Soldiers say work helped after Fort Hood shootings

Some things were done by the book after the shooting at Fort Hood. Trauma teams rushed in and that was good. Soldiers banded together no matter where they were from, if they were staying at Fort Hood or deploying. As reported in the story below, the soldiers deployed to Afghanistan helped each other. That's all good but the troubling part is there was very little followup done after this event that shattered their sense of safety on their own base.

There are stories coming out about female troops stopping their fluid intake at noon, no matter how hot it is, because they fear having to use the latrine in the middle of the night. It doesn't matter if no one they knew was attacked or not, it is the reports of it happening that cause them to fear it will happen to them. A sense of safety is gone when there is one report of a female solider being attacked and it causes psychological damage. It's the same thing with the soldiers at Fort Hood and even on other bases.

Major Hasan was in a position of power but betrayed the men and women he was supposed to be serving with and taking care of. The commanders that allowed him to not only stay in the military but be promoted, betrayed the troops. All the way around, there was a deep sense of betrayal and it caused fear for them as well as for their families because this happened in their own back yard.

There is still much that needs to be done for the soldiers at Fort Hood but by the looks of it, not enough is happening.

Soldiers say work helped after Fort Hood shootings


By TODD RICHMOND
The Associated Press
Sunday, October 31, 2010; 12:04 AM

MADISON, Wis. -- For nearly a year in Afghanistan, a tightly knit Army Reserve unit kept the memories of their comrades killed during a shooting rampage Fort Hood close. But not too close.

The Madison-based 467th Combat Stress Control Detachment wore black wrist bands and dedicated field clinics to their fallen friends. At the same, they poured themselves into their jobs, blocking out their grief by helping combat troops deal with theirs.

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Soldiers say work helped after Fort Hood