People constantly moved in and out of the Soldier Readiness Center at Fort Hood during a CNN visit in June.

Bob Greene
CNN Contributor

It is a phrase that has for centuries been associated with human conflict:

"The fog of war."

It refers to the uncertainty and confusion that accompanies battle - both the violent encounters themselves, and the planning that puts soldiers onto specific fields of combat.

The fog of war - frustrating, endless, lethal - can be haunting, an enemy in itself.

At Fort Hood in Texas this week, the fog was present. The November afternoon was clear and bright, yet the invisible fog covered everything.

From the first reports of gunfire at the Army base, to the contradictory accounts about where on the base the killing might be going on; from the frenzied uncertainty about how many assailants there could be, to the initial speculation that outsiders with deadly intent may have made their way onto the grounds; from the announcement that the suspected gunman was dead, to the revised statement hours later that he was still alive. ...

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