BREAKING: Shooting at Ft. Hood

[HereWeGoAgain]

If there was one place on the planet one would think you could be safe it would be a military base in America.

Thoughts and prayers for the families of the victims.

Why? Soldiers are men and women, they like guns, many of them have families, a fort or base or post is like a small town to a medium size city.

People hurt each other, unfortunately.

Fort Hood is the largest military installation in the world. It's the second largest city (in terms of square miles) in Texas. Nearly 50,000 soldiers and their dependents there at any one time. A military installation is no different than any other town or city. Same demographic as any other town. Men, Women, Children. Police and Fire, Hospitals, Stores, movie theaters, restaurants, day care, swimming pools.

Unfortunately, as a result of that, you have the same problems with crime as any other city.

And that place is huge!!! 340 sq. miles or 217,600 acres !!

 

[wavingrl]

Is not Ft. Hood a military compound? Do not soldiers have weapons? I have never heard of a military fort that bans weapons.

Only the Military Police (MP's) can carry fire arms on Military installations unless you are training on the range or something.

Thanks to a fellow poster who commented that this has been the policy for over 100 years--seems to have worked reasonably well, jmo.

There will always be 'some' who find ways to circumvent the 'rule'. They could 'increase security'. There are considerations about this. I think I heard--'Fort Hood is the largest military base --in the US--anywhere? 90,000 people--' I am not certain. Life would become more complicated for those people--but if that is what it takes, then I suppose that is what must be done.

for lack of anything more profound to add--at least we will be kept informed--not like the Malaysian approach to such a catastrophe.

 

[Luddly Neddite]

We really need to address mental health issues of our vets but instead, the nutters are wanting to allow on-base military to carry concealed weapons.

Idiocy.

 

[Iceweasel]

I think I have a pretty good grasp of whatever facts already--'this should not have happened', but it did. I had to admire Gen Milley--commander of Fort Hood, if that is the appropriate term--'Do you think guns should be allowed on military bases?"--His response, 'No, I do not.' and moved right along to the next question.

He wasn't in a position to change policy, it's above his pay grade. To say otherwise is an early retirement.

He had psychological problems, was in the process of being treated and further diagnoses were probable. A critical time for anyone--he was young--in his 20's---probably had financial problems and every other kind of problem.

If more can be done in the future---then it should. On military bases and in civilian life. We/society--have discussed this before--I don't know what more can be said.

The answer is obvious, let soldiers carry on post. If they can't be trusted, remove them from active service. The news said he was 34.

I know PTSD is real but wonder how soldiers dealt with it in the past without this sort of thing going on.

 

[HereWeGoAgain]

yeah, when I was on heliport guard duty at Ft. Hood we were given a pump shotgun and 3 rounds, to be kept in our pocket..

Barney Fife style!!!

When I stood topside watch in the Navy, we had 5 rounds for the .45. Our job was not to repel an invasion, but to die making as much noise as possible.

A .45 will definitely do that. Add the screaming and you have a first class warning system.

 

[hangover]

Karma coming down. "You reap what you sow." "Those that kill by the sword, shall die by the sword." All these "so called" christians totally ignore what's in their own bible. There were no guns that saved any lives, only took them. There are hundreds of thousands of PTSD troops yet to go off.

 

[Esmeralda]

The shooter's name was Ivan Lopez. Does not sound like an Arabic or Islamic name.

 

[Manchester]

I know PTSD is real but wonder how soldiers dealt with it in the past without this sort of thing going on.

How do you know these things didn't go on? WAY back in the World Wars they will have been covered up for morale's sake and the disturbed 'Nam vet is now a pop culture stereotype.

 

[High_Gravity]

The shooter's name was Ivan Lopez. Does not sound like an Arabic or Islamic name.

He's Puerto Rican right?

 

[wavingrl]

I think I have a pretty good grasp of whatever facts already--'this should not have happened', but it did. I had to admire Gen Milley--commander of Fort Hood, if that is the appropriate term--'Do you think guns should be allowed on military bases?"--His response, 'No, I do not.' and moved right along to the next question.

He wasn't in a position to change policy, it's above his pay grade. To say otherwise is an early retirement.

He had psychological problems, was in the process of being treated and further diagnoses were probable. A critical time for anyone--he was young--in his 20's---probably had financial problems and every other kind of problem.

If more can be done in the future---then it should. On military bases and in civilian life. We/society--have discussed this before--I don't know what more can be said.

The answer is obvious, let soldiers carry on post. If they can't be trusted, remove them from active service. The news said he was 34.

I know PTSD is real but wonder how soldiers dealt with it in the past without this sort of thing going on.

Good points.

Lots of issues beyond my scope. Definitely think Congressional hearings are the appropriate level for these discussions.

Money may not solve the problems but--I would say that it would help.

 

[Iceweasel]

I know PTSD is real but wonder how soldiers dealt with it in the past without this sort of thing going on.

How do you know these things didn't go on? WAY back in the World Wars they will have been covered up for morale's sake and the disturbed 'Nam vet is now a pop culture stereotype.

The Nam vet sterotype is largely wrong. But I don't remember vets going on shooting sprees. There's been a rash of them lately.

 

[koshergrl]

I think I have a pretty good grasp of whatever facts already--'this should not have happened', but it did. I had to admire Gen Milley--commander of Fort Hood, if that is the appropriate term--'Do you think guns should be allowed on military bases?"--His response, 'No, I do not.' and moved right along to the next question.

He wasn't in a position to change policy, it's above his pay grade. To say otherwise is an early retirement.

He had psychological problems, was in the process of being treated and further diagnoses were probable. A critical time for anyone--he was young--in his 20's---probably had financial problems and every other kind of problem.

If more can be done in the future---then it should. On military bases and in civilian life. We/society--have discussed this before--I don't know what more can be said.

The answer is obvious, let soldiers carry on post. If they can't be trusted, remove them from active service. The news said he was 34.

I know PTSD is real but wonder how soldiers dealt with it in the past without this sort of thing going on.

They shot the assholes who posed a threat before they got going.

Our soldiers at Ft Hood and our kids at every school that advertises as "unarmed" are sitting ducks. They're just targets. The soldiers know it. And the kids are terrified because they don't feel safe.

 

[bodecea]

I think I have a pretty good grasp of whatever facts already--'this should not have happened', but it did. I had to admire Gen Milley--commander of Fort Hood, if that is the appropriate term--'Do you think guns should be allowed on military bases?"--His response, 'No, I do not.' and moved right along to the next question.

He wasn't in a position to change policy, it's above his pay grade. To say otherwise is an early retirement.

He had psychological problems, was in the process of being treated and further diagnoses were probable. A critical time for anyone--he was young--in his 20's---probably had financial problems and every other kind of problem.

If more can be done in the future---then it should. On military bases and in civilian life. We/society--have discussed this before--I don't know what more can be said.

The answer is obvious, let soldiers carry on post. If they can't be trusted, remove them from active service. The news said he was 34.

I know PTSD is real but wonder how soldiers dealt with it in the past without this sort of thing going on.

They shot the assholes who posed a threat before they got going.

Our soldiers at Ft Hood and our kids at every school that advertises as "unarmed" are sitting ducks. They're just targets. The soldiers know it. And the kids are terrified because they don't feel safe.

It would be fun to arm the teachers.

 

[Esmeralda]

This may be a soldier on soldier dispute that went deadly.

That's what is sounds like, and innocent bystanders got wounded.

 

[wavingrl]

I think I have a pretty good grasp of whatever facts already--'this should not have happened', but it did. I had to admire Gen Milley--commander of Fort Hood, if that is the appropriate term--'Do you think guns should be allowed on military bases?"--His response, 'No, I do not.' and moved right along to the next question.

He wasn't in a position to change policy, it's above his pay grade. To say otherwise is an early retirement.

He had psychological problems, was in the process of being treated and further diagnoses were probable. A critical time for anyone--he was young--in his 20's---probably had financial problems and every other kind of problem.

If more can be done in the future---then it should. On military bases and in civilian life. We/society--have discussed this before--I don't know what more can be said.

The answer is obvious, let soldiers carry on post. If they can't be trusted, remove them from active service. The news said he was 34.

I know PTSD is real but wonder how soldiers dealt with it in the past without this sort of thing going on.

They shot the assholes who posed a threat before they got going.

Our soldiers at Ft Hood and our kids at every school that advertises as "unarmed" are sitting ducks. They're just targets. The soldiers know it. And the kids are terrified because they don't feel safe.

gosh--I hope there are some that are not terrified. not to minimize a serious issue.

We should all be terrified--of so many things--we would then become 'victims' and I don't plan to live my life that way.

Yes, a person on a military base can snap--a person in the civilian sector can snap--what can be done? We don't yet have definitive answers--that much is clear.

 

[Manchester]

I know PTSD is real but wonder how soldiers dealt with it in the past without this sort of thing going on.

How do you know these things didn't go on? WAY back in the World Wars they will have been covered up for morale's sake and the disturbed 'Nam vet is now a pop culture stereotype.

The Nam vet sterotype is largely wrong. But I don't remember vets going on shooting sprees. There's been a rash of them lately.

Google "vietnam vet shooting spree" and you find a good few of them. I think PTSD has always been there for men who have seen active service and whilst I'm sure that statistically almost all of them either do not suffer, manage what they have seen or get the help that they need there will be a few who suffer in silence and and even smaller minority who will go off the deep end. Sad fact of war but I don't think that as there have been a couple of high profile ones of the past 18 months you can take that to be a trend or an indicator of a change in trend. They are just isolated tragedies.

 

[hangover]

I know PTSD is real but wonder how soldiers dealt with it in the past without this sort of thing going on.

How do you know these things didn't go on? WAY back in the World Wars they will have been covered up for morale's sake and the disturbed 'Nam vet is now a pop culture stereotype.

The Nam vet sterotype is largely wrong. But I don't remember vets going on shooting sprees. There's been a rash of them lately.

The Nam vets all got strung out on heroin and wasted away.

"In the periodic table of elements, WFT is the element of surprise."

 

[Book of Jeremiah]

Names don't mean much, Esmeralda. Booker is an american last name. Booker is aso a muslim obviously. This is a photo of the shooter. He doesn't look Spanish to me.

https://twitter.com/mypetjawa/status/451512414798761984/photo/1

 

[Esmeralda]

Names don't mean much, Esmeralda. Booker is an american last name. Booker is aso a muslim obviously. This is a photo of the shooter. He doesn't look Spanish to me.

https://twitter.com/mypetjawa/status/451512414798761984/photo/1

And he doesn't look the least bit Middle Eastern. He doesn't look like a North African and he doesn't look Indonesian or Pakistani. He could very well be Latino. He looks more like George Zimmerman than anything else, who is half Latino.

 

[hangover]

Names don't mean much, Esmeralda. Booker is an american last name. Booker is aso a muslim obviously. This is a photo of the shooter. He doesn't look Spanish to me.

https://twitter.com/mypetjawa/status/451512414798761984/photo/1

Ivan the terrible, wasn't he Russian?