Shootings at US army base.

[Carol]

Fox had a cousin of his on the phone, stated, unequivocally that he was a lifelong Muslim.

Associated Press is also reporting that his cousins, and the Imam at his mosque stating he's a lifelong Muslim.

There is a lot of ink going around saying he's a Muslim convert, but no one making those claims is backing it up with anything.

 

[KenpoTex]

report of internet posts/blogs/whatever, possibly [probably] by the shooter in which he compares suicide bombers to soldiers who throw themselves on grenades to save their brothers-in-arms.
http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/national/south/Concerns_about_Fort_Hood_suspect_200911051257473157854

report that the shooter shouted "Allahu Akbar" before opening fire.
http://www.kxan.com/dpp/military/fo...id-allahu-akbar-before-shooting-1257511372267

edit: nevermind...don't feel like hearing the PC ******** from everyone else around here regarding what I really think about this pig-****er and his religion of peace.

 

[Stac3y]

He had been harrassed for being Muslim, and had tried to get out of his contract early as a result, but his attorney said even if he paid back his tuition, he would not be released. The stuff about comparing suicide bombers to GIs falling on grenades has not been confirmed to be written by him. His cousin said he was desperately trying to avoid being deployed because he had heard so much horrible stuff from returning soldiers. (from an article on MSNBC, and the press conference from Cone last night--carried live on our local news station.)

As yet, I don't have enough information to form an opinion as to whether he did this from some political or religious motivation, or whether he just lost his mind. Either way, it's a terrible tragedy.

 

[MBuzzy]

How long to make Major?

Promotion to 1Lt after 2 years
Promotion to Capt after 4 years total (i.e. 2 years AS a 1LT)
Promotion to Major as early as 8 years total, as late as 12 years total depending on the person (i.e. 4-8 years AS a Capt)
Promotion to Lt Col as early as 12 years total, as late as 18 years total, (i.e. 4-8 years AS a Lt Col)

So if he commissioned in '97, he could have pinned on as early as 4 years ago or he could have JUST been promoted.


BUT - he isn't a line officer. He's in the Medical Corps. They don't all always come in as 2LT's. Some are direct commissions to Capt or later. Plus, he would have had to earn his Masters and done some residency time even as a Shrink. SO, this could all be thrown out....

Honestly, in the Army, if he has never been deployed, he can't have been in long. I know Army guys that are on their 6th deployment with only 8 years in.

 

[Bob Hubbard]

I'm going to simply quote 2 comments I made elsewhere. Some parts may not apply here. Please ignore those parts.

I see the Muslim-Hate brigade is in full force, from the moment the bastard shooters name was released, and continues, despite conflicting reports from all sources. I'll refrain from condemning the religion until the real facts come out. As to the shooter, I hope he gets his just deserved rewards....a short drop and sudden stop.

I think this guys a piece of ****. He broke his oath to his country, to his fellow soldiers, and to the patients under his care. That is where my anger comes from. I highly doubt he was al-qeieda. I see conflicting reports he was a life long Muslim, a recent convert, they don't know, non-religious, etc. But I also find myself angry at the usually smart people I see jumping to conclusions who started flooding the "anti-Muslim" crap as soon as this started, in some cases before any facts had even emerged. The bigotry is blatant here.

I don't care that he may/may not have been Muslim.

I care that 12 brave American's were betrayed and murdered by one of our own. I care that there are families now broken. I care that there are now people still in pain. I care because now our wounded will not get the help they need, that the troops they were reinforcing or relieving will have to wait, that more still may die. Because of some piece of **** coward.

I have nothing but contempt for those who are using this as yet another chance to show their bigotry.

If they spent half as much time sending positive messages to the victims and not dwelling on the alleged faith of the bastard.......

I'm not going to get into the Muslim-bashing I'm seeing happen elsewhere. I don't care.

I care about what I underlined above. That seem the more important part right now.

If this turns out to be a terrorist plot, be it organized or random, I trust those in position to do something to do something to make it harder for the next piece of **** to get in and do worse. I have too many friends and associates in uniform, and only wish to see them home again safe. That to me is most important.

I await more facts on this, in the mean time I and many others just wait.

 

[Bob Hubbard]

Latest news from the local area.
http://twitter.com/kdhnews and http://www.kdhnews.com/

(Thanks to Jen on FB for the links)

Death toll now 13. 27 still hospitalized.

 

[Bob Hubbard]

For those still trying to find out about their family members who may have been on post when tragedy struck yesterday, Fort Hood has set up a hotline for relatives of Fort Hood personnel, who may call (254) 288-7570 or (866) 836-2751 for information about loved ones.

 

[sfs982000]

How long to make Major?

It depends, in the Medical side of the military a doctor could come right off the street as a Capt and potentially make Maj a few years later.

 

[d1jinx]

He had been harrassed for being Muslim, and had tried to get out of his contract early as a result, but his attorney said even if he paid back his tuition, he would not be released. The stuff about comparing suicide bombers to GIs falling on grenades has not been confirmed to be written by him. His cousin said he was desperately trying to avoid being deployed because he had heard so much horrible stuff from returning soldiers. (from an article on MSNBC, and the press conference from Cone last night--carried live on our local news station.)

As yet, I don't have enough information to form an opinion as to whether he did this from some political or religious motivation, or whether he just lost his mind. Either way, it's a terrible tragedy.

Im not buying it. He used it as an excuse to try and get out of the ARMY. he was a Major. No one is going to harras a Major. He could easily deal with any harrasment issues. Maybe if he was Private Huessain, but not at a Officers level. Anyone who has served in the military knows what i am talking about. Can you see yourself harrassing you commanding officer, the flight doc, or even the LT? well, maybe the LT a little depending on your rank..... but not a race or religion harrassment.... they would deal with that immediatley.

 

[sfs982000]

Im not buying it. He used it as an excuse to try and get out of the ARMY. he was a Major. No one is going to harras a Major. He could easily deal with any harrasment issues. Maybe if he was Private Huessain, but not at a Officers level. Anyone who has served in the military knows what i am talking about. Can you see yourself harrassing you commanding officer, the flight doc, or even the LT? well, maybe the LT a little depending on your rank..... but not a race or religion harrassment.... they would deal with that immediatley.

Exactly! Well put.

 

[MBuzzy]

Im not buying it. He used it as an excuse to try and get out of the ARMY. he was a Major. No one is going to harras a Major. He could easily deal with any harrasment issues. Maybe if he was Private Huessain, but not at a Officers level. Anyone who has served in the military knows what i am talking about. Can you see yourself harrassing you commanding officer, the flight doc, or even the LT? well, maybe the LT a little depending on your rank..... but not a race or religion harrassment.... they would deal with that immediatley.

Yeah, I'm with you here, even as a Capt, there aren't a whole lot of people who even CAN harrass me, let alone actually do. Most of the time, even other CGO's (Company Grade Officers; 2LT, 1LT, Capt) are respectful and use sirs, ranks, etc until you know the person.

I'm sorry, but if you're a Major, in the Army, you know what you got into. You know the deployment tempo, you know that you have to go, and you know better than to listen to every private coming back from the field. The guy was just a nut job.

We take any kind of discrimination or harrassment VERY VERY seriously. Prosecutions are quick and investigations are thorough.

 

[Bob Hubbard]

Partial List.

Killed

Pfc. Michael Pearson, 21, of Bolingbrook, Illinois
Russell Seager, 51 of Racine, Wisconsin
Amy Krueger, 29 of Kiel, Wisconsin
Franceska Valez, 21, was killed. She had just returned from Afghanistan due to pregnancy.

Wounded

Amber Bahr, 19 of Random Lake, Wisconsin
Cpl. Nathan A. Hewitt, 27, of Lafayette, Indiana
Reservist Keara Bono, 21
Army Reserve Spc. Grant Moxon, 23 of Lodi Wisconsin
Amber Bahr, 19 of Random Lake, Wisconsin
Ray Saucedo, wounded, from Greenville (Grand Rapids area), Michigan.
Keara Bono, wounded, Twin Cities/Kansas City.
Joy Clark, wounded, Des Moines, Iowa.
Nathan Hewitt, wounded, Lafayette, Indiana.


Officer Kimberly Munley
Munley, 34, was wounded in the exchange with the alleged gunman, Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan. Authorities said she shot Hasan four times. She is being treated for her wounds.


Sources:
CNN.com
http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local-beat/Midwests-Fort-Hood-Casualties-69376622.html
http://www.wkowtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=11458413

 

[Tez3]

Your army is similiar enough to ours that if he hadn't wanted to be deployed there are ways to get out, even if he had to literally shoot himself in the foot.
We've had a lot of the American reports as well as ours and all have been going on about secuirty not being what it should, that's BS honestly. I'm betting anything the security would have been very good exactly where it was needed to safeguard from outsiders, no one would dream or could conceive, frankly, that the enemy is a colleague and fellow soldier. It's probably the ultimate betrayal.
I hope that the Afghan incident with our lads didn't put the idea into his head because that is just twisted. I've been at work all day and everyone has been shocked by this,shaking their heads unable to believe as soldiers how a soldier could do this. The last place you think you have to watch your back is with your own.
It's our Remembrance Sunday this weekend, I for one will be thinking about these soldiers and their families as well as all our fallen comrades and allies.

 

[Stac3y]

Im not buying it. He used it as an excuse to try and get out of the ARMY. he was a Major. No one is going to harras a Major. He could easily deal with any harrasment issues. Maybe if he was Private Huessain, but not at a Officers level. Anyone who has served in the military knows what i am talking about. Can you see yourself harrassing you commanding officer, the flight doc, or even the LT? well, maybe the LT a little depending on your rank..... but not a race or religion harrassment.... they would deal with that immediatley.

Not having been in the military (though the Selective Service was convinced I was male at one point), I wouldn't know. What I do know is that Major is not the highest rank, and that harrassment can be anonymous. Also thinking one is being persecuted is a very common feature of various mental illnesses. I was not stating any sort of opinion when I posted; just repeating snippets of what I had heard. It may be that the guy was a terrorist, or it may be that he was mentally ill, or it may be both.

 

[CoryKS]

Not having been in the military (though the Selective Service was convinced I was male at one point), I wouldn't know. What I do know is that Major is not the highest rank, and that harrassment can be anonymous. Also thinking one is being persecuted is a very common feature of various mental illnesses. I was not stating any sort of opinion when I posted; just repeating snippets of what I had heard. It may be that the guy was a terrorist, or it may be that he was mentally ill, or it may be both.

What's interesting is, if you go back and look at the cases that appear to be "sudden jihadi syndrome", every single one of them claims mental illness. Quite a coinkeydink how all these guys all snap in the same general manner.

 

[Stac3y]

What's interesting is, if you go back and look at the cases that appear to be "sudden jihadi syndrome", every single one of them claims mental illness. Quite a coinkeydink how all these guys all snap in the same general manner.

Just because the guy is Muslim doesn't necessarily mean this has any thing to do with jihad--could be the same kind of thing as Columbine, or the guy that just shot a bunch of people in Orlando today, or one of these people who murders his or her whole family. Or not. Seems to me the one thing that stands out is that, whether he did this for a "reason" or not, the guy's as crazy as a jarful of bats.

 

[Tez3]

Just because the guy is Muslim doesn't necessarily mean this has any thing to do with jihad--could be the same kind of thing as Columbine, or the guy that just shot a bunch of people in Orlando today, or one of these people who murders his or her whole family. Or not. Seems to me the one thing that stands out is that, whether he did this for a "reason" or not, the guy's as crazy as a jarful of bats.

I wouldn't be surprised if being a psychiatrist had more to do with this madness than being Muslim. Six years ago we had a military pyschiatric hospital here and we were called to it quite often for various reasons. Quite frankly I was more comfortable with the patients than with some of the staff. One of the psych nurses actually said a third of the staff were on meds themselves, a third had married patients and the other third were just undiagnosed mental patients. She had two of the three, was on meds and had married a patient. We asked why take up psych nursing, she replied that there was no better place to hide a tree than in a forest! Seriously, in our experience psych staff are more than a bit suspect when it comes to being sane especially if they are military as well.

 

[Stac3y]

I wouldn't be surprised if being a psychiatrist had more to do with this madness than being Muslim. Six years ago we had a military pyschiatric hospital here and we were called to it quite often for various reasons. Quite frankly I was more comfortable with the patients than with some of the staff. One of the psych nurses actually said a third of the staff were on meds themselves, a third had married patients and the other third were just undiagnosed mental patients. She had two of the three, was on meds and had married a patient. We asked why take up psych nursing, she replied that there was no better place to hide a tree than in a forest! Seriously, in our experience psych staff are more than a bit suspect when it comes to being sane especially if they are military as well.

I was avoiding saying pretty much the same thing, but now that you've broken the ice...my psychotherapist ex-husband said that working in a mental health profession almost always meant that you were trying to fix someone in your family who was mentally ill, or that you were trying to fix yourself for the same reason. He also said that becoming a therapist is a neurotic defense. And, believe me, HE was crazier than 2 jars full of bats.

 

[Tez3]

I was avoiding saying pretty much the same thing, but now that you've broken the ice...my psychotherapist ex-husband said that working in a mental health profession almost always meant that you were trying to fix someone in your family who was mentally ill, or that you were trying to fix yourself for the same reason. He also said that becoming a therapist is a neurotic defense. And, believe me, HE was crazier than 2 jars full of bats.

It makes it even more of a betrayal really that this man wasn't only a fellow soldier and a comrade but soldiers were looking to him to help and support them. He was a doctor, a healer above all...... 'Primum non nocere'. It's unforgiveable.

 

[Bob Hubbard]

Partial List.

13 Killed

• Pfc. Michael Pearson, 21, of Bolingbrook, Illinois
• Russell Seager, 51 of Racine, Wisconsin
• Sgt. Amy Krueger, 29 of Kiel, Wisconsin
• Franceska Valez, 21, Chicago, Illinois . She had just returned from Afghanistan due to pregnancy. She was 3 months pregnant.
• Pfc. Aaron Thomas Nemelka, 19, of West Jordan, Utah
• Spc. Jason Dean Hunt, 22, of Frederick, Okla
• Spc. Kham Xiong, 23, of St. Paul, Minn
• Juanita Warman, 55, was a military physician assistant
• Mike Cahill, 62, Cameron TX - civilian physician’s assistant

30 Wounded

• Amber Bahr, 19 of Random Lake, Wisconsin
• Cpl. Nathan A. Hewitt, 27, of Lafayette, Indiana
• Reservist Keara Bono, 21
• Army Reserve Spc. Grant Moxon, 23 of Lodi Wisconsin
• Ray Saucedo, wounded, from Greenville (Grand Rapids area), Michigan.
• Keara Bono, wounded, Twin Cities/Kansas City.
• Joy Clark, wounded, Des Moines, Iowa.
• Nathan Hewitt, wounded, Lafayette, Indiana.
• Alan Carroll, New Jersey
• Matthew Cooke, New York
• Joey Foster, Utah
• Justin Johnson, Florida
• Staff Sgt. Alonzo Lunsford, North Carolina
• 2nd Lt. Brandy Mason
• Maj. Randy Royer, Alabama
• George Stratton, Idaho

Fort Hood Police Sgt. Kimberly Munley - Wounded
Munley, 34, was wounded in the exchange with the alleged gunman, Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan. Authorities said she shot Hasan four times. She is being treated for her wounds.
Fort Hood Commander Lt. Gen. Bob Cone said Friday that Fort Hood police Sgt. Kimberly Munley and her partner responded within three minutes of reported gunfire Thursday afternoon. Cone said Munley shot the gunman four times despite being shot herself. Officials said Munley was in stable condition. Cone said, "It was an amazing and an aggressive performance by this police officer." Cone also said he was inspired by a woman who helped carry a wounded victim and used her blouse as a tourniquet, then later realized she'd been shot in the hip.

Sources:
CNN.com
http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local-beat/Midwests-Fort-Hood-Casualties-69376622.html
http://www.wkowtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=11458413
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,572726,00.html
http://www.kwtx.com/localnews/headlines/69396362.html