Hi friends: Anderson, Erica, David (Indiana) and bloggers!

Sad news today! My condolences to the families and friends of the dead in Fort Hood.

Hi everyone,

Happy November!

condolences and sympathy to all involved in this horrific event today. How ironic, Fort Hood, the largest employer in Texas, and its very substantial contribution to our ill fated war in Iraq, (500 casualties) and now it has to face this.

Good Evening Everyone!. This is so sad.

That shooting is something else.

Good evening everyone. What a tragic day.

Good evening everyone, Anderson, Erica, AC360 team, and bloggers. There was another shooting?? Can anything get worse these days? Apparently it can...

Helloooo Anderson, Erica, Ed Henry, David Gergen Martina Ilstad, Emily and my friends Twitter/Facebook Bloggers!!!!!
Happy Thursday Night!!!!! HUGS!!
That is so breaking heart for me to see so horrible volience to shooting people 31 hurt and 12 killed including gunman is actually alive, My thoughts and prayers with Fort Hood, TX people, friends, & families!

Wait, he's a Muslim who has spoken out against the US policy, wanted to get out of deploying, and has said Muslims shouldn't fight Muslims, and we say there's no evidence this was terrorism?

Good evening Anderson and all bloggers. This tragedy is so shocking. My heart goes out to all involved and to all those family and friends of those killed. Prayers for those who are wounded. I believe they will find out what happened and why.

And the shooter is alive. wow!

Hi Anderson and 360 staff!

Hello Anderson, Erica & entire Team 360.

Hello to my fellow bloggers.

Devistating news from Fort Hood...my family and me are sending our thoughts & prayers to victims & all families and friends affected.

No one really expect something like this happens inside a military base. It's so scary!

Anderson/Erica,
If i was a betting man in Vegas, I'd bet this has something to do with his last name(Islamic).....no matter how ridiculous or dumb it sounds, if I were betting in Vegas, the odds are in my favor.

Unbelievable! How many others are sick like this? Very sad.

When I heard of the Fort Hood shooting, I expected it to involved a young soldier who snapped. Maybe outsiders trying make a statement against the current administration. But the base psychiatrist who didn't want to go to Afghanistan? – never a thought.

Suspicion of derelicts is expected. But this man had a suitable record in writing. You don't suspect the well educated man with a pedigree background to turn on this brothers. How do you prepare for that enemy? Answer: You can't.

This is a real shocker. I hadn't seen any news all day.

I am a sad Texan tonight. My flag is flying half mast. let us pray for the families and for peace~☮

Just crazy.

Anderson,
I couldn't understand why he had shooting people, being scared of gun. There is not safe place to shoot... I think they have no carry guns there. That is so sad for our troops lost one dear.

I never thought something like this would happen on a base.

I was on post at the time of this shooting a few blocks from where it happened. My heart goes out to those families who lost loved ones today.

In addition to the horror of the deaths and injuries, my heart goes out to Dr. Hasan's patients. Mental health patients need to trust that their therapists will provide a safe place for them to bring their deepest vulnerabilities. Dr. Hasan's actions have shattered that safety to an unbelievable degree.

I can't believe that this guy would be able to shoot so many people in a place where guns and expert marksmen are so readily available.

I heard the shooter was dead, where does it say he is alive?

@ Military Men and Women: Does the military system has an anonymous tip line for soldiers to report stange actions to superiors? Not sure of the military protocol or is that considered insubordination.

Anderson,
Hi. It's very sad to hear of the sudden shootings at Fort Hood. It's unfortunate for anyone to be subjected to such an incident. With the suspect shooter still living, at least there is a chance of finding answers as to his motive and mental state. My prayers are with all those affected by the tragedy.

why did he do it?

BettyAnn, Nacogdoches,TX
My thoughts and prayers with you too, HUGS!

What did motivate the attack?

Q Isabel

I am a child of the military (my Dad put in 33 yrs in our military).

You are exactly right. Our bases are often our homes and we always felt safest on base. So an incident like this one is really shocking.

Now, many service persons and their famiies may not feel safe Anywhere!

@Mike Yanez, I wouldn't bet against you. Each piece of new info adds to the likelihood that this is domestic terrorism.

@ BettyAnn, Nacogdoches,TX

Yes, We need peace ☮ so much!

The guy wanted to leave the military too.

@ Jo Ann: Same thoughts I have had. Husband said I am nuts to speculate. How do we spend 50% of our national budget on defense and no one could take him down today? Why is he still alive?

I am appalled and disgutsed that a man who killed his fellow soldiers so brutally and soulessly is given the right to have his good name defended!!! Are you kidding me. My husband basically lives over there every other year and now my Marine son will most likely take his turn, and I'm supposed to feel sorry for a man that could of done this to one of them? I think NOT!!! He killed innocent men, spilled American blood on American soil and I don't care if his name is kicked in the mud. Good for him he deserves worse!!!

There is so much chaos these days... especially in people's heads... a shooting? COME ON! There are enough people dying these days...

i think this doctor was a sleeper...we need to stop letting these pepole in our country

People outside the military are fast to pin this on Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), however, how was this guy suffering from PTSD when he has allegedly never been deployed. Also, if he didn’t want to be deployed why in God’s world did he join the military? This war is not new; we've been on this for over six years. In addition, my husband has been deployed 3 times; currently serving in Iraq, yet this bozo has never been there??? Hummm….there is something wrong with the system. Yet he kills people who have served proudly for their county in harm’s way, not in some office in a hospital with air and heater. This is NOT PTSD!!!!

What happened to the 2 "shooters" who were also in custody? No mention of them now?

That soldier-on-soldier fragging a few years ago foreshadowed this. In recent years, attention to internal rumblings has probably prevented more incidents than we imagine. Still, better attention needs to be paid.

Good evening. This is just awful. My son is at a base in Louisiana training for deployment. This really brings home what my family is in for the next year.

Why a MD would do something like this is truly disturbing.

The base is 300 + acres big.

@Renee, I don't understand it! Someone should have taken him out immediately.

@megan @isabel Thank you and may ☮ feed the hearts of world.

@Renee, we spend 20% of our budget on defense, and the area this happened had a lot of unarmed soldiers.

Stating the obvious: "Semi-automatic" weapons are not the same as "fully automatic" weapons. You still have to pull the trigger to discharge each bullet with a semi-auto.

Can you discuss how it was possible for someone to shoot so many rounds with only 2 handguns and hide all that ammo without anyone noticing?

These guys who shot shoulders at Fort Hood .... Should be Hung for Treason.

As being a former person in the military, you do not need to be deployed to have PTSD!!!!! It's ashame because so many people think that you have to be in the danger zone, to develop PTSD. It all comes down to how the soldiers are getting treated within the Military system. What's going to be done to help the soldiers who complain about mistreatment, getting teased, getting punished because they sought out help, etc. Another question is how many soldiers are getting mistreated and how many more people is going to lose their lives, before they start looking more into the complaints from the soldiers. When are they going to stop just brushing it off and taking these complaints serious!!!!

It's not just lower enlisted people that have these problems, it's officers too.

Merrily,
(Supect) He is right now in hospitalized in Fort Hood, TX.

Why not question him "with force" then show him the same treatment he displayed today, eye for an eye..

It's a shame that this has happened and I'm praying for all the families going through this tragedy. -Ania in Houston TX

Hi everyone, such a horrible and tragic event. My heart too goes out to all the victims in Ft. Hood and to their family.

Maybe this is 2ndary traumatization. Maybe he, "threw himself on the granade", knowing he would be killed to save other soldiers going to Iraq.

I am a man of islamic faith and believe that our faith should not be brought into to much detail in this investigation.

Mistakenly reported killed; he's alive. Last I heard the civilian cop who shot him is alive too.

I'm disappointed at the amount of speculation I'm hearing on the news. I realize there isn't a lot of confirmed info yet, and I suppose you have to fill the time somehow. I just wish people on national television would think before they talk.

My heart goes out to the Ft. Hood family. You're in my prayers.

There is no excuse for this individual....He is a Major in the United States Army He is charged with the care and welfare of Soldiers. He is a disgrace to himself, his family, and country!

@Jo Ann
People seem to have misconception of soldiers on a base carrying weapons all the time, and this is just not the case. Being a Soldiers it tears me apart to see something like this, Death would be to good for this guy.

He had all that going on, but he suffered a mental state.

I agree with Wanda, this is not PTSD. I believe it is just as all people who go crazy. Something that none of us sane people will ever understand.

@Nancy, he was born in this country.

Wow, really crazy we go to war then come how and think we are safe? Then something like this happens?
My heart goes out to all the families!!

It's everywhere now, only took 7 hours for them to tell us that though. Also Jo Ann they've made it very clear soldiers DO NOT carry weapons on base.

This is rediculous, how can we let this happen? We need to up the background screening we do upon entering the military, for both mental health as well as criminal records. We can not afford to let this happen, if we want to continue to fight 2 wars, and not pull any of our troops out of the middle east.

Hello. It has been a day marred by a senseless tragedy at Fort Hood. Our military personnel have to worry enough when they are deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan. Now they have to be concerned about fellow soldiers on their base?
My thoughts and prayers go out to the families of the brave individuals who lost their lives today.

What are the implications for soldiers that need mental health counseling when a psychiatrist turns on patients in this way?

I am in the Army with PTSD, I have no tendancies in shooting fellow Soldiers, for the Army wanting to re-deployee me...
I think the Major is a coward, and a Jerk!!!!

i was stuck on fort hood for this lock down. its upsetting to find out that the fbi was investigating him. some job they did. . . . .

The most disturbing is that this is the work of a psychiatrist. No one would even think of looking into a doctor. I'm interested in what they know about this psychiatrist and how much they know about what he's been going through.

My prayers go out to the families of the fallen at Fort Hood and all of our Gold Star families including my own. I feel such pain at this tragedy.

Mike Formerly from Syracuse.

I think it is irresponsible and dangerous to assume that this incident at Fort Hood was a "terrorist" attack.

We do not know much at this time and we should Not speculate. There are many, many Muslim Americans. It is insulting to them and quite frankly others too, to label this situation as "terrorist" yet.

Time and a good investigation will tell us the truth.

I't seems pretty obvious that this is a premeditated terrrorist attack from a middle eastern muslim. With all the evidence Dr. Phil refuses to even acknowlegde this. I't seems they have us right were they want us. Content that they are living among us!

First I want to say my heart goes out to the victims, and their families, and I hope they get the answers they are looking for. My question is How did a man who had these beliefs about sucide bombs, and things like this, become a major in the Untied States Military? Did he wait to become a major before he started having these thoughts, I dont know but it sounds kind of crazy to me!

Is it possible that a motive for the shooter could have been "Remember, Remember the 5th of November?"

i am stationed at the base in camp pendlton, ca and we shouldnt have to worry about this kinda of stuff i mean how dumb can u be to caome on a militarty base nad do this

Earlier it was that the main shooter had committed suicide and 2 other shooters were in custody and now it's that the main shooter is alive and no other shooters are mentioned?

I think it is outrageous that people are assuming that because of his last name that it is a terrorist attack. It really shows how good Americans are at creating stereotypes rather than fighting against them. This is a horrific event and demonstrates the need for more attention and funding towards PTSD and other mental disorders.

bizarre incident. There is so much more to unfold. I have a feeling we have only scratched the surface. Will the military cover up? I wonder.

are there any surveillance cameras??

I can't believe that this happened so close to my family. Please be careful out there to everyone.

It is rediculous that so many on the web are eager to be so racist. There are extremist in every religious background. It is sad Muslim is that key word for so many.

Definitely a horrifying and shocking day. Good evening Anderson, Erica, Isabel, everyone. I'd like to send my thoughts and prayers to those who have lost their lives or have been wounded and their loved ones and everyone at Fort Hood.

I am surprised to learn that Major Hasan is alive. Eventhough he was quickly restrained it was a terrible attack. I don't understand why if he was under surveillance he wasn't being watched more closely.

Yes, how come he wasn't apprehended as soon as he was seen to have a weapon? When was that noticed?

I am a proud Staff Sergeant from Ft Hood Texas and let it be known that the families of the fallen will be loved and taken care of and the unneccesarry death of our commrades will be revenged, one way or another. There was no reson to bring the war into our home when in these times we need to stick together, no matter what! This attack will never be forgotten and maybe it will open the eyes of the public that some of ou soldiers are being pushed to our limits and maybe the Chain of Command needs to learn to listen better. Fort Hood was, is and will always be the home of Heroes.

My prayers are with all the victims and their families. It will be interesting, to say the least, to see how this act of violence plays out as the facts unfold. Given the legal protection the alleged assailant will have it may take some time before it all comes out, if ever.

As an Army Mom, I am saddened by todays events and am concerned for the safety of our soldiers ... at home and abroad! My Son is currently in South Korea, I was concerned about his duty station, but it is clear that soldiers are not safe anywhere! My condolences to all the families affected today!

internet posting 6 months ago? why didnt they looked into this closely? maybe this wouldn't have happened.

I guess not eveyone knows how to take out stress and emotion in a gym or on there one time but i am not sure if anyone else is with me, but hearing that he is still alive and might be able to give some insight if he will talk is great. Def not saying he deserves to be but ever a little insight would put some people at rest or understanding.

BettyAnn, Nacogdoches,TX
You're welcome, Betty...... HUGS!

@Renee,
Military men and women are required to tell military intelligence about security concerns.

marcy,
I agree with what you said but not only when are they gonna take the complaints seriously when are they gonna take what the families have to say seriously?

why? Does anybody know?

@jo ann, @Renee,
Had there been any other armed soldiers in the room he wouldn't have lasted long.

I'm a Staff Sergeant in Fort Hood and it is sad that someone who you should trust commits a crime like this. The building where he started the shooting its a pretty size building, but it has lots of narrow spaces, making it easy for the attact. I just came back from a deployment to Afghanistan three months ago and just like all the rest of the Soldiers we had to go thru that building. I also used to work right across from there just two weeks ago. I'm sure those the last thing in those Soldiers' minds were what just occured. To me the lost of a Soldier hurts every inch of my soul, we all fight for the same reasons. God Bless them and their loved ones

Very sad night not only in Texas but across the USA. My thoughts and prayers go to the those at Ft Hood and also to all of our men and women in uniform as this has an affect on them we may not be able to fathom

It was a very sad and scary day here at ft. hood I am a wife who lived close to the shooting on post who had to hide in my house with children scared for our lives and the lives of our loves ones. We moved onpost to be safe. How does this happen to those who give there all for our country? yes it was a sad day here and will be a sad journey picking up the peices and trying to feel safe again.

Does anyone out there know how the wounded are truly doing? I prey to the good Lord that the death count does not go up. Anderson, please find out how the wounded are doing.

Hi everyone,

I live in Killeen and I am really worried about what just happened. I heard this Hasan guy planned this attack months ago and other attacks are going to happen... I really hope this is just a rumor.

I find it hard to believe that the military did not know the medical status of the gunman? How is it he goes from killed in a firefight to stable condition? The military and gov't need to get their facts straight and the situation under control before making such a report!

My son is a soldier at Ft. Hood and was on base at the time of the shooting, his biggest conern was my safety because I live near the base. Thank God my son was not near the shooting. This Major wanted to use the United States Military to get a free education and training so he could get rich, but when it came time to pay back by serving overseas he chickens out. He is a major no one harassed him!!! He is a terrorist! I am so thankful they didn't kill him so he can pay for this slowly for the rest of his life.

How sad, he committed the ultimate betrayel, by shooting down his fellow soldiers in cold blood, I am sickened and saddened.....this has far reaching implications, his name invokes fear to some.

Hello all! Im an army wife to a soldier that is over seas. We are stationed at Fort Hood and actually right up the street from where this happened. I love the army I have been part since i was born. so 22 yrs in the army and i have never ever seen anything like this! I dont understand why a soldier has to kill all these soldiers?? Please remember Fort Hood, 11/05/09

I just want everyone to know that the pistol that he used IS semi-automatic. The news just made the report sound like they are different. They are not...

Many people who go into the mental health field do it in hopes of solving their own mental health problems. These folks do not make stable therapists as we see at Fort Hood.

I believe the news conference was delayed because the military wanted to move the shooter to an undisclosed, secure hospital before they gave out the news that he was still alive.

Ft. Hood should amp up the security on the base, obviously this is a problem-too many soldiers died at a place they were supposed to be safe. This is nonsense, just because of his ethnicity this story is getting blown out of context!

I heard he had one m16 plus a hand gun. You can hit alot of people in a short amount of time with the m16. plus he was looking for people he knew.

As it has been said that weapons are not carried by the people on the base, how is it that a woman shot the man doing the shooting.

@megan (((hugs))) to you too! XO

Pray for the victims and their families today is sad day

It would be ashame if we do not recognize this as Islamic extremism. This guy is not a result of war PTSD or work related stress. No Soldier with PTSD or stress would go to this extreme against his brethern. Hassan obviously felt no emotional connection, unity, or loyality to his fellow Soldiers because it was a deeper extremism driving his motives.

Captain D. 101st Airborne

"Wait, he's a Muslim. . . "

@Mike, formerly from Syracuse, I don't know how much of the coverage you have watched but they have avoided bringing that fact up. I am surprised that Anderson just mentioned it.

I am sorry, but the fact is violence is ingrained in their culture and in their religlion.

What happened today at Ft Hood is INEXCUSABLE and totally appalling. I have been in for 24 years, and always thought Officers were the ones we looked up to.

Now, this happens and one has to rethink the trust factor. Im headed to Ft Hood very soon, and will always be looking over my shoulder and at who is leading us.

Something that just has to be after todays events.

If records are red flagged like we see, the government knew of this Guy's tendency should have removed him right away? Those words he has stated should have been removed due to conversation with others prior.

Does anyone know if he said anything while he was shooting?

Pam the base is a lot bigger than 300 plus acers big. Its 200,000 plus acers big. Trust me I covered every bit of it when I was stationed there.

Who has jurisdiction for a capital offense on a military base? And, does the military have capital punishment for a capital offense?

Unbelievable this shooting, my a brother a major in the army was just at Fort Hood 24 hrs. ago at this exact spot the shooting took place. He was on his way back to Iraq after 2 weeks leave. He is currently in his second tour. I feel like he just dodged a bullet. My heart goes out to the families of the dead and wounded my prayers are with you all.

It is being said that Hasan was trying to get out of the military and that he had hired an attorney. Why did he want out of the military? Why could he not simply resign his commission? Was he still under a service obligation?

Good evening Anderson, Erica, Megan & Bloggers,
I'm late here tonight, however I heard about this awful shooting spree this afternoon...my thoughts are with all the Military Families this evening!

Q: Why did the military take so long to announce he was in fact alive and stable?

Q: With the blogs that have been found are they thinking that this attack just might be some sort of a small terrorist cell here in Texas? Are they worried about any further attacks on military personal here as well as across the country?

@ Starr

My family also is of militaries. My grandfather was in the military and I have 5 cousins military here in Brazil. This kind of thing does not fit!

What do you bet there have been signs, clues, comments made, behaviors, well in advance of his taking this action. Again, we may be faced with the preventative aspects of something like this. When do you take action ahead of time instead of waiting for a tragedy? Remember, this is a mental health professional. He worked with other mental health professionals. I bet they noticed stuff. Maybe even shared some concerns. But look what happened.

It is somewhat common for some soldiers in Ft. Hood to "act out" before a scheduled deployment. There have been suicides, violent acts, and others so that they do not deploy. Some soldiers take desperate measures to not be deployed. I am just sad that this man went to this extreme. I am curious to learn why.

Anderson,
I am a active duty Air Force in Nevada. I am in shock that this has happened to my brothers and sisters in arms. My condolences go to the families of the injured and killed. I have my ideas after hearing some of the facts that have came out but at the same time we all need to let the investigators conduct their business and come to a conclusion. I am sure it will all work out in the end. My main take is that if he was a counselor and listening to all of the war stories from the soldiers that have come back that maybe it had effected him mentally also. I am sure that will be part of the investigation.

As a Soldier here at Fort Hood, let me tell you this is horrible thing that has happened, and has hit way too close to home. I deployed twice to Iraq and this pains my heart as bad as anything I saw there. People have so many misconceptions about our daily lives when not deployed, I hate seeing all the wild speculation going on in the media. I'm racked with nervousness after having nothing to do but watch the news as the events unfolded. We were under very strict lock-down till 7PM. My wish is that we could all do something to help the families of the victims.

Let's pray for all the families who are suffering the lose of a love one. The Army is a big family, I been on the service for 4 years and I never expected to see something like this. RIP Soldiers, friends and family. We are going to miss you all.

My heart goes out to my army brothers and sisters at Ft. Bragg.

@ Jessica,
That's what i'm talking about... when are they going to take the family and soldiers seriously? When?

I am a former soldier who was stationed in Fort Hood merely two months ago. I have friends, brothers and sisters still there and I am completely disgusted that any member of the military could take their aggression and anger out on comrades. My personal anger, depression, and iritation are feelings that are shared by fellow soldiers, former soldiers, and military family members.

I think that what occurred today is tragic and my heart goes out to all of the families. Plain and simple, I don't think the muslim's should be allowed to join our Armed Forces. This is what happens when you allow people like him to fight for our country.

Was he near Fort Hood during the earlier mass shooting in the mall outside post?

Coming from a military family of 3 generations who have served the US Army I was truly saddened to here of this tragic event at Fort Hood.

From one Army family member to another my prayers are with those families who lost someone and those families of those injured during this tragic event.

I was stationed there from '86-'87. When I heard about this shooting I was saddend about it. I did 14 years with a 6 month deployment 19 years ago. My prayers go out to the families.

My prayers & thoughts to all the families. My husband was going to be stationed there so I am currently thanking god that we had not been stationed there.

I am recently retired from Fort Hood diagnosed PTSD. Fort Hood and Killeen are communities in crisis. Fort hood has been able to keep it quiet until now. Hundreds of Soldier returning have become murders and victims of suicide and violence. Our community is falling apart and finally people are going to have to listen.

This shooting is a prime example of why we must seek the face of God, and encourage our neighbors to do so as well.

My sister lives in the area of Ft. Hood. she says it is crazy there. Lots of aircraft, sirens, and a sense of panic and shock. I can't even imagine!

Hello Anderson, Erica, CNN reporters and bloggers;

So sad to hear of another mass shooting today. But also sad that I don't even find them all that surprising anymore. I'm beginning to wonder if these are all copy cat crimes now.

What a terrible day today. My prayer's go to all the families and people in fort hood.

It is a Post not a base. the air force uses bases the marines use bases, the army forts are posts, i know its petty but as a veteran of the us army i find it annoying to not get the nomenclature correct

Frances Townsend has been providing great info from what I've seen this evening on & off....
This is really sad news that this happened on US soil!

Maybe if they'd taken action on his POOR REVIEW and not tried to send over him to take care of our soldiers in action this wouldn't have happened???

I just don't understand this,why don't you all run a do you fill safe in our country now,I bet 80% will say no because of this,I think we really better pat attention to this because they got us the first time with our planes and now it is a possibility that terriost are in our army.

Anderson,

I am an American citizen from a Jo9rdanian descent... I believe that, according to the last name od the Major who committed this horrible act, further investigation about his descent should be conducted. Let us not forget that hundreds of thousands of Palestenians moved to Jordan and got the citizenship there but still from palestenian descent

Seems to me that it would create a huge internal conflict, no matter how much you loved your country of citizenship to be asked to participate in a war against your culture of origin. The harrassment he allegedly received probably just added to the conflict. Sorry for the families and wonderful folks at Fort Hood.

question. what sect of muslim was he? shia or sunni?

As a Major, he was in a position to lead. As enlisted people we are taught that Officer's are somehow wiser than those of us enlisted people because they have degree's. I have known a lot of people from around the world in the military, heard people say a lot of whacky stuff, but this.....is unreal. My thoughts and prayers go out to the victims and their families and all those who were serving with them. When something happens in the military, no matter the branch, it affects all military people.

@ Wanda - I think it's too early to speculate on his motives, but there is a condition caled vicarious tramatization that can afflict caregivers and/or relatives of persons iwth PTSD. In fact, there is a lot of research showing that 2nd and even 3rd generation descendants of Holocaust survivors have vicarious PTSD.

P.S. I am praying for the victims and their loved ones. God bless ALL members of our military. I GREATLY appreciate the sacrifices you make to keep me, my children, and my grandchildren safe. I'm am profoundly sorry that such a horrendous event took place right here on U.S. soil, and on a military base. God help us all!!

I am a Sergeant First Class (retired) all afternoon i have heard about him being "teased" at work. So since he was teased, its ok to kill poeple, than are we saying kids in school that get bullied can respond with gunfire?

If the FBI noticed he was doing all this internet "suicide bombing" talk 6 months ago, why was he allowed to continue to be a US Soldier? Are you kidding me?
That sure sounds like terrorist activity and evidence to me!
Our superiors need to open their eyes, and realize how serious this has become.
It's ridiculous that "OUR" people have to suffer in such a way.
We are now letting terrorists live amongst us.
This is sad, sad for everyone.

This should make people stop and think about what the millitary goes through. If a major could have a mental breakdown like this from a first deployment, think about the people who have been through 2, 3, or even 4.

I honestly was relieved to find out he was alive. I think we'll get more answers this way. And he doesn't get to go out the way he planned, now he will suffer like the families affected by his actions today. I like it.

Condolences to the family of the victims. Though this may not be from PTSD, there are many soldiers suffering from it. There was another shooting incident on Hood a few days ago, but I guess they kept that one to them selves. The soldiers go to the command and the command doesn’t always provide them with the right words. They aren't trained as they should be to deal with this type of problem. The military needs to be exposed!!! We have problems and were told to just deal with it. One of the Generals said earlier that the soldiers don’t complain; who would we complain to? What can we say to stop from being deployed.

This has all the earmarks of terrorism. And now they found what he was blogging about, it look's like he acted out on it.

Someone on cnn said they could not understand why they let the news wait over 5 hrs after saying the shooter was dead then saying he is alive.
Would that not be be one sure way to see if he was a a terriost by checking the chatter and other items during this time period .

6yr obligation

We were stationed at Fort Hood for over a year, just left 3 weeks ago. On post was the only place we really did feel safe and now that we're at Fort Knox, I dont even feel safe here. It hits home, hard. Please keep all those at Fort Hood in your prayers. Its awful and so unfair that an Army Officer could do something like that simply because he didnt want to be deployed. My husband was only out of training for 2 months before being deployed to Afghanistan. Our Army is voluntary and the wars are nothing new. This "Major" should have known the risks of what he was getting himself into.

Ryan Chacon
Nope. I don't think they have no surveillance cameras this area.

Q: What about the 3rd person that was in custody?
The last that I heard there was a 3rd person in custody and the other 2 were let go?

This happened all right down the street from our home,on post we can have guns in our homes

We are praying for the families of solders at FT.Hood.we have family there. Thank God they are safe.

@Frank – Sorry Frank I was going by what the t.v. said. I believe you!

I was stationed at Ft. Hood when I was on active duty. It was my best tour of duty, I love Ft. Hood, the Ft. Hood and the soldiers and leadership there are very close knit and support each other. They'll get through this, my heart goes out to them. What bout the FBI background check? Every commissioned officer had to undergo an FBI background check like I did before we are commissioned, did the FBI drop the ball on their check? How can we help these families through legitimate organizations? USO? Red Cross? Let us know on the air.

This is so tragic. My husband was stationed on Fort Hood until Jan '08. We still have many close civilian and Soldier friends in the area. Cell phones were down for hours making it especially hard to reach loved ones. Luckily all i know are safe.
Th truth of the matter is that unless soldiers seek help or show extreme signs of deployment related stress that they do not get help or evaluation. Many of the men and women are lucky to get their one year stabilization and they are deployed again, and again with out evaluation unless they are noticeably stressed.

@ David, Indiana

Yeah... Definitely a horrifying and shocking day and I am also surprised to learn that Major Hasan is alive.

Horrible! When is this madness going to stop? My condolences to the families of the deceased.

First thought, impression on this: A psychiatrist, working with returning soldiers from Iraq and Afghanistan, with a background of trauma studies, snaps, due to Secondary Post traumatic Stress Disorder, or Compassion Fatigue.

@starr, when this first happened all the major MSM outlets were "'assuming' it was PTSD. Yet this guy hasn't even been in combat or deployed yet. How can it be PTSD? What is the most likely cause? Terrorism is the obvious #1 candidate. Yes it has to be proven, but each passing hour is showing it more and more likely. Don't be so PC.

What a terrible day. Another one we'll never forget. I really do have to ponder that maybe his deployment later this month triggered this as he is so opposed to these wars. If he indeed said it's wrong to have Muslims fighting and possibly killing Muslims, could this possibly be the answers, as he would be doing this himself?

My heart goes out to each one of the family's that lost a loved one, and to the one who are fighting for their life's! All will be in my prayer every night till the end of time! I have a son in The Army! Who right now is on his way home from Iraq!! An infantry man! I think what is truly heart breaking is that.. one of our on did this!!! WHY???
I ask god to please hold these Family very tight in your hands! They really need your help to get through this! I would give any thing to help these family's get through this! We are taught to be a family in the Army!

His cousin said he joined the army out of high school. How has he avoided deployment and what has he done for 20 yrs at taxpayer expense? Something is wrong with this picture . How long does it take to become a psychiatrist?

I read that people don't carry weapons in the Fort. How did the gunman manage to pass unnoticed by this scheme?

Where's Peter Bergen tonight? What is Pakistan and the Middle East saying about all this? Humm...I should start to take Arabic classes. It seems like a difficult language to read.

First of all, my sincere condolences to all at Fort Hood. Such a tragedy aboard a military base is unfathomable.

This is getting Curioser and Curioser.

- First the shooter was killed; now he is alive and well

- First the shooter was killed by policeman who was himself killed; what's the status of the policeman? Is he alive?

- 9 fatalities and 31 wounded = two handguns - something wrong with this math.

- Semi-automatic??? Is that pistols or rifles?

My husband is a soldier in the US Army & we left Ft Hood about 3 weeks ago & relocated to Ft Knox. He just also recently returned from Afghanistan. I am so shocked & disturbed that a fellow soldier, let alone someone that a soldier would turn to for help would do such a thing. My husband was just at the Processing Center & actually worked across the street. I didnt want to come to Ft Knox at all because I loved being at Ft Hood, but I believe God does everything for a reason. I just pray for each & every family & hope they get the help they need.

Let's not jump into conclusions by just the Islamic last name. I'm a Muslim, wife of an Air Force Lt. Col who just got back from a deployment. I know what price our soldiers have to pay for this war.
Media can play a positive role in this tragedy by not jumping into conclusions about the unclear motives of the alegged shooter.

So sad my son is stationed at Fort Hood. We are in PA and I couldn't stand not knowing if he was OK. I thank God he is fine! I pray for all
the families of the soldiers wounded or killed.

This is too close to home, I stay in Waco, Tx and to know he was Islamic and done a tragic thing like that makes me afraid of most Islamic people around here who may feel the same way Major Nidal Hasan feels about the war. I'm pretty sure he must have had family or some relatives around where the war is happening at. Makes me wonder if this is the last shooting to happen?

I can't believe that Dr. Phil and "professional experts' are "so surprised" that violence can occur on a U.S. Army base where killing is talked and walked.

It happened at Columbine where killing is not even taught.

From my perspective, there's no surprise here.

The U.S. continues to be the world's most homicidal nation in the world.

Its because he is an MD that the impact will be that much stronger. I am glad he is alive so his brains can be picked over. As a doctor he was supposed to spot the signs in others and help them post-trauma, what insight can he offer now from the 'other' side?

My fiance was at Fort 2 months ago. We still have friends who are there. I really hope they are ok.

This Iraq/Afghanistan situation continues to stretch us thin and keep us vulnerable! God Bless America!

So Hasan is alive he didn't die? i hope in the month's to come they pay him back for this horrible deed he has done. And feel's the pain and suffering the people of FT. Hood is going through.

What was a man that 6 months ago, posted about terrist acts, and we are saying there is no evidence this was terrorism? And what was he doing on a large base that deployes our millitary.

I really like when you use google earth ... gives us a great idea of space!

Thank you for joining us on the live blog tonight! Incredible story tonight – our thoughts with all those at Ft. Hood.

To Respond to SGT there are many programs offered here at Ft.Hood much more then any other post so people always want to say the Army needs to do this and that and they doing it here at Ft.Hood

As far as weapons on base. I understand that they can have personal weapons but not to carry them! Im not sure about an officer. I dont know if they can carry or not! my question is did the army know if his weapons were registered on base?

Everyone working on a military installation should have the MPs, Provost Marshall or Military Intelligence on speed dial. It takes moments to program a phone. Even without the crazy factor, anyone working on post can be considered a legitimate military target by our nation's enemies.

So we went from 2 shooters to three, to one???

Vivene, Marcello and Jessica - thanks for your posts and thank heavens you're safe.

Hasan has a nice, gentle looking face. His picture doesn't go with this event at all.

@Michael
My last deployment to Iraq a insurgent shot 5 soldiers with a pistol and got away. The idea of an ambush is surprise and when something like that happens the first thing that goes through your mind is what in the world is happening. In just the few seconds it takes to get your bearings the damage will have already been done, which is the case in the cowardly ambush at FT Hood.

The thing that frightens me about this is how quickly people looked at this guy's last name, and started talking about how he was a "muslim terrorist". That is a dangerous thing.

@SSG Weltsch,
I hope that you know that everyone has you ALL in our thoughts & that you are all safe!

Thanks for all that yous' are doing for us there!

RIP to all those who lost their lives today! @>–

So tragic!

@ susan: Some people carry weapons as a part of their duty. Military police, etc.

We are in denial to think by fighting in Afganistan and Iraq we will keep "THEM" there and not here. We need to GET OUT and put the resources into the United States of America. My heart goes out to those families who have lost loved ones and who are injured. Our soldiers don't deserve this. Who is responsible for promoting this so called American earlier this year?

We know that there were more soldiers and personnel in the room where this terrible incident occurred than the 12 killed and 31 injured... but do we know how many others were in the room who were not hurt... My heart goes out to all of them as well as the wounded and killed and their families.

What happened at the fort hood is a very sad event It is similar to attack on pakistan army head quarters six months ago . Authorities can draw more info from that event. More specific security actions should be taken be at other locations immly.

@Starr, I agree it is irresponsible to assume this is an act of terrorism. Has this psychiatrist treated for any length of time soldiers going to or coming from Iraq and Afghanistan? Mental health professionals are often subjected to intense stress.

If it's true. The woman officer who stood and fought it out in a shot by shot gunbattle with the shooter, needs to be heralded as a hero!!! By all current information you're giving us, she was being struck by rounds and returning them to save lives. Who was that officer? We need to all say thanks!

To Shawn. Because thats what they do, cover things up, if the public knew all that goes on in the military, we would be in termoil!

To Sharon Hastings: Yeah there were signs. I was deployed, not near as long as most soldiers, but I've seen signs in my self, Ive gone to my chain of command, but nothing was done. One problem leads to another. I know GOD thats how i got through my ordeal.

I'm getting the chills just watching Tom Foreman's report.My prayers go out to the families.

It just goes to show you, no matter where you are, who you are, or what precautions you take, if someone is bent on doing something like this they will find a way to do it.

@Jim We were shocked to find out that Mjr. Hasan is indeed alive. However, I'm sure all the personnel at Ft. Hood were attending to ensuring that the everyone was safe and secure.

It's not too early to speculate his motives! Give me a break! The signs are all there...
This is getting ridiculous!
He was researching suicide bombing 6 months ago!!!
He killed AMERICAN soldiers!
He is still alive for a reason.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to our military and their families in Ft Hood, TX. Although I don't always see eye-to-eye with Dr. Phil, I applaud what he said earlier this evening. People need to stop speculating and let the authorities do their job. @ Renee – Military members and their families are encouraged to report any suspicious behavior to the military police immediately.

In some cases Soldiers are over medicated and there meds are not tracked and they will have refills of meds that when combined with others are deadly or potentionaly deadly.

He deserves to die a traders death

The fact that a United States armed forces major with at least 10 to 12 years of service did this is a disgrace. I was just released from active duty after 5 years of service and 2 deployments to iraq. i belive that our screening for new military service members should be a little more extensive. as far as fort hood being the largest military base in america is wrong. Camp Pendleton CA is the largest military base in America. The other statement that only military members are aloud to carry a loaded weapon is wrong. Any law enforcement officers weather military or civilian are aloud to carry a loaded weapon. the only time other military members are aloud to carry a loaded weapon aboard any base is if the are on a rifle range or a shooting range. my prayer and condolences go out to the wwounded and the soilders that were killed during this display of immaturity and horrific act of violence.

Where did he get the guns from that he used in the killings? Were they his issued by the military and he kept them at his home or did he steal them?

I really want to know how it is that it can take 8 hours to determine that he was alive. Why are his records not available? I work for the DoD and can pull my records in 5 minutes. Why are they looking at his last name and commenting on it. Maybe the online posts citing islamic values and beliefs are in direct conflict with DoD guidelines. He signed up for the military and deployments are a part of this.

Anderson,I hope that people won't use this horrible violence to create more violence.I am praying for the victims and their families.

Lots of questions to be answered by this doctor...

@Joan, the Army has jurisdiction in this case, and yes they do have the death penalty.

I hear you reporting there is no reason for a soldier to be armed on the base. How about a crazy psycotic/terrorist suddenly appearing. If the right to keep and bear arms were not so restricted there might have been someone to stop this violence before so many were hurt.

@ Lubna - I completely agree and am very gald to see your post amidst all the reactions. I know a few people - all Muslims - who have immigrated to the US from the Middle East, and all of them are as horrified as I am at what has happened.

The gunman KNEW that he would be facing unarmed soldiers – which is why he chose them instead of the MP's.

Perceived weakness invites agression – they were forced to be sitting ducks, fish in a barrel. I hope the military changes the policy and allows soldiers to carry weapons.

AT Fort Bragg the soldiers ARE allowed to carry weapons on base.

No matter what part of the world be live in, we are never safe.... too much blood makes me queazy

sheila,
I think that he (suspect) want to stop send or deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. I think.

This is just a heartrending story.

Always good to see Randi Kaye! she is fantastic!

May God be with the families of the killed and wounded soilders for you all are in my prayers always!! GOD BLESS AMERICA, IN UNITY WE STAND!!!!!!!!!!

WHY would CNN not have been told the truth about the fact that the gunman was alive and they had him in custody? Is there any reason why the news/media wouldn't have been appropriately informed? If they had him, what's the harm in telling the truth?

@Devna AC360°

Hello Devna! It's always great to have you here!

The police officer did wrestle with him and shot and herself was shot luckily she survived the attack

You people have so many heroes compared to the rest of us in theworld.

As a citizen of the fort hood area, it concerns me that this would happen so close to home. It really hits home how valnerable all of the US really is. I would be hornored to do what ever it takes to help the people who so proundly serve our country.

This man took the best training our country offers and was in a position as a doctor that is God-like to many. We must be desperate for doctors to ignore his e-mails and fail to further investigate him. Did the FBI fail again?

For people that dont know, a military post is not a place in which soldiers are armed at all times. It is a tightly controlled environment. Whatever the motivation of this individual was, the action that was carried out was not unlike a disgruntled employee at any corporation or other place that falls victim to a scene of this type. The victims were unarmed going thru their processing and were caught completely by surprise. For people that are not used to dealing with military life, please keep things in perspective. The military has over a million active duty personnel all over the world and you can count on one hand the number of times things like this have happened. This is no different than the Colombine or the Virginia Tech shootings. It was a monstrous act by a deranged individual.

Hunting may be permitted on Fort Hood and the weapons may be his private property.

About the gun, the semi-automatic 9 mil explains some of it, but what was the other weapon? I still question the accuracy of the rounds fired. How many rounds? If he was that accurate, just as good as the very best of the military ..Navy Seals, Delta force types did he get that from the military?

I am a private in DC NATIONAL GUARD, and i live in downtown silver spring, and I am also an immigrant living in US for 4 years. Idrive a taxi part time and transprt people in and out of Walter reed. this act of horror is a bad image for the proud solgers, who are diverse in etnicty, and proud of serving the land of freedom. My prayers to the families of the victims.

@ GUY
Amen to that brother.

@sharon,
I agree with you!

Did you hear if he was bilingual?
I'm sure that they would want him to be deployed for sure if he was, and had been in the service for 20+yrs!

I'm a resident of killeen tx this is getting scary around here. Soldiers are killing themselve and murdering at a high rate. We just had a soldier get chased by police and killed himself a few days ago. So anything was possible and something like this don't surprise me. God bless the victims and families.

It doesn't have to take these events for the Chain of Command to open their ears and listen to soldiers. It doesnt have to take for us to get pushed to the edge, for the people whos supposed to be looking out for us to open their eyes and ears. This and every other insident that happened on military bases in the U.S., Overseas, and in the Hot Zone, the chain of commands are the ones to blame because they should have listened when the soldier came to them.

The guy needs to be held accountable but if it came out that he was alive shortly aftEr the shooting he would not be alive. This man attacked our soldiers people are outraged as they should be so I'm sure they are/ were trying to keep him a live to talk to him. Having a son stationed at another base it is scary because these should be the safest place for our soldiers!

he joined in '01.

Soldiers returning wounded are treated by the military as second class citizens. they can no longer function in there job usualy combat arms and are discarded. the Wounded Warrior Program is a failure and has turned into a babbysitting unit instead of a unit with the mission of reintergrateing them back into the military or back into the real world.

I grew up and still live twenty miles from Ft. Hood, and the town around it. It's the most dangerous, crime ridden, mean town in Central Tx. There's predictable violent personal crime almost every day. Also, look at the Luby's Massacre Oct. 16th, 1991 in Killeen, the camp town that surrounds the army base.

This is a tragedy.....heartfelt condolences to the Fort Hood soldiers and families of the victims; what would compel a person to conduct in such a heinous act? Our family lived on many Army bases both CONUS and OCONUS and we have always felt the military (Army) posts are the most secured environments....with deepest sympathy, Yolanda (Scottsdale, Arizona)

the problem with saying that you have a mental problem is you get singled out because you are looked at like you are weak. Look at fort carson co when they had all the suicides. no one in the military cares what happens to the military personal or their families. the soldiers are look at as weak when they ask for help and the family is being vengeful when they try and help their soldier. I know I have been there for 7 months. i even went to the VA to try and understand what to do and how to help.

@ Devna, CNN: Where are all the cell phone videos? Were the phones taken in as evidence? Why don't the news outlets have any video yet or are they available but not appropriate?

@Mike, formerly from Syracuse

I'm not being PC, i am being human and fair. Again, we do not know all of the facts yet. So why add fuel to the fire until we know for sure.

@David, Indiana

Thank you for your remarks and i agree with you.

Major Hasan should have been given an undesirable discharge earlier. He disagreed with military life and was only in the army to get a free medical education at the expense of the American taxpayer.

Regarding this Ft. Hood tragedy they keep talking about Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome of combat troops repeatedly going back to the Middle East. This Major had never been deployed but I wonder if he has been working with these soldiers. They haven’t addressed the stress of the mental health professionals providing the... care to the soldiers. This is what I did during the Vietnam War and there is unbelievable stress dealing with the daily / horrifying tales of the GI's in combat. There were three of us psychiatric specialists at the hospital where I was stationed overseas and the other two guys stationed with me committed suicide. The things we heard – every day – all day was so unbelievably horrifying and sad. And then, we would attempt to rehab these guys and send them back. They were so afraid and I've often wondered how many died.Read More

its sad that the mental health profetionals cant handle the hoorors of war second hand.

My whole point is…why he joined the military if he didn’t want to be deployed???? Anyone who signs that dotted line knows that’s the risk you take. What? He felt he was better than any of the other 1.7 mil servicemembers?

About his rank. You dont have to accomplish much to receive the MAJ rank, as long as you dont get in trouble, or do any thing stupid, its automatic. This guy couldve a dirt bag, and still made MAJ.

@Mike I was not saying that all muslims are terrorist, I was stating the opposite. I was saying it was sad that people are blanketing all muslims as terrorist based on their religion. Fact is all religions have extremist/terrorist. Right now the major issue is muslim extremist. But, that is the key word EXTREMIST. I know many muslims that are anything but extremist, they are beautiful people!

@Chuck
If you have ever been in one of the readiness centers you would clearly understand how hit could hit so many people. We are packed there like sardines at times. A novice shooter could have done it.

i am soo saddend that this happend where i actually live about half a mile from where my village is. the lockdown is lifted and there are plenty of cars on the main road behind me trying to either get off post or somewhere else they have been there since the lockdown was lifted. which was about 630 it is 930 now... my prayers are with the families of the wounded and fallen..

The PFC's that were at the site just got breifed.They were transporting weapons for training, to another building. PFC's stated if the had ammo they could have stopped the and I quote " Attack " . We were trained for this. They believe this was a planned attack, the feel bad because the took an oath to defend all of us from theats forein & domestic.
These guys just got back from a tour. The PFC's stated defintly a planed deal

@Shawn Hendricks, hunting is absolutely not permitted. I was stationed there for many years. They had to be his weapons as he wouldn't have had access to govt. weapons for simple Soldier Readiness Processing. He must have snuck the weapons in.

I hope this crime doesn't set the crazies off in any kind of revenge killings against those they think are Muslim. One crazy person cannot represent a whole group.

I retired after nearly 22 years active duty, every Army Medical type that went through weapons qualification just barely made it as it is not their area of expertise. So where did he acquire his expertise to beable to take out 12 and wound 31? The two rooms must have been wall to wall uniforms, but even then, the first few shots and everyone would be going for cover. Moving targets, just dont see him being able to pull this off with the training he would have gotten from the Army.

I have been watching CNN this evening and your reporting is so very precise and clear once AC 360 came on. As a retired military spouse, we always watch your show for the truth about what is happening.

in response to SGT. IT is tragic that soldiers cannot express their grievance. The army does state that they offer the opportunity, but it is so hard for a soldier to take because they will face scrutiny and in direct reparcutions if they do not toe the line. That in no way excuses this horrid act, but the mental welfare of returning soldiers and the mental state of re-deploying soldiers NEEDS to be a priority, and right no its not.

Hello:

Any talk or evidence of him having ever served in Guantánamo?

Rgds

Our Army is not the most powerful in the world because of incidents like this. Because of the need for more troops our leaders have become more concerned with "quanity over quality." This has opened the flood gates for people who should not be in. Brand new Privates and Officers are consistently coming fresh out of basic training undisciplined and with serious problems because the Army will take anyone now. We are in serious trouble because this is causing all of the good Soldiers and leaders to get out.

Why is Obama still in D.C. and not @ Ft. Hood where he needs 2 b? My thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends of the deceased and wounded.

@ Bloggers,
those internet postings, who posted them, and just when did the military find out about them?

(sorry, I'm late here today, and it's the 1st time that I've heard this!)

I would like to know why the FBI was watching this Major Hasan, and with all of the threats he made in blogs, and objecting to going to Iraq. This is just to weird. I also don't know why so many people are upset when anyone points toward this could be a terrorist act by a radical muslim. I just don't get it anymore. Apparently this Major was given a poor performance rating. How many of our soldiers have to die because we are to sensitive others feeling of profiling.

I am a canadian i would just like to pass my Heartfely greif to the men and women of fort bragg and to the families of the wounded and the dead god bless you all.

If the troops were armed on base this nut would have gotten off one round then he would have been turned off like a light and it would have been over. God bless all our troops.

Sad news...the base is a haven at home before going across..one that military looks forward to going back to after 6 months or so over seas – yuh really start to miss home soil when deployed...bad thing to hear for military on deployment right now, as well as here, as well as everyone everywhere.

Everyone that does crazy things are not crazy and if he were a psychiatrist I am sure he could have easily passed any mental evaluation with flying colors

Emily,
I think 3rd custody already released but only 2 custody right now in jail.

@ Dr. David Deopere-Thank you for that. We don't know why he did this and nothing he can say can excuse him, but it's hard to be a part of the military during war time. Some people snap.

will this elicit racial profiling of memberfs of the military?

It dose not suprise me the He was being harrased. this is common place more so with combat arms units

What a coward!!! This is a calculated act. A physician is a non-combatant and under Geneva Convention Rule is not allowed to fight. You have a man that has taken the governments money for educational purposes (he's required to payback time) and then all of a sudden, he objects to serving, all after giving an oath (both military and hipacratic). I hope he is prosecuted under the UCMJ, so he will not have the right to remain silent, he can be ordered to answer questions. This is a deliberate act against the very people who he was supposed to help.

This is sad and such a tragedy. It is hard to imagine that this man got
off at least 43 shots all by himself (?!). Even if the other soldiers were not armed it seems they would have taken him down........it almost does not add....unbelievably sad. God Belss those poor souls that died.

First I would like to extend my prayers to all affected by todays tragedy, may God (or who ever you pray too) be with you and help you overcome. Next I would like to give my opinion on the misinformation that was given by Gen. Cone, if he was aware that the shooter was still alive and intentionally mislead us all, I understand and commend him. I live less than 5 miles where this occurred and can with confidence say that if we would have had the knowledge that this man was alive, Scott & White and Metroplex hospital would have needed all the security in Texas to protect him. So why run the risk of highly emotionally charged people trying to overrun the hospitals injuring or killing more innocent people to avenge fallen and wounded friends and family.

Thank you CNN for already uncovering important information indicating great cause for concern about Major Hasan. I hope you find out just how long he has been on various people's radar. Why wasn't this taken more seriously? I bet a serious investigation uncovers some sad information about how this tragedy might have been avoided.

We dont yet know why he did it. As soon as we find out the army should court martial him for treason and put him infront of a fireing squad.

Anderson, there is not a Soldier alive that would pick on an officer. Soldiers understand that if they disrespect any officer they will be delt with. I am a Sergeant First Class in the Army and I am not buying the claim he was picked on by fellow Soldiers.

Sorry Fort hood

@Chuck. Great post! Lol

It is inappropriate to simple suggest that this is PTSD related because millions around the world have had PTSD – yet this man choose to be MASS murderer. He obviously found a way to justify this completely EVIL act, an EVIL solution to dealing with his anxiety.

@Claude, Spring TX

Thank you very much for sharing information on weapons control on military bases.

@claude - no metal detectors though?

@Devna AC360°,
Major Hasan is alive?!
Is that the MD that they have been talking about?

Things are changing here minute by minute!

@Gail-Maybe Obama will go later after the families have a chance to cope with what they are going through.

There were no warning signs?

Harassment is no excuse for murder.

What I cannot comprehend nor understand is if this Major was on the radar screen of the FBI MONTHS ago, why wasn't he placed on Administrative Leave? Seems like someone in the Government dropped the ball on this and this could have been prevented.

@Gail
Not an Obama fan but if he went down there he would be more of a distraction than help. Everyone would have to divert people from security of the people to his security this is why. I am sure he wants to go but he is smart enough to know it is not a good time.

I hope the people of our nation will realize this action today was one man and not a group of people. We do not need to take out our anger on a group of people that were not connected to this man. Our soldiers fight for us to be and remain a free nation of many races and religions.

I hate to stereo type I believe he intented to kill as many he could, in 2003 similar thing happen in a base in Iraq if you all remember,
I'm glad that he survived now he can rot in jail,
My heart goes out to all the Soldiers and there family’s

With him being in the millitary he has diffrent rights than civilian maranda rights.

This was a horrible incident. Everyone here in the Central Texas area is affected in one way or another. Our hearts go out to those who are wounded and their loved ones, as well as the families of those who have passed away. :[

Considering his poor performance rating in regards to his job why was he allowed at Ft.Hood?With all our troops are going through they have this on top of it.our prayers & our thanks to our brave men & women at Ft.Hood.

And this is the way he repay the military!

My take of the moment. As a Major shrink the stories he heard. Who can say was it the glory of the kill or the despair of the death that drove his religious conflict. He had to know. At least he kept his action in house.

AC's Yale lawyer is WRONG ! in the military it's guilty till proven innocent ! my prayers are with my US Military !!!

I hope they get the blood needed!

Donating blood is an act of love!

I feel like this event will totally spark an even stronger bias against muslims. it's terrible how the fear isn't getting closer to going away

This is a scary thought that we (the soldiers fighting over seas) cann't be safe in our own country, our home . All becouse one "officer" couldn't take advantage of the support system that the military offers to help those with mental issues. We are forced to go to all these pre and post deployment briefs addressing this exact issue. It makes no sense to me and know I have to fear for the saftey of my family, friends, and fellow soldiers on the very post I call home.

I'm glad the shooter is alive so he can be questioned. It will be interesting to look into his worldview to see why he "cracked." I'm assuming he objected to the wars we're waging in his home region.

@ russ.... yes I have been through those readiness gatherings, first one back in 1970 VietNam, second desert storm.. so yes I know how it is/was. But I cant see him getting that many rounds off with out being taken out by mass and pummeled befor the first responders arrived.

Anderson, my husband was at the processing center a few hours before the shooting... he stated that the shooter looks just like the guy who was giving the briefings.. Its a scary thing to think that could have been my husband shot died.

To Renne. I undersstand that there are programs. Every soldier doesnt need a program, they need time, its all on the command. They dont have the proper communication skills needed to be in command. We need to take a look at the entire military. This is why we dont need to be in Afgan. or Iraq. We have enough problems on the home front.

This is very upsetting. Looks like someone let him slip through their fingers. If he was a person of interest six months ago, why didn't they investigate him. Maybe this could have been avoided.

Something to think about.

My prayers are with the families

@ Megan,
Thanks for that update!
that is new info to me!
Glad to hear that they have them in custody!

A soldier in our class here outside of Fort Dix in New Jersey today said he had been stationed at Fort Bragg, and that the soldiers there were allowed to carry weapons pretty much at will.

I agree one guy can't represent the whole group. If this guy felt he was being discriminated against the Army provides assistance for that. He should of used it! Equal oppurtunity is not hard to inact especially as a Major. Instead he used Islamic extremism and killed our poor unarmed Soldiers.

With this situation taking place at Fort Hood today it makes me wonder what kind of help if any is given to our soldiers that are responsible for taking care of our soldiers. What could have happened to make this American born, United States Army Officer, a Licensed Psychiatrist, turn into a domestic enemy?

If convicted, Maj Hasan should be charged with terrorism, treason, and violating medical ethics. A feeble coward by any measure. -His fellow servicemember

May God sustain and comfort the brave wounded and fallen Army personnel at Ft. Hood and their families.

As to this Hasan: I certainly hope that the soft hearted, excuse everything because he had a tough life and faced name calling folks – don't forget that a declared principal of the Muslim Koran is to "kill the infidels" and to destroy America. I can only hope that the charge of treason will be included in the long list of charges against Hasan.

This is an act of terrorism against America from within.

The Very Proud Wife of a Retired Army LTC!

I was stationed at Ft. Hood from 2002 through 2007 as a military policeman. I talked with a friend today on Ft. Hood before the attack happened. I'm glad he's safe. My heart sinks thinking of the soldiers killed and wounded today by a fellow soldier.

another blow to virgina tech

I find it quite interesting that Maj. Hasan's relative would say that he was being harassed by others in the Army. With him being an officer any enlisted person or lower ranking officer could have been immediately disciplined under UCMJ (uniform code of military justice). The only reason it would have been necessary for him to seek legal help would be to investigate officers of a superior rank than his. I am a retired soldier who has served for 20 years in the Army.

@Chuck
Still don't think it would have been that hard to do. As I stated in a recent post my last deployment we had five soldiers shot by a insurgent and he got away. This guy was at a check point in the open and the soldiers were armed to the teeth. Comparing that to this, this would have been a cake walk. Thank you for your service I am about to retire next year after 25 years, finally had enough.

God bless the people at Ft Hood and their families.
This is really tragic.

"...waive his right to silence"...?!! Are you kidding????? This guy just killed 12 people, wounded 31, and we need to worry about HIS right to silence??? I don't care what his last name is....that is just wrong.

It sounds like he did not get the help that he needed.

so when his cousin gives information, issues statements is he doing that a gratis?

I truely hope that this tragedy was brought on by his own sick mental state and has nothing to do with his religion. We, as a country, have made huge steps towards religious tolerance and would hate for this to create a landslide backwards. The families and victims are in my thoughts and prayers.

How do I go about giving blood for these people? I'm AB+

Thanks

While the majority of us have had dark thoughts about hurting someone – it has usually been along the line of punching someone in the nose – but it is fantasy – and goes no further. This evil man fantasized, and plotted and planned and then carried out a mass murder of innocents.

What made him become EVIL? Even harassment does not make people evil, and there is no evidence that he was harassed by anyone at Ft. Hood, nor by any of the people he killed.

@ Bloggers

AGAIN, you do not have to be DEPLOYED to have signs of PTSD!!!!! or to have PTSD!!!!

Heartfelt condolences from Canada. Fort Hood is in our prayers.

What a horrible thing to happen. My thoughts and prayers are with all of the families who lost loved ones today as well as all of the soldiers affected by this tradegy. My family was blessed today that my niece, Brittany, whos home base is Ft. Hood, is currently in Iraq. What is wrong with that picture?

God bless.

Emily,
Yes, He (Major Hasan) is alive also, hospitalized now.

This may not be tecnically considered a hate crime, but for all intents and purposes it was.

It's great to hear the way that the other soldiers were coming to the wounded rescue!'
(tearing their uniforms to make pressure bandages, etc).

Will this guy be tried by the military courts? Does the military courts believe in the death penality? Or would he get life in military jail?

I can;t believe they didn't investigate him when he was making the remarks against your country. What were the authorities thinking.

@kris s.
go to the scott & white memorial hospital website. you should be able to google it. it's in temple, tx about 20 minutes away from killeen/fort hood. they had a huge turnout of donors, but they should be able to tell you more about donating. hope that helps.

Why wasn't Hasan discharged after his "poor" performance review at Walter Reed???

No doubt, a domestic terrorist! Is it possible this guy is connected to some sort of sleeper cell? No soldier should ever attack their own! My thoughts and prayers go out to the soldiers and their families.

Could this be a terrorist act if he was inspired by al-queda and is shown to have been reading terrorist mateials?

Wild, they can't even relax on their own base anymore!

Tragic news today for our country. I am hoping it was not a terroristic plot. Praying the war in any sense will subside.
War and peace is in all of us. The one which prevails is the one you feed. Peace~☮!!

Emily.
You're welcome.

What were the warning sign, if any?

@Isabel, yes it makes me realize how much we should appreciate the good days that come our way.

I think Heidi Kraft's pt about vicarious trauma is a possible component of this situation that shld be looked into. Good to hear her knowledge and expertise on mental health matters in the military. The push to address the mental health needs of troops and caregivers indicates a very high level of overall need.

How do you untangled the threads of possible motivations?

This is the second horricffic action that happened this week Clevlend , Ft.Hood, both very sick . Mental health is so over looked today that you don't know if you should look at the relegion , race motive or are they just sick.

My thoughts and prayers are with the families of the Soldiers of Fort Hood. I know I was worried about my soldier, but was relieved just a few minutes ago when I got my phone call. I Hope those who are injured make a speedy recovery.

First of all, my prayers go out to all of the soldiers and families affected by this horrible tragedy.

Second, CNN reported earlier this evening that Major Hasan had received an overall "poor" performance review rating...how can the Army promote someone with a low rating? Has the Army lowered it's standards?

This is really crazy i come from a military family this hits to close to home. Is it not enough that We are at WAR but we have to turn on each other at home.I pray for the families and ever one at Ft. Hood.

This will take months for the authorities to figure this out.

One of the BEST treatments for PTSD is EMDR. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocession. Our friend did this for another friend and he said the transformation was remarkable. It eliminated 90% of his PTSD – and he had been a guard at the Bagdad airport at the beginning of the war and was under extreme duress.

@Isabel,
I agree with you re, your statement about blood.

I hope that they get all that they need!
It truly is a life saver!

I think this is a prime example of the perfect storm. Major harrassment, internal conflict and a fear of deploying. No one had to die, we must do better. GOD bless the US military

Dr hasan comments on suicide are wrong. If a person throws himself on a grenade to save someone in immediate harms way is a hero.
A person who kills himself in order to kill others regardles of there age,gender or political feelings is a coward.

@Robin, Pueblo CO-–I was wondering that too. He had a poor rating plus it was becoming common knowledge that he didn't want to be there, and yet he kept his job.

Employees can't do that in many jobs, but I guess in the military they can?

My thoughts and prayers go out to all the soldiers, and families on Fort Hood. This is a terrible tradegy. I think that this is definately a terroristic act. How does someone go on base and shoot up his fellow soldiers and it not be terroristic.? Just the simple fact he did this it is terroristic, it doesnt have to be a religious affiliation to make it terroristic.

How could anyone be converted against America and convinced to do such a thing? In my opinion, this is impossible. He was born here.

His cousin gave a statement. A neighbor said she thought he lived with his brother. Who are his other family members? What do they do and where are they? Who are this guy's friends on and off the base?

@ Military Men and Women: I thought when you got promoted in the military (no experience here and not a military family) that your name went to a review board at the Pentagon and there was some formalized review process to get a promotion? Is that true? Is it just a good ole boy network and they just slap you on the back and you get the promotion for being there and not getting in trouble?

@Trish,
So glad to read that you and your family are safe!
You are all in our thoughts.
Thank your son for his service from us all!

Once again, the gun control rules give the criminal a murderer a huge advantage over his victims and targets.

my heart goes out to the families..i want to join the army and this saddens me...I want the medic that ripped there uniforms apart to take care of the wounded know you are my hero's and my insparation to join the army...hooah..i'm shipping out in march

Another time to think we need to pay more attention to the mental health of our citizens.

My heart goes out to all of our military hero's, and their loved ones. In the one place where they should feel safe and secure, one of their own, who has not gone through what most of them have, takes their lives. I think it is time to take a long hard look at who they allow to serve in our armed forces.

@Isabel

I just saw your post to me. Yet again we have muc in common with both of our famiies so involved with our Militaries.

You are right it "does not fit". In the military it is the "code" that you do Not kill your fellow military mates, anything but!

I don't know what went wrong here, but we will find out soon enough. As i am sure you are and i know i am sending prayers to the victims. families & friends. Also the family of the Major who has caused them confusion and grief.

@Pam if the millitary finds him guilty of treason the only judgment for treason in the millitary is death.

We must pay attention to warning signs. There HAD to be red flags.

Another example of why soldiers(and responsible citizens) should be able to carry a sidearm...as a deterrent to those who would do us harm.
When seconds count the police are only minutes away...never more true. This nut would have never had time to reload -

my heart goes out to the victims

How many times have attacks been carried out by people who the FBI already had their eye on?? The FBI should be ashamed to cash their paychecks.

@ David, Indiana

It is a fact ... we should give value to the days that there isn't so much pain and suffering!

It is a great tragedy that has happened in Fort Hood today. I live on the base, and it was certainly nerve-racking being on lock down. No one could leave or enter Fort Hood, as well as public buildings. Everyone was instructed to stay inside where they were, away from any windows or doors. Family members also kept calling about the situation to see if everyone was alright. It is certainly tragic to have a man open fire on his own compatriots, men and women who have some sort of bond that connects each other because they serve our country and fight to protect it. Hopefully leaders can learn from this tragedy and prevent another event like this from happening.

My hat off to all of those that have served and those that are still serving. I feel your pain, confliction and elation..sometimes wish I had not retired. Now tooo old to serve.

@ susan: Yes it could be if it is proven to be but then it would be home grown terrorism...not the same. More likely just plain murder regardless of the reason(s) he may have had.

Robin (in Pueblo)

He let the Military pay for his schooling and therefore "owed" a certain number of years of service as his part of the contractual agreement. According to news reports Hasan was trying to get out of the Service by any means – claiming discrimination, getting "poor" evaluations and whining he didn't want to be deployed.

In short he is a coward.

Didn't the army give Hasan a psych evaluation?

@Emily
They apparently did. The hospital that put out the request for blood donations has made statements here on the local news saying that they've had an amazing turnout. The line of people waiting to donate went out the door and wrapped around the facility. :]

I thought the message from the cousin was very sincere and candid.

What luck! Gosh!!!!!!!!!

Good night Anderson, David and friends!
Great show today... Thanks for the great coverage at Fort Hood.

My condolences to the families and friends of the dead in Fort Hood!

See you tomorrow!

There was a gentleman on your show who indicated that the FBI had jurisdiction on the base. He was wrong. Only at the invitation of the commander does any agency outside of CID have the power to enter the base to conduct an investigation. The suspected shooter will be tried by a military courts martial. It is highly unlikely that he will be tried in any other court than a military court. The shooter is an officer in the US Army and will be afforded a free military defense counsel of his own choosing. He will continue to be paid until he is court-martialed and discharged. I am a former JAG from the Air Force, with over 22 years of service

Promotions are performance based. Physicians are promoted differently, most don't do regular basic training. Once they graduate from medical school, they are automatically given the rank of Captain. With that in mind, he was bay BEHIND the curve to have just been recently promoted to Major.

If he was a mental health professional on the military base, I wonder what kind of help he offered to those soldiers that were returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan...Was he trying to actually help them or was he trying to make them feel worse about what they had seen and been apart of while they were over seas. I only ask this because the reports that I have seen are saying that he has been against the war over seas and was trying to keep from going over...

This is such a tragic situation, and my heart hurts for our military as well as our country right now. My thoughts and prayers are with Ft. Hood.

If this was PTSD he should have known better and have gotten help. Someone should have seen the signs and if there were no signs then he wanted this to happen. The army makes it a point to push soldiers to get help. It seems like there are briefings everyday about PTSD and taking care of your mental health. So Maj. Hasan has no excuses.

Major Nidal Malik Hasan, the Gunman is a Murderer, Traitor and Psychopath. As a veteran I find it inexcusable to accept excuses for justification of such an act.

My thoughts and prayers go out to families.

Remember thousands even millions have served (not all volunteers) who actually saw a battlefield and I can't think of or remember stories that caused them to turn on their own in such an act of premeditated traitorous murder.

My families thoughts and prayers go to the families of those injured or killed during this senseless tradgedy at Ft. Hood today.

I would like to also add a message to the family of Major Hasan, your family member is not a "good American" a good American does not kill our true heros's!

God Bless Our True Hero's!

I hope there is help for the helpers at Fort Hood and everywhere. Listening to truma causes truma. Howeer, after 30 years of listening to the horrrific, I did not have a rageful break and kill those I help.
Katie Evans PhD NCACII

Welcome to second hour this time.

For clarification, that was a slam on MAJ Hasan, not MAJ Mike

let me clarify: soldiers are not supposed to carry weapons onto base. thats the key words, not supposed to.

yes there are ways to report a soldier whom you may think may be a danger to themselves or others anonymously. but this a mental health doctor. in todays army, all the focus is on watching the younger soldiers.

No matter the outcome of the investigation I pray no other senseless shootings occur because of this but I have to admit how angry it makes me that this guy serves in the army but was against the war! Then if you aren't willing to fight then why are you in the army

My sympathy to all those in our military. So sad that this happen within a week of Veterans Day! And scary for I have a granddaughter going to school on a base. Her life as it is, moms 6th deployment coming up is hard enough. How could one consider it heroic to go and shoot UNARM individuals. Like good soldiers do, obey the law and protect it, on base guns are to be kept locked. One must sign it out after inspection, sobriety etc.. Glad it was a woman that finally put him in his place though like we are brought up, respecting life, it is no comfort to that heroic woman. I will confess I see light at the end of the tunnel, hopefully, with our country's attempt to address PTSD. Now if all of us citizens will take thank you and military appreciation classes, the best 25percent may get the respect they have earned!

As a Soldier myself, I feel deeply saddened by this tragic event. Most Soldiers share a common bond that binds you together that you would not have in any other profession. Even though I do not know the names of who's been killed yet, I already feel like I lost a good friend. God bless the families and friends during this hardship.

@Renee, the officer selection and promotion process is very competitive, particularly the higher the rank. Extreme efforts are made to ensure that the best qualified get picked, and outside influence on the selection board is illegal.

A person has to be EVIL to take out their frustrations like this on complete strangers. This is a slaughter, carnage, mass murder – and only an evil person can commit something like this.

PTSD does not make people EVIL, but ideology can.

@Megan Dresslar

Unfortunately there are no second hour on CNN International! I'm out!

Sweet dreams friends!

goodnight everyone.

@ Carolyn, Killeen/Fort Hood TX,

That is GREAT news!
In such tragic events, and in the "worst mass shooting on an American Military Base in history", it's great to hear that the community has rallied around to help out one another!

Thanks!

Anderson, it is not at all dificult for an officer, or enlisted person for that matter, to separate from the miltary once they have met their obligation to the military. However, the lawyer from Yale that you interviewed was correct but misleading in stating that it is difficult to separate prior to meeting your obligation. He answered as one would think a lawyer that has represented doctors in the military that have tried to separate early should, as if he wanted to continue to be a "defense attorney" for lack of a better term. As a 15 year Navy man with 14 plus years experience in the military legal system and personnel separation, it has been my experience that those who have met their obligation and choose to separate are separated 99% of time.

Thank you all for your prayers. Please continue to pray for the Ft Hood community as a whole.

@David, Indiana

Just read your post on how we should appreciate the days that are calm and good to us. You are so right, as tonight is an example of so much pain & heartache that can be caused in minutes.

Thank God tHe Major is alive so that we may find out What drove him to commit the horrifying acts he did today.

@ Major Mike...

The medical corps is different.. he would not have been promoted to Major until he completed his psych schooling and completed his med rotation/certification at Walter Reed. Hasan just completed his schooling and had just with in the past year finished his rotation/certification... he would have made LTC with in a year, two at the most. He was a late bloomer because of his schooling.

There has been so much speculation and information about the shooter. However, we have had very little information about the soldiers and personnel who were in the Soldier Readiness Center. Have there been any reports on where those people are being held? There have been no calls home. We do not know if they are safe and when they may be able to return home.

Jo Ann, North Royalton,Ohio
I think so, he will take psych evaluation after police interview him.

@ Major Mike: Are military attorneys treated like military doctors? No basic training and promotions the same. Also kept in the green zone when in Iraq.

Dear Anderson, it is time someone gets the courage to investigate the "anti-stress" "anti-depression" drugs, there are plenty of studies that ahow these drugs can cause violent behavior and suicide. It is no surprise that these events happen it is only a surpprise to those who keep promoting these type of pharmaceutical drugs. Has the media sold their soul to their sponsors to the point of being blind?

My condolences to the family....Ft. Hood has shone the light on many problems today!

Ed is so right. Those who have never been or don't know much about the area.... Fort Hood is HUGE. It's it's own city basically.

OH, with statements like those on his blog, why are any of you doubting that this is domestic terrorism?

The military better come up with a better program of allowing people to anonymously get treatment for their stress so they don't feel that they are jepordizing their entire career.

Why did Hasan get a poor performance evaluation on his job?

Anderson. There has been many questions but no answers about those that have been injured. Surely there is some reports on them.

@ BettyAnn,
It sounds like there were plenty of RED flags!
This is scary that they were not found out, or over looked(?)!

Because of the sadness of today, we as American's have the opportunity to make positive change by todays events.
First, say hi to your Muslim neighbor. We are above that of terrorist that kill innocent because they despise a few.
2nd DONATE BLOOD FOR FT HOOD! Set a record in fact Texas has oil tankers
3rd Tell a Vet thanks tomorrow. Then again on another day. We should never take their gift of protection lightly.

Isabel Siaba, Brazil and Jane....
Good night my friends get rest both of you...... See you tomorrow night.

How and where was Major Hasan educated and who paid for it?
Did he go to school on GI ?
Thanks

My thoughts and prayers go out to everyone at Ft Hood. Hooah!. You will never be forgotten.

Being the wife of a soldier who was THERE in the BUILDING I think it's ridiculous how it's said he was posting about suicide bombings on the internet yet no one did anything? I support the soldiers and the president but my husband's been deployed 5 times and never been a coward like this man was about deploying!!

what a sad day for our military, anderson just want to say you're the best!!!!!

I can understand why a doctor would not want to go to war. It sounds like he needed someone to talk to. Are there enough opportunities for support prior to deployment? What is the protocol for getting support?

@Renee

Yes, those with professional Degree's are treated a little differently. As a JAG (military attorney), they don't have to do the regular training that most do.

My thoughts and prayers are with the families of those lost as well as wounded. This is such a tradedgy. Hope to get some answers soon as to how he could have done such a horiffic thing.

None of our soldiers deserved any of this especially families,and in a way I am glad that he's alive,because dying would have been an easy way out of what he did.Now he will have to face families he took the loved ones away from and live with this ...I hope and pray that he gets to spend the rest of his life in jail...he deserves to rot in there.

I represent an online forum of Army wives stationed around the world. To honor the victims of the tragedy at Ft. Hood, we are wearing yellow and black ribbons tomorrow, November 6, 2009. We would like to invite folks around the world to do the same!

wow i just moved back to california from fort hood 2 days ago and just knowing this happen is a shocker and my dad is just now gonna be coming back from iraq those guys didnt even get to leave the states really upsetting

@Renee... up through the early 90's is all I can speak of. Fast track officers went through a modified form of basic for officers, but nothing like an enlisted man. However they were required to pass physical conditioning standards. Promotions for officers are different depending on their specialty and the demand for the specialty. JAG, was a fairly level playing field, promotions in line with the rest. Med Corp was and will always be fast tracked because of the shortages.

I am a former mp who was stationed at Fort Hood just 2 months ago. My heart goes out to all who was affected by today's tragedy! May God continue to hold you all in his mighty hand. I'm proud to have served my country and I'm definately proud of the soldiers who reacted in this situation! I pray that justice be serve to the deserving! God Bless you all is my prayer!

Please look into what this guy did between high school and going to Va. Tech. Seems to be about a 5 year gap. Passport and travel during that time?

This is a tradegy but let's not allow the actions of one seriously deranged man to result in an anti-muslum rage. There are sick minds in all religions.

All that are lost and wounded are in our prayers and thoughts.

I was a combat medic in the Army and deployed three times to Iraq. It's a shame that one of the last places my fellow brothers and sisters have to feel safe has been taken from them. I was part of many SRP's and this is something that NEVER crosses your mind. You think that everyone in the room is in the same shoes as you. I am sadened by todays events.

My condolences to the families. As a military man, my family understands that there are risks with deployments, but you'd never expect to come under fire at home.

@Megan,
it's great that it's on for a second hour, yet the reason for it....
glad you are able to stay!

Anderson, has anyone on the base said why it took so long to confirm the shooter was alive?

Having served over 20 years in the Military I as shocked that the Col. did not take action on the Maj. for making those statements, or did he? He should have reported that to his command instantly and at that point an investigation should have been opened on him.

@ Dori

I couldn't said it better myself. Well put.

At least the gunman is going to be held accountable for his actions. My thoughts and prayers are with the families of the victims and I hope all the wounded recover.

Will the government be forthcoming with Hasan's blog posts if they include any Islamic supremecy ideology?

Anderson

Is this a strange quirky irony that the alleged suspect of today's rampage at Ft Hood should have graduated from Virgina Tech. The same insitition where the other gruesome ramapage took place in the recent past.

My thoughs and prayers to the families of the fallen and wounded.

Balaji

There are no words this evening except for prayers and peace.

... & this guy was a psychiatrist? Did he not realize the trauma, hurt & agony he would be putting on those people's families? My deepest sympathy goes out to all the victims' families!

Hi I am a Soldier at Ft Bragg Nc, I just think the US Miltary needs to take a second look at who they let in the miltary. I also think when you sign that Contact u should full fill it. He Know when he sign up one day he would be going to work. Now it times to look in to all the soldier back grounds and make sure we dont have a sleeper cell with in our miltary.

Perhaps soldiers should always carry a sidearm?

Hi Anderson Erica & Bloggers,

Thanks for manning the pumps so regularly with such class and style.

I think it is important to really know that mental health professionals have a very high rate of depression suicide PTSD-like stuff. Just cause he wasn't in whagt one would call a default "trauma" sitch does not exclude the alleged shooter from PTSD.

In the medical profession Psychiatrists have the highest suicide rate.

This is a sad situation to have happened on US soil. No soldier should take it upon themselves to comment to the media and should be reserved for authorized military personnel.

My son just completed basic training 10 days ago and went to his new duty station in KS. Several of the soldiers from his company went to Ft. Hood. When he left, I thought of his base being one of the safest places on earth. It's incomprehensible to think that this could happen on a military base. A soldier turning on a soldier(s). It makes no sense. Im am sickened, horrified and so very sad for these family members who have lost loved ones or have wounded family. I saw first hand the comradery of fellow soldiers when I saw my son graduate from basic and I am just shocked that this could happen. My thoughts and prayers are with everyone at Ft Hood. God Bless all of you.

What a sad day for America's Armed Forces. With all the difficulties we face overseas, it's heartbreaking to deal with a horrific event like this.

Perhaps we can finally have an honest conversation about the mental health of people who have served us in these current wars. Perhaps we can actually begin to treat them in meaningful ways.

In the meantime, yes, let's pray for the victims and their families, and for peace.

Hi Anderson, after the gunman recovers from his wounds, will he immediately be arrested and taken into federal custody? Has a motive been determined and was he taking psych meds? Thanks, Jody in CA

+Being a veteran of the army it makes me sad to know that our soliders feel that they have to get to this point. My prayers go out to all the familys that are suffering lost from his actions.

A few things don't sound right:

Why was his cousin ready with a statement to the media? If my cousin shot up 31 people I'd be sitting home in shock.

Which, by the way, I am doing anyway because my Stepson is stationed at Fort Hood. Thankfully he wasn't injured today.

Why did they tell us all day long that he was dead when he wasn't?

i think this man took his personal feelings out on the very people that keep his country safe.no one has that right. i know that god will send his angels down to comfort all the innocent victims and their families. may the lord be with us all.

Anyone who feels the need to pick up a gun to shoot an unarmed human being is probably the purest form of being a coward. I pray that you all understand that such actions do not come from the teachings of Islam!! May God bless the families affected.

Hello Anderson,
Being a Muslim-American in a post 9-11 world is tough enough and to turn on the television after coming home from class and seeing such a horric act deeply saddens me. What bothers me the most is that just because Hasan his a common Islamic sur name, speculations have risen that this was an act of Islamic extremism/terror but there was never any evidence of that. Would we have reacted the same way if John Smith commited the same act and tied it to another terrorist organization? I love this country and I have served in two foreign wars. Let us not also forget how these statements will affect the Muslim-Americans residing here and fighting for the same rights. Sorry had a lot to say ....

He did residency at Walter Reed (DC), followed by a 2 yr fellowship at the USUHS Bethesda (md) (perhaps to stay in the area and avoid A deployment), Ft Hood was his first duty station after completing that fellowship. So he would have owed much payback time both for his residency and his fellowship.

I hope they cancel the deployment of those soldiers who were about to leave...I know they have a job to do but come on...post tramatic stress and they haven't even left yet.

I was a young mother in 1966 when Charles Whitman got on top of The University of Texas tower and shot students and others on the ground. He killed 12 and wounded 31. I live in Texas and today was a clear reminder of that day that I will never forget.

Good night. The stars are bright in the Texas sky tonight. Make a wish~I wish the star of love and peace shines down on you all.
Xo

Today's event at Fort Hood hurts me. Major Hasan signed up to be in the military. When someone signs up, that means he or she is willing to serve & protect our country. Therefore, he knew if & when the time came, he was going to have to stand up & follow the call. If he didn't want to be deployed, he should not have signed up.

I am an American muslim, and am so saddaned of today's incident!
and if he did in the name of Islam, he is so wrong in doing so, my heart goes out to all the victims and their families.
There are so many law abiding muslims in the world, who condemn and fear these kind of incidents themselves. I don't understand all this....

Let us all pray for all of the families that have lost their loved ones. It is in these difficult times that tends to unite us all.

My heart goes out to those families who lost loved ones today. Still in shock can believe something like this could happen... our american soldiers might have to look at the person in the same uniform as them twice... This brings tears to my eyes... what a sad day!

I offer prayers to those who are wounded and to the families of those who lost a loved one. I know what it is like. My nephew was lost last year and was a member of the army. He left behind a wife and to two girls, one who will never know her dad. My war was Vietnam. My nephew war was iraq. I hope that this "man" is handled the way he should be.

I think the scariest thing about this Maj is the fact that HE diagnosed and treated people with PTSD when in fact he is a mental case. He will pay for what he has done and I am sorry for his family to have to hear all of this but I seriously think that man should have read the Big Bold print on his Militay application instead of the fine print about his GI bill. If you Sign up and go through the training process Uncle Sam owns you until you finish your terms. Any Imbicile should know this.

@ Cassidy: Many thanks to you and your dear husband for all you both have done for our fine country. Give your husband an extra hug or two tonight. Tell him we love him and appreciate fine, honorable men.

As a Proud Muslim American I am appalled at this so called Muslim's actions. Its is astonishing how this man would kill the very people that he was dedicated to protect. May God be with the families of the victims; we are praying for you all.

Maj Hasan had a chance to be chaptered out of the army, he clearly had a statement to make by staying in and committing this heinous act. How did he remain in service with such character flaws such as poor work performance and blatant stance against what we serve our country for?

how many bullits are in each hand gun? possibly 44 shots, from 2 guns.

This is a very sad day for all involved..I am among those that prefer to withhold judgement until all the facts are known..To imply that this is a terrorist act simply because the shooter is Muslim is not gainful..I am sure it causes problems for many of Muslim descent who certainly do not deserve condemnation any more than anyone else does. Please do not judge all people by the acts of one sick individual. This is where prejudice begins.

If soilder are walking around without weaponds how did he get two

As a muslim born in america. I hope and pray that we not focus on his religioun and maybe look at the core of the problem.
He could of been truly sick mentally, like many of our solders that have come from war or have to go to war.
Its scary that some news station are calling it a terror act because his name. Dont condem the religion lets just condem the person. That is wha t I did when Timothy Mcvey did his thing.

I ray for the fallen soldiers and pray for the family that lost them.

I heard that the MP's at Fort Hood were sent off base for training, and that there was a "skeleton" crew covering. I'm wondering if this WAS planned, because it seems quite coincidental that this happened today when the MP's were gone. Does anyone else know anything else about this?

Lets add one more reason for soldiers not to open up about PTSD

Our prayers go out to the families of fallen at Ft. Hood, its sad when servicemen and woman who have been in combat in Iraq and afganistan for year or more or preparing to deploy overseas are gunned down in cold blood by a senior leader is charged with healing not hurting.

@Dori,
Love your post 3 things to do! (I'd 2nd that)
Right on point!

I have 2 Nephews serving in Iraq. I can't imagine the grief the families must be facing right now. My prayers are with you.

If members of Hassan's unit and/or gov't agencies were aware of his comments and blogs about suicide bombers, etc., why wasn't something done to get him off duty until this was investigated? It's pretty scary that someone like this was charged with helping our soldiers with PTSD!

As a spouse of a current soldier who is about to get deployed, it is devistating to think being home is now as unsafe for our fellow heroes, our troops. It is unsafe for our troops to be where it is their own home and safety zone. May they be safe here and overseas.

I'm a muslim, and i just knew about this tragic story, it saddens all Muslims community because this action CANNOT be acted by a real Muslim.
I know,No word can really comfort your losses. But please accept my sincere condolences on your loss.

My prayers go out to you all.

Word of caution everyone... There is no proof that Hasan made those posts as of yet, only speculation. Secondly, the chances that this was terrorism based on the war...that's a strech.. I think this guy was just ticked he was being deployed, and decided to vent his anger on the system that brought that anger to the top.
Word is the FBI because of the degree and speculations going on will be leading this investigation that was reported by DC.

this whole shooting is horrible its bad enough to have families worry as soldiers go off over seas but its even worse for them to have to worry about being harmed in there own home sad enough to say this man will probably be able to plead insanity hmmm i dont know... my prayers go to all soldiers families who are having to deal with death or injuries to there loved ones

This is so sad and i was just stationed there and I am overwhelmed by what happened. My heart and prayers go out to the families who lost loved ones and those who were injured. May God be with them.

@billie

Maybe that was exactly the objective of the suspect.

Anderson I am at Ft. Bliss, TX. Over hear the news of Ft. Hood has shocked us all. As a spouse and former Soldier the news that an Army Officer shot fellow soldiers is both sickening and very disturbing. I hope he talks and gives us answers to his motives. The families of the wounded and murdered soldiers deserve answers. My thoughts and prayers go out to them, as one military family to another we are all one big family.

Obviously we don't the motive behind this tragedy, but I think that the stress of being sent to Iraq may have triggered this act. We send our men and women to war and never consider what mental damage this might cause. No one goes on this kind of rampage with a calm, collected emotional state...he's obviously disturbed and we need to find out why he never got any help!

My thoughts and prayers go out to all the families of the victims here at Fort Hood. Today was a very scary day, a day that you hear of but you never think it will actually hit that close to home. Thank you all for your prayers...

God bless the families of these people. I hope he lives to face every member of every family that he distroyed today. God speed to the families.

The man just didn't want to be deployed. He obviously chose the wrong profession!

What a shocking day; and just before Veteran's Day, that America suffer such tragedy. Had followed CNN this afternoon with this breaking news; however, just found out the suspect is still alive and that he is a psychiatrist during the 1st hr of your broadcast. Unbelievable!
May God bless all the many people and families involved.
A great show with all these unfolding details. Bloggers have been very enlightening as well.

@ June S. Smith,
It's terrible when days like the one that you lived through in 1966 and the one today are forever etched in our minds!

They seem to overshadow so much!

As a veteran of the army, these events has deeply saden me. My thoughts and prayers goes out to all the victims and their families. May God bless all of you.

I live here on Fort Hood . This tragic day really breaks my heart. Its very unsettling knowing that I live on an army base and things like could happen about 3 miles from my home. My heart goes out to all the families of the fallen and wounded soldiers. This is America ...tragic events such as this will only prove how strong we Americans are and how we will pull together! Being upset about being deployed is no excuse. This man makes me sick to my stomach.

It appears that he preplanned these shootings for reasons that he will only know. What a coward, if he didn't want to serve his country there are other ways out without taking innocent people with him. Now he has to pay the price.

Soldiers go to army psychiatrists for mental help, where do the psychiatrists go for the help they need without it being detrimental to their career?

I think this is terrible! i was on post during the shooting and i never would have thought that this would even be possible to have happened on post! This is our home! we go to war and make it back alive but cant go to the center to get a checkup with out having to fear for our lives!

It's completely different for a semi-literate, drug hazed teenager to commit a mass murder, than a mature, knowing, educated, ethics trained physicians to commit mass murder – this is an act of evil that he chose.

Im currently deployed in Iraq right now and cant seem to understand how were suppose to live in the land of the free but the brave are away risking there lives in combat overseas right now. However the fight is right in front of our face on our own soil. We need to take care of ourselves back home and forget about this so called never ending war we are fighting in. Its horrific and Im truely saddened about this entire situation. Im on my second deployment in four years. its hard to believe your suppose to be a family and a member of a team, wheres the loyalty, duty and honor. Terror in our land and in our military family will not be tolerated. He needs to pay the ultimate price for his actions. DEATH. My thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends. Gone but not forgotten.

As a long time disabled vet, my question is hhow did this doctor manage to move around on that huge post carrying guns while showing medical patches. Why did someone no see him. Military Police are the only personnel allowed to carry loaded weapons on a military installation. My prayers go out to the wounded and dead.

@ Susan - EMDR is not always effective as PTSD treatment. A lot of research has shown that it is not more effective than placebo treatment.

BettyAnn, Nacogdoches,TX
Good night Betty, HUGS!

@ Kaye

When it can potentially save the lives of other innocent people. Do you think that if they would have said that he was alive initially people would not have tried to get into those hospitals and kill him, potentially putting more innocent people in harms way? I live here I know the fear we went through today, you could barley get a phone call out, and sometimes we forget that vengeance is not ours.

Im stationed at fort hood my wife and i are both in the army there. My wife was suppose to be there at the same time when the shootings took place. Luckily my wifes platoon went bowling instead. 1 thing though i have been in the building recently it is not very big and they over pack the place like sardines u can hardly move when u go in the building. my heart goes out to the families and everyone.

As a military wife, naturally i was thinking, that could have been us, and is this gonna happen to us? Recently the crime in the military has gone up.. on Ft Riley people have hung themselves, and killed people, and left the bodies in shallow graves... my thing is, with all this out cry for attn, hopefully people realize all the stress, and bad service members that are in the military. mabe something can be done now and no one else will be hurt. Wishful thinking?

my prayers are with all at the ft hood baseand the ft hood community

Also my thoughts and prayers go out to the families who lost their loved ones today. This is an extremely sad day, I spent 8 years in the Navy, and I ALWAYS felt the safest on base. This doesn't seem to be the case now, which is extremely disappointing:(:(:(

Thank you Dori for being a person who has some logic.

Yes, my prayers go out to the slain and wound soldiers' families and friends.

@Huma, i just read your post.

You are right, this kind of action does not come from the teachings of Islam, or the Bible or the Torah, or any other relisious books of wisdom, (And yet, there are extremists in All religions who truly believe that killing and dying for God is the way to go).

I hope that all Americans will consider that before there is a mass condemnation of Muslims based on one man's actions (and we don't even know what his reasons were yet.)

It is a tragedy what happened today my, heart felt sympathies go to the families of the deceased and wounded. Such a cowardly act commited by any person of which ever faith brings shame to others of the same faith.

As a 2-time Iraq combat veteran, the anger and rage that soldiers feel isnt so much from the combat, but more of the people that they deal with on a day-to-day basis, the poor and under experienced officers, favoritism, and senior NCOs that are only over in Iraq to further thier careers, not care for their soldiers, and especially medals awarded by rank status, not by the work or job that you have done, I volunteered to go to Iraq in 2004 and again in 2008 and even with 4 years difference I saw no change in these things. Something has to be done and our senior officers and NCOs must address this issue.
Brandon Delvo
Williston, ND

I was at Ft Hood in 81 thru 82 and 85 thru 88. I went to vietnam 65-66 and I was also in Desert Shield and Storm 90-91. Retired!

I send my regrets to the fallen and wounded. The military should take a look at all muslims not born in the U.S. Like this Doctor!!!!!!! These people dead and wounded because a Colonel a friend didn't take him seriously, maybe people will listen more closely. His friend the Col should be chastised for no action taken.

Wish I was still in the Army.

@Jessica

The MP's at Fort Hood are augmented by Civilian Dept of Def Police. Security staffing on a military base is an extremely important. I find it very unlikely that they were short staffed.

This was the act of a Coward, a direct attack on our military. A greater questions that I have not seen asked is: What happened in his background investigation?

My prayers go out to the families of Fort Hood, maybe the good for this terrifing action is that all military personal that has signs of PTSD or other signs will be required to go get help and maybe the military wont just blow off the concerns families and fellow soldiers have for their soldier. That now they will change the way they take care of the soldier and their family!!!!!

To all at AC360 - thanks for the experts you've had on this topic. You're doing a great job.

Anderson, what a travesty! However, it was not domestic combat as you aluded to! This is nothing short of a murderer on a rampage. These brave men & women were not in combat they were being taken out by a crazy who they in turn took out, they need to just finish the job with proper justice! As Canadians we stand with your troops and remain together with you in this time of sorrow. Our prayers and compassion reach out to these grief stricken families.

Good night Isabel, good to see you tonight.

@Starr, yes, i agree finding out what the motivation(s) were will help. I haven't been in the service, but from what I've seen reported crime happens on military bases as in the civilian population, but it is shocking.

Internship, Residency, Fellowship. Isn't a fellowship a hard assignment to get, kind of an honor?

Please let us all know the real facts of this incident, too much is in question at this time, other peoples lives may depend on it. Hate crimes are too much a part of our lives as it is!!

I've been in the building that this event took place several times. The main entrance on the northeast side of the building leads down a hallway that is about fifteen feet wide and thirty feet long. Then it takes a ninety degree turn to the right and opens up to a large central area. Before being used as a deploying personel processing facility it was a recreational facility/nightclub. I can picture the scene and understand the high casualty count.

Sgt Balser, Perry
Thanks for your service in Iraq, I hope you will stay safe on the road, I am supporting all way to you.... Thanks for sharing with us.

This horrific event is so devastating to our military personnel and my heart and prayers are with the innocent ones that lost their lives today and also with the injured. I know there will be a huge investigation but if it is true that this mass murderer had recently been promoted, those responsible for promoting him need to be investigated and those that made the decision to send him to either Iraq or Afghanistan need to be investigated if he allegedly had poor evaluations and also been investigated for his seemingly disloyalty to the military, etc. There has got to be some straight answers when a military psychiatrist officer kills 12 people and injures over 30.

Hi A.C. as an american soldier that has been deployed to Iraq 3 times i just wanted to express my hurt in hearing about the incident that happened to my fellow soldiers on Ft. Hood. I'm stationed at Ft Carson, Colorado and i attended Warriors Leaders Course at Ft Hood and i just wanted to say to all of my fellow soldiers at Ft Hood and around the world we must stay strong and motivated and not to allow things like this to set us back as american soldiers and as people. I hope that there is a way that we can find out the truth as to what sparked this soldier to do what he did. Lastly i'd like to give my condolences to all the families that were affected by this tragic incident. thank you and God Bless America!!!! Go Army!!!!

I feels so sorry for the families of the victoms, I wish that I could help in some way.

I guess you never know when someone's button is ready to pop. My heart goes out to the families who lost loved ones. I'm sure they thought they were safe at their own base. My prayers are with them.

It's upsetting that yet again the moderate american muslims will be slighty persecuted by this. @Chuck, I agree. He didn't wan't to go to Afganistan and was just probably upset. Considering he was selling his furniture, he was probably hoping to die today. Another nut with a gun.

Carolyn/Ft Hood, thank you so much. I am so humbled by it. Your address did not escape my attention. AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR SACRAFICE, WHETHER A SOLDIER OR SPOUSE OF ONE. I have the life I have had, a great one, thanks to your commitment, integrity and greatest of all sacrifices, yourselves, though it should never have happened at home for a soldier

hey my name is jennifer and first of all i must give my condolences and prayers to all the families affected in today's tragedy. i live in killeen and i was at school at CTC when all of this happened and was locked down at school. this is something that everyone thinks will never happen so close to home but i think today proves that it can happen anywhere. in these times of economic and moral hardships we must stand together and fight for peace. they blame his religious background but i must stop to say that anyone could have done it. we have to stop the religious and racial conflicts and come together as one people with the same goal, peace, but further than that we need to come together and find a common ground and way to get that peace. In the wise words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in his speech Where Do We Go from Here: Community or Chaos? "One day we must come to see that peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek but a means by which we arrive at that goal. We must pursue peaceful ends through peaceful means." So with that said i must agree full heartedly and leave you all with my condolences and prayers. God bless.

@ Willis, Hasen was born in the US I think it was reported that he was born in NJ. He is a US Citizen by birth.

I guess it is possible that he had been part of a sleeper cell.

@ Abby i am from tn and i will most definetly be wearing a ribbon tomorrow...I Will be serving this country soon and i will be proud to be a soldier

Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims families and all others affected by this horrible event, what is this world coming to? So many evil people out there. Pray Pray Pray!

Hi Anderson. Any information yet about the victims? Have any names been released to the media?

I'm not condoning the actions of this man, but it's important for Americans to understand our military is extremely stressed. If you don't believe it look at the suicide rate in the Army...the highest ever! I've recently retired from the military after serving over 23 years (multiple deployments) and work with wounded warriors...our military members are feeling the stress of the current tempo!

My heart goes out to the families of the deceased and wounded. This is a very heartbreaking but very unnecessary act of violence. I'm sending out my prayers to my comrades, their loved ones and anyone else effected by this senseless tragedy.

@ BettyAnn, Nacogdoches,TX,
That was beautiful BettyAnn,
Have a good night there in Texas!

sad,sad, we live around fear what he did was just hatetred and mean

For one, this angers me.
Two, there is no way to prepare for a tragody like this.
Three, soldiers do not let this hinder your thoughts for what we fight for
Four, my constant prayers for the familes, wounded, deceased, and the un physically harmed as this has harmed us all, especially those of us as myself serving in the military, much less the great american Army.
And lastly, "lord, bring peace to the familes of the immediately effected and let not mercy show forth on this traitor, but guide the O4 to repent and reape what he has sowed to the fullest." Amen

Bullying in the high schools . Now bullying in are armed forces this needs too stop! people who are bullyed snap this has been proven!!!! when are we gonna stop this?

How devastating... My thoughts and prayers are for each of the families and comrades of the departed soldiers inuring the pain of this tragedy. The irony of it all continues to appall me.

Lt. Gen. Honore, has been providing alot of great info today!

Appears that this doctor who was supposedly helping our soldiers has had ongoing "psychological problems" and could have used some psychological help himself. Shouldn't he have been on a sabbatical? He was helping our soldiers?? This man had to be way off base to commit this horrific crime to our most admired heros. Our soldiers deserve better than this. What is happening to our America? This is getting too close to home. My prayers are with the soldiers, families of Ft. Hood, and our country. The US needs more support from this administration.

Imagine the most upset you have ever been. How close have you come to mass murder? Not very I would assume. This was an EVIL man under stress. NOT a man under stress who needed an outlet.

I would just like to comment on the events that happened at Ft.Hood. As a former Ft. Hood soldier, My heart bleeds out for the familys of those who lost their lives, Second I hope that this brings light on how the war affects people. I do understand the the Major has not been deployed before. But this war has taken its toll on our military personel. Ft. Hood soldiers have, in my mind, the hardest life style in america. If you will, imagine that you are only home for 12-15 months then you go to Iraq or Afganistan for 12-15 months. All on a constent rotation. This is why we need to look into removing our forces from these countrys. Thank you for reading this. I hope people will look into what our armed forces go through.

My question would be if this soldier was suspect to making statements about the war and his personal opinions about suicide bombers and his stance about not wanting to fight for his country what was he still doing with clusters on his uniform? This person should have been removed immedietly from his position and booted out of the military, and perhaps this day would'nt have happened. Sad day for America, sad day for the people at Ft Hood.

Honestly, I think we need to re-think our policies of active military being able to carry guns on military facilities. Obviously we have enemies within our own military.

Dori,
You're so exactly right!!!!! I agree with your comment posted.

I think this may be another glaring sign that our military is almost at it's breaking point. The stress of these "wars" is creating too many personal problems with too many soldiers. I am thankful that I have no had any ill effects from my tour in Iraq (yet).

This has happened at a time when we are all so unsure of our feelings of the war at hand. maybe this is a sign that enough is enough. may the Lord be with everyone affected by this act of a coward!

This guy is well versed in mental health...how can we tell if he decides to fake his mental condition. AC please ask the question

im glad there were soldier medics there, and also those soldiers that were trained by the medics to be combat life savers. there could have been more deaths. i know how hard medics work, my brother is a medic that was deployed.
God Bless the Army and
i feel bad for the families that are affected by this horrible person.

@ Nancy,
even as a doctor, he had a failing report at one of the hospitals that he was working at....that says something right there too!

There are programs in the army that help you deal with stress in a private manner and have no set backs for your job. It takes a strong person to admit there is an issue and get help. Clearly Maj Hasan had red flags all around him. He could have chaptered out or just been discharged for poor work performance. There is no way that a person with such character flaws should have stayed in the army just to make numbers while creating a hostile environment.

In my opinion, this is a very very angry man and knew exactly what he was doing. I believe he would have killed himself after he murdered the soldiers if having had the opportunity. These perpetrators are very patient and wait it out often for years before making their move. I don't think he was unstable at all. I think the fact that he had such difficulty getting out of the military was one motivation becuase I think he had other plans and no longer had patience. Being a Psychiatrist or a Doctor is irrelevant...he didn't care at all.

@dori
I don't want to send out the wrong idea so to clarify I am not a soldier. I am the daughter of a disabled vet, a former Army wife, a friend to tons of soldiers, and a lifetime supporter of our troops. I appreciate everything you've said, but the true thanks goes to the actual soldiers. The support that our area is getting from yourself and everyone else around the country is overwhelming and truly appreciated by everyone here. Truly.

This is a sad day for our American troops and for our country. I keep hearing everyone saying "We don't understand the motive or what was going on in his mind". Even though it has been mentioned that he was an American Muslim, it has not been mentioned that maybe he had a problem with going overseas to kill his fellow Muslims. Our military should do more extensive screening and psychiatric evaluations to our military personnel, especially for anyone in an administrative or medical care professional position. Afterall, these are our troops who stand and fight together on the front lines for our country.

Thank you so much for your care and compassion ~ It shows in the impeccable job you and your crew are doing on this story. No one else is covering it the way you are...

May those who have suffered loss or are experiencing fear and uncertainty as they wait for loved ones to recover be comforted with the inexhaustible love of Christ.

What was the Lt. General's Latin reference/phrase when he said, "Soilders taking care of Soilders?" thanks.

I hope that his survival means we'll find out why he did this, though his reasons might be too wacked for us to ever understand.

There must have been some sort of signs to indicate this horrible act was to occur.

Good night all! Thanks to everyone for answering all my questions.

@ Renee.. MP's carry weapons, the civilian suplemental Police carry weapons. The military will never issue weapons to soldiers to carry for self defense. With the stress, PTSD and suicides, all that going on as it is, that will never happen. We dont need to blow this out of shape, this was a wacked out man that went over the deep end, or at least that is the only way we can see it until it is proven to be something else.

My mom was working in the fort hood dental clinic today in the readiness building. I am so glad that she is back home safe and sound after being on lockdown for 8 hours. My thoughts and prayers go out to the wounded and the families of the fallen.

I am a Nurse and I have many patients who are stationed at Ft Hood, even though I live in Louisville KY. Please send my love and prayers to all of them. I also have 2 sons in the Army; we have the bravest, strongest, military in the world. We will remain steadfast!

That video of Hasan the store is really eerie!

@ Renee,
Have a good night!

so he felt better about shooting fellow Americans?!

No one truly understands what the military and their families go through. My husbands is currently serving his 3rd tour and it really places a strain on soldiers mentally. We all like to say or suggest ways to have made this horrific situation better, but truth be told the guy had some issues that he was not able to deal with and unfortunately took it out on those who were his comrades. Everyone wants answers, but does that really make what he did better to deal with. My father and co-workers were locked down on the post for hours. I pray for all there at Ft. Hood.

This person has spent time listening to the horrors of war, happening largely on Muslims and children and perhaps the idea that he was about to be put into this fray was enough to snap this man's mind.

Doesn't forgive what was done. Perhaps explains some things.

something that happens so suddenly can be so difficult to process. it's going to have to be viewed in bits and pieces in order to make any sense.

may those who need to process this find strength and comfort in their times of need.

One other reminder. With the position of this defect in the US Military, he was very well compensated for his responsibilities and time. Also, I am tired of hearing how he did not want to go oversees, as that is what any military personnel should expect. Go visit the families of 40 + families who are affected by this evil person. No one should have any remorse for this person or make excuses as to why he did what he did.

We know that Hasan had a poor rating for his work at a hospital. He was not allowed to leave the army because of monies that were spent on his education. But that fact is more important than ensuring that the men/ women overseas get the best medical attention?

Secondly, Is it possible that Hasan committed this act in order to ensure he wasn't deployed?

Thank you Anderson, and entire Team 360 for an informative news program tonight. Also thank you for giving so many of us a forum to express our grief and feelings about what happened today.

I have read the many posts from our military and respect their feelings and grief.

I read many posts form Muslims and am grateful for their sympathies.

Good night fellow bloggers, David, Indiana, Isabel too.It's been a very sad night for us all.

I think this event manifests the need of the US military to provide more frequent and extensive psychological evaluations and counseling for its personnel. These kinds of attacks are the hardest to track down and prevent, since there is only one perpetrator. The military itself should be the one reaching-out to people who have this kind of tendency..not the other way around.

Just because we have a ton of weapons available to us on post does not mean that we have ammo laying around to use!

@Tamika,
I hope that your husband is safe!

This is not the first time something like this has happened on a military base... this is the first time it has been this severe.
Everyone please dont equate the name to the extreemist side. Just because he is Muslim doesnt mean this was an extreemist/terrorist act. The Feds did not pursue the postings as they could not prove he was the one that made the posts. Lets not jump to conclusions.
Sounds more like he was just one very up set cooookie. We will never know the breaking point of anyone until they break, maybe his pending deployment was his breaking point. We are all potentially ticking bombs... a very few of us are very weak emotionally and when they hit that ultimate breaking point..they go off the very deep end.

With his biochemistry background and being Islamic, has anyone checked to see if he was part of a sleeper cell that may have been planning an attack on US soil, but once he found out he was going to deploy and that he would not be able to fulfill his terrorist act, could the shooting been an alternate plan?

So the clerk at the store said Hasan seemed normal, reasonable when buying coffee. That would indicate that this is NOT someone who was "losing it" as in sleep deprived, crying uncontrollably, not eating for days, babbling incoheherently. This suggests that ideology and EVIL were a motive – deliberate calculated, predatory, sociopathic.

WOW. things can get worse. I have a fiance' at Fort Benning. I couldn't imagine what people in Fort Hood are going through. My simpathies are with those of the families who have lost a loved one today.

Today has brought such a tragic event at Fort Hood. I am very disgusted that a soldier of this country would do such a thing to his fellow soldiers. It's awful enough that we lose soldiers in the conflicts we are involved with over seas but, to have their blood spilled on our soil is an outrage. As far as I'm concerned Major Hasan is a coward.

My thoughts and prayers are with the families and soldiers involved at Fort Hood.

That was one of the signs.

When stuff like this happens people always look for signs that its going to happen. But I don't think you can predict it. Bad performance review? Going to be deployed? I wonder how many thousand soldiers that describes who never snap? And then there's the popular high performers who go off and commit offenses like Abu Ghraib. You can't tell who the nuts are ahead of time.

Renee & "dtarr, formerly known as vincent
Good night guys, See you tomorrow night! HUGS!
@Renee,
Welcome!!!

Thank you CNN, Anderson, Randi. Anderson, you are beautiful. I hope that everyone will be able to get some rest and peace tonight. Good night. Sweet dreams.

Hasan was OBVIOUSLY not coming unhinged psychologically. He was cool, rational, coherent 6 hours before the slaughter.

Hi ,
I'm so sorry about a people had been killed today in Texas ,
I'm Muslm and refused all bad activites like maj. Hassan did,
PLease activites like this not acceptable by Islam and they are jsut a cracy people ,,,,,
I'm Sorry again , Hope my Sorry will arive to families loss them lovers

Ahmed Al Bayati
Iraqi Muslim in USA

Anderson, I've heard it mentioned tonight that even though the suspect is alive, we still may never know why this happened. Why is that?

Have a great night Anderson, (great reporting), Erica, Randi, Megan, and Bloggers!

Thoughts are with All the Military families and glad that many of yous' could be on the AC360 blog tonight!

See you all tomorrow.

Im just as shocked now as when the Luby's massacre happen. My thoughts are with all our troops and civilians who were affected in some way by todays events.

Anderson...I see people dressed just like Hasen and simular dress every day in Eugene Oregon. Dressing like that is not an indicator or disturbing regardless of what Nasar just said.

General Honore makes it clear for me how these attacks affect the community at Ft Hood. Just the communication aspect of the situation, deployed soldiers calling home, families trying to call out is a difficult painful situation.

Major Hasan does sound deeply troubled but we have a lot to learn yet, Anderson, this is a very fluid situation and as you note Major Hasan has not spoken to authorities yet.

Has he had any brushes with the law previously?

The taboo against taking human life is so ingrained, so strong, that he would have needed to be able to justify his behavior. He could only have done that with hate filled propaganda – because he had so much ethics training to the contrary.

Good night Anderson, Erica, Ed Henry, David Gergen, Martina Ilstad, Emily and my friends Twitter/Facebook Bloggers!!!!!
See you almost tomorrow night!
Have a great night and sleep tight everyone!!!!
Thanks for coming this hour!!!!!!!! See you almost tomorrow night!

Anderson,
Have a great night, good sleep at home after work!!!! See you almost tomorrow night!!! Have a plenty sleep!

Did this doctor by any chance claim he was harrassed just after his 4 years of medical school? Does anyone know what year he began to claim this? The military should get our tax money back from any doctor who gets their long and valuable and expensive education from them and then finds some excuse to leave. We were in the Gulf in 1991, why did this man want to be in the army after that? So he could get his education paid for?

As a lifetime member of the disabled American Veterans, where can
we help outside of Fort Hood?

@jp you are soo right, we are all stressed to the max even our children. What are they going to be like in a couple of years. This war has really taken a huge toll on us.

Wow, this is the worst mass-murder on a US base in history? Sheesh.

Hey Anderson, This garb which Maj Nidal is wearing is Pakistani Traditional clothes. NOT from Jordan

Good Night Everyone! God Blesses us all!

@lisa

Amen to that.

@Gary,
Very good point......

You are an American Solider first or do not sign on the dotted line. He got a great medical education and wanted a get out free card. If a person of faith can not bring arms against the same they need not join the military. Your Allegence is to your fellow soliders, country. God Bless all military men and women...Thank you for your service. Not Red or Blue....just red, white and blue....