Base looks for hope amid grief
November 8, 2009, Sunday
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A CHAPLAIN exhorted hundreds of mourners gathered at a candlelight vigil to not give up hope as Fort Hood and its surrounding community looked to each other for comfort after a US Army psychiatrist allegedly went on a deadly shooting spree at the Texas military base.
A grief counseling center was set up on Friday at the Killeen Community Center to help residents struggling to make sense of one of the worst mass shootings ever on a base in the United States. At least 13 people died and more than two dozen were wounded in the attack on Thursday.
The alleged gunman, Major Nidal Malik Hasan, was wounded and taken into custody after a gunfire exchange with two civilian police officers.
Like other military installations nationwide, the bonds between Fort Hood and the town at its doorstep are tight.
"Most of our clientele are soldiers, so this affects everyone in the community," said James Carpenter, 34, a tattoo artist at Zombie Ink and a former soldier who had been stationed at Fort Hood before he left the Army in 2003. "Everyone is asking why and saying, 'I can't believe he did that'."
Witnesses said Hasan stood on a desk and began firing after walking into the Soldier Readiness Processing Center, where troops who are about to be deployed or who are returning undergo medical screening. Those who weren't hit by direct fire were struck by rounds ricocheting off the desks and tile floor.
Officials say the gunman was stopped after two cops arrived and engaged in a firefight with Hasan, who was hit four times.
Most of the shooting survivors remained hospitalized, many in intensive care. Hasan was transferred on Friday to Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio. Army officials gave no indication of his condition except that he was "not able to converse."
Some who knew Hasan said he may have been struggling with a pending deployment to Afghanistan, although authorities still did not have a motive.
Among the victims were Francheska Velez, 21, who was pregnant.
A grief counseling center was set up on Friday at the Killeen Community Center to help residents struggling to make sense of one of the worst mass shootings ever on a base in the United States. At least 13 people died and more than two dozen were wounded in the attack on Thursday.
The alleged gunman, Major Nidal Malik Hasan, was wounded and taken into custody after a gunfire exchange with two civilian police officers.
Like other military installations nationwide, the bonds between Fort Hood and the town at its doorstep are tight.
"Most of our clientele are soldiers, so this affects everyone in the community," said James Carpenter, 34, a tattoo artist at Zombie Ink and a former soldier who had been stationed at Fort Hood before he left the Army in 2003. "Everyone is asking why and saying, 'I can't believe he did that'."
Witnesses said Hasan stood on a desk and began firing after walking into the Soldier Readiness Processing Center, where troops who are about to be deployed or who are returning undergo medical screening. Those who weren't hit by direct fire were struck by rounds ricocheting off the desks and tile floor.
Officials say the gunman was stopped after two cops arrived and engaged in a firefight with Hasan, who was hit four times.
Most of the shooting survivors remained hospitalized, many in intensive care. Hasan was transferred on Friday to Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio. Army officials gave no indication of his condition except that he was "not able to converse."
Some who knew Hasan said he may have been struggling with a pending deployment to Afghanistan, although authorities still did not have a motive.
Among the victims were Francheska Velez, 21, who was pregnant.
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