Although there are almost daily mass murders by terrorists in Iraq and Afghanistan, who could have anticipated that a U.S. Army major would fire on his fellow soldiers, murdering 13 and wounding 30 others, at Fort Hood in Texas?
The shocking atrocity of pathological nature occurred as Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, an Army psychiatrist scheduled for early deployment to the Middle East, fired automatic weapons to mow down many of his fellow soldiers. Hasan was shot and wounded by a military police officer, fortunately preventing the toll from being even worse.
Hasan reportedly was concerned that he would be sent overseas. As a psychiatrist, he was not headed for combat. Yet in the ordinarily safe environment of the huge Fort Hood military base, he committed murder of enormous proportions.
It is reported that Hasan had been "harassed" for being a Muslim, and was concerned about being sent to a country where Muslims are warring against Americans. But there was no immediate explanation of his violent acts.
Hasan had been pictured recently in traditional Muslim garb in Texas.
He had served six years in the Army. In an earlier assignment at Walter Reed Medical Center in Washington, he reportedly had received a poor performance evaluation, before being sent to Fort Hood, with the prospect of overseas duty. As a doctor, he would have faced no enemy in battle, but for whatever reason, he chose to shoot down many of his fellow American soldiers.
Since Hasan survived wounds after committing mass murder, there surely will be searching investigation to seek to explain his horrible action.
The hearts of patriotic Americans surely go out to the families of his victims.
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