The facts as we know them are that an Army major, who was a mental health professional, shot and killed 13 soldiers (including himself) at Fort Hood, Texas, and wounded 38 others. Truly a tragedy of major proportions. Our hearts and sympathy obviously go out to the dead, the wounded and their families.
Based on the facts thus known, we see no one to immediately apprehend or punish at this point. Identifying any “blame” on the part of others will take time and a thorough investigation, which we of course strongly encourage to be undertaken immediately. Before calling for the “heads” of anyone, other than condemnation of the actions by the alleged killer, we should wait until all the facts have been assembled and presented in a dispassionate manner.
To somehow assume that the president or military leaders are in any way responsible at this point is in itself, irresponsible, in our view. Men and women died in a tragedy. Let us all grieve and reflect on that loss for now. In time, we can then all lend our voices to views on underlying defects in the “system.” But now’s not the time.
The alleged killer had been scheduled to deploy to Afghanistan to counsel soldiers suffering from combat stress.
Army spokeswoman Col. Cathy Abbott says Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, an active-duty military psychiatrist, was to deploy with an Army Reserve unit that provides what the military calls “behavioral health” counseling.
It wasn’t immediately clear whether Hasan sought the assignment or was being sent against his wishes.
Let us once again mourn, grieve and carefully consider our opinions on broader issues of war and peace, how we treat and protect our military personnel and other related matters. But let us try to do those things in a quiet and respectful manner, without aspersions or accusations in the immediate aftermath of this tragedy.
