would that leave the military? so of course they are in total denial about PTSD. if they acknowledged it, maybe we wouldnt go to war. or torture. etcetera.... its whats called "cognitive dissonance" and our whole country has been plunged in it forever....
Sorry, your attitude does not wash. Let’s say the USA decides never to enter into another war. How long before other ways of life have been given enough time to become strong enough to then launch an attack and conquer the USA? Do you actually believe these countries will just leave you alone? You want to talk torture. How about these radical Muslim sects that would behead or skin you alive or drag you behind a vehicle until you are dismembered . How about being put on display, hung from a bridge while your body rots. How about the video of these Muslim radicals slitting the neck and then snapping the neck to tear off the head and hold it up for the people to see it on TV. That man was an innocent man, yet they did not care. What you call torture is child’s play to these radicals. These radicals feed off your ideology because it shows your weakness. You are in denial, because the only time there will be Peace on Earth is when Jesus Himself comes back.
I hate to say it, the world has become so armed that the only way to try to stay at peace is to be strong enough that the other nations know there would be consequences for an attack on the US. An oxymoron, Peace through Strength.
You people want to live in a Utopian society, unfortunately, it is a dream. It is an honorable dream but a dream, none the less.
I apologize to everyone in here for my harshness, but this area hit home for me. I have always had the attitude of “Never Retreat, Never Surrender”. I will defend the American way of life to death.
I respect your opinion. That is what makes America great.
Peace and God Bless
You have a real skill for twisting facts. Perhaps Glenn Beck has a staff opening for you.
You: "Maybe as a schoolteacher, you should teach and not indoctrinate the children with your beliefs. If some teachers got their way, we would have no military and then try teaching in a communistic or socialistic government, because this Nation would have fallen a long time ago."
First of all, I have said repeatedly that I appreciate our military and their service.
Secondly, you have never been in MY classroom and have no idea how I run my classes. Again, you are making assumptions and fabricating information. My students know that my boyfriend is deployed; they know that I believe in democracy and the Constitution (this comes up particularly when I teach American Literature and we read the Constitution.) They know not to come in my classroom with their ROTC uniforms in disorder, because I won't tolerate it.
You are fabricating insults where there are none. I put "give back" in quotes because that is how so many educators and non-educators refer to it. I was actually making a parallel between military service and teaching children...it was a complimentary comparison but you read it as an insult.
I think you want to be outraged. I think you are directing your anger in the wrong place. If you want to be angry at someone, be angry at the people who didn't remove a clearly mentally ill man from his position. Be mad at the killer himself. But by directing your anger at people like me, you are putting so much more hate into this world. I really think you should speak to a mental health professional. You are angry about something beyond the shooting a Ft Hood. (And yes, I have enough training to make this diagnosis; I studied psychology as well as English.)
Furthermore, you should stop quoting news articles without crediting your sources. We can read Yahoo! News for ourselves.
I will not answer any more of your replies. Your comments are illogical and tangential, and you are spreading anger and hate. I feel sorry for you.
@tomreedtoon
Your last post contained some excellent analysis. Thank you.
This whole thing is appalling.
While I don't condone any act of violence, and as a child of a vet who was sent to war in a similar act of religious bigotry, and was wounded with horrific wounds, and I lost my dad at the age of 11 because of that fact, the fact that this incident at Fort Hood is already being reported as an act of "terrorism" just because the shooter was a Muslim, is disgusting. He exhibited the same behavior as many of our other troops, of all races, genders, colors and creeds, who are doing exactly the same thing, if not committing suicide (which is really what I think this was, since I don't think he expected to survive). Both here and abroad, in both theatres.
And this after not only being taunted and abused repeatedly for being Muslim, which his racist superiors did nothing about (which again is a war crime if not religious persecution), but refusing the man an honorable discharge, which he had repeatedly asked for, again, another war crime, since he was clearly not fit for duty in an active combat zone.
Yet all of this is being swept under the rug, by the media, and of course our political elite, who are literally making a financial killing off a war time economy, not to mention Wall Street and the pharma industry (many members of Congress personally profit by steering war appropriations to their spouses and relatives, like Senator Feinstein and Murtha), and these wars are being fought not to protect us against terrorists, but for OIL. And of course war is very profitable for GE, Wall Street and the pharma industry, which will sell billions of dollars of medicine and medical treatment to seriously wounded soldiers for the rest of their lives. Not to mention tanks and other war equipment.
The whole thing is sick.
Not to mention the fact that economically speaking, war time economies are the most unfair there are and further concentrate wealth, and do not "spread the wealth around."
If you want a brief history of Empire's involvement in Afghanistan or Iraq, see my blogs on the subject either here or at http://margueritearnold.wordpress.com. Not to mention my own thoughts on what happened at Fort Hood.
It is appalling.
And we are all suffering from these policies.
Particularly because the money we are spending on these stupid wars should be spent at home instead. Just one year in Afghanistan, a war we are going to lose, like every other Empire who has ventured there, FOR OIL, has gotten their asses kicked, and cost the same amount of money as the entire DOMESTIC BAILOUT.
Which was, from the beginning, as Paul Krugman and many other very respected economists criticized the adminstration as being TOO SMALL.
Yet Mr. Smarty Pants, I know it all, in the Oval Office, I'm going to give all the benefits to my cronies, and Wall Street, didn't listen, thought he knew better, and look what we've got.
An unemployment rate that people like Krugman and Reich are calling really twenty percent, and even they are not counting the disabilities community, which is deliberately kept out of the workforce due to massive discrimination and never even counted in "unemployment' numbers....but could certainly be perfectly active members of the workforce with things like adaptive technology, and of course which the White House is ignoring.
It's appalling, a tragedy, and we are all suffering from such policies.
It's time we put our collective feet down NOW.
Because otherwise Democracy as we know it, is dead.
Not to mention, as you said, expect further acts like this one, if not worse, coming soon, to a location near you in the very near future, if not already in the works.
Obama is out to lunch. And I'm sorry I voted for him. I say throw all the bums out of office for perpetuating such polices. No matter what party they run under.
And massive protests now.
This is an American tragedy. For everyone.
I don't care what religion the shooter was.
He was an American. A soldier. And his rights were violated.
But naturally, since he was a Muslim, he doesn't count. Right?
Just like say Muhammed Ali, who turned in his boxing championships, refused the draft, faced jail time during Vietnam and said "No Viet Cong ever called me a Nigger." Or say Dr. King who also led the African American civil rights movement who advanced the rights of all African Americans, and who Mr. Obama seems to forget is directly responsible for putting him in the White House, and got shot for doing it.
Yet Mr. Obama seems to forget that too. And is aping the worst acts of the worst white elitist male bigots instead.
For this appalling act at Fort Hood, you can squarely blame Mr. Obama, who seems to forget not only the lessons of the past, but even the same damned racist attitudes shown against him last year during the run up to the election, over the fuss made over his middle name. Hussein.
Is the man an idiot, corrupt, or he just doesn't care?
Whatever it is, I'm appalled.
And the only solution is to GET OUT NOW. OF BOTH WARS.
EITHER THAT OR IMPEACH HIM AND VOTE ALL THE BASTARDS WHO VOTED FOR THE WARS OUT OF CONGRESS NOW.
Last post on this matter. Amazing how you come to the defense of this poor stressed out man yet you do not mention the mother who was pregnant. Both mother and baby are now dead because this murderer decided he did not want to go to war.
Maybe you can live with that, I can not. Your boyfriend should run as fast as possible and as far from you as possible.
I mourn for ALL the lives that have been lost in this war, not just Americans.
Tommy, I think it's hilarious that you think my boyfriend should run from me. Hil-ar-i-ous. Thank you for making me laugh after the Bears' horrible loss today! Awesome!
Clearly you did not read my post which described my boyfriend looking for an independent-minded liberal girl like me. Trust me, he knows my opinions (I have always been known for speaking my mind) and agrees with them. The whole point of this blog is that some old-school military types probably find that unusual. He's dating me *because* I hold the views I have.
Hahaha. I can't wait until he's near email again and I can tell him.
While I don't agree with everything in your post, I hold some of the same fears that you do, namely that there will be a violent backlash against American Muslims.
I hate to see anyone subject to violence or discrimination because of their beliefs. When we get angry, we need to remember that America was founded by a bunch of gentlemen who didn't attend church all that often -- despite what some revisionists would have us believe; Thomas Jefferson, for example, was an avowed deist who questioned organized religion throughout his life.
All religions in America are protected by the 1st amendment.
When 9/11 occurred, I was taking a belly dancing class at the rec center at my alma mater. We had a class scheduled for Sept 12, so I went to class, still shocked. The instructor was one of those self-identified hippies who had traveled through places like Turkey and India and Bali. To start class, she asked us all to sit in a circle and hold hands--a bunch of college girls, post-college girls, professors, wives of professors, and community members. Most of us were white and nominally Christian or Jewish.
The belly dance instructor said something like this: "I know you may be angry. I know you want answers. I know you want someone to blame. But when you might want to blame the culture of Islam, of the middle east, I want you to remember: that culture also brought us belly dancing. Think of how you feel, think of the peace in your mind when you are dancing. And you know this is a culture that wants peace just as we do. And just like we have violence here, they have violence in their culture. Do not blame the entire culture for the acts of a few. Do not give in to that prejudice."
I was not the only one with tears in my eyes. I think of this, and of my Muslim college roommates and my Muslim friends, whenever I want to broadly blame the entire culture...