Alleged Ft. Hood attacker to face survivors at hearing

Hasan managed to do a lot more damage to the soldiers at Fort Hood than bullets from guns ever could.  He is still called “accused” because he has not had a trial yet, but the facts of what happened at Fort Hood show that he was the one pulling the trigger. 

Hasan was not a known enemy to the soldiers at Fort Hood but it was clear that others knew all about what he thought and how he felt.  This man was still allowed to be in a position of authority as a Major and psychologist.  All that was known about Hasan by his superiors came out and provided the soldiers with a sense of deadly betrayal. How could someone like him be allowed to not only serve with them but be in any kind of position dealing with their mental health?

PTSD is caused by traumatic events, yet with the increase risk of repeated deployments, the strain on families and increase in drug, alcohol and even medication abuse, the chain of command put someone like Hasan involved in mental healthcare.  This did more damage to the emotions of the soldiers and their families than the enemy ever could.  Fort Hood was their home and was invaded by an enemy who looked just like them, lived with them and worked with them.  This was supposed to be their safe zone, where their families were supposed to be safe back home while they were deployed.  This was where they were supposed to be able to stand down without weapons and without threat.  Hasan took all of that away but the people over him, promoting him instead of giving him a dishonorable discharge were also responsible for what happened at Fort Hood and what has come since then.

Military suicides continue to climb but at Fort Hood, it’s only gotten worse no matter what they try to do and if anyone thinks this horrific event last year did not contribute to it, they know very little about human nature.

Alleged Ft. Hood attacker to face survivors at hearing
Maj. Nidal Hasan is accused of killing 13 in worst mass shooting at an American military base



FORT HOOD, Texas — Witnesses to a gunman's rampage at Fort Hood will begin describing the attack for a military officer Tuesday, providing new details about the scene that unfolded nearly a year ago in a processing center where soldiers were making final preparations to deploy.
The Article 32 hearing involving Maj. Nidal Hasan is expected to last at least three weeks and will determine whether there is enough evidence to put the Army psychiatrist on trial. Such hearings are unique to military court, where prosecutors and the defense can call witnesses, and both sides are able to question them and present other evidence.
Hasan, 40, is charged with premeditated murder and attempted premeditated murder in the Nov. 5 attack, which killed 13 people and wounded 32 others. It was the worst mass shooting at an American military base.
read more here
Alleged Ft. Hood attacker to face survivors at hearing

Despite Army efforts, soldier suicides continue

James C McKinley Jr, New York Times, Updated: October 11, 2010 19:30 IST

Fort Hood (Texas):  At 3:30 a.m. on a Saturday in August, Specialist Armando G. Aguilar Jr. found himself at the end of his short life. He was standing, drunk and weepy, in the parking lot of a Valero station outside Waco, Tex. He had jumped out of his moving pickup. There was a police officer talking to him in frantic tones. Specialist Aguilar held a pistol pointed at his head.

This moment had been a long time coming, his family said. He had twice tried to commit suicide with pills since returning from a tough tour in Iraq a year earlier, where his job was to drive an armored vehicle to search for bombs.

Army doctors had put him on medications for depression, insomnia, nightmares and panic attacks. Specialist Aguilar was seeing an Army therapist every week. But he had been getting worse in the days before his death, his parents said, seeing shadowy figures that were not there, hallucinating that he heard loud noises outside his trailer home.

"He wanted help -- he was out there asking for help," said his father, Armando Aguilar Sr. "He just snapped. He couldn't control what he was doing no more."

Specialist Aguilar was one of 20 soldiers connected to Fort Hood who are believed to have committed suicide this year. The Army has confirmed 14 of those, and is completing the official investigations of six other soldiers who appear to have taken their own lives -- four of them in one week in September. The deaths have made this the worst year at the sprawling fort since the military began keeping track in 2003.

Read more at: Despite Army efforts, soldier suicides continue