Killer of 12 Soldiers Identified As Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan

[John317]

Army: 12 dead, 31 hurt in attack at Fort Hood

By APRIL CASTRO and DEVLIN BARRETT, Associated Press Writers – 1 hr 22 mins ago

FORT HOOD, Texas – An Army psychiatrist set to be shipped overseas opened fire at the Fort Hood Army post Thursday, authorities said, a rampage that killed 12 people and left 31 wounded in the worst mass shooting ever at a military base in the United States.

The gunman, first said to have been killed, was wounded but alive in a hospital under military guard, said Lt. Gen. Bob Cone at Fort Hood. He was shot four times, and was on a ventilator and unconscious, according to military officials. "I would say his death is not imminent," Cone said.

The man was identified as Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, a 39-year-old from Virginia.

President Barack Obama called the shooting at the Soldier Readiness Center, where soldiers who are about to be deployed or who are returning undergo medical screening, "a horrific outburst of violence."

"It's difficult enough when we lose these brave Americans in battles overseas," the commander in chief said. "It is horrifying that they should come under fire at an Army base on American soil."

Soldiers rushed to treat their injured colleagues by ripping their uniforms into makeshift bandages. Officials have not ruled out the possibility that some casualties may have been victims of "friendly fire," shot by authorities amid the mayhem and confusion at the scene, said a senior U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss matters that were under investigation.

Hasan had transferred to Fort Hood in July from Walter Reed Medical Center, where he received a poor performance evaluation, according to an official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the case publicly.

Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, said generals at Fort Hood told her that Hasan was about to deploy overseas. Retired Col. Terry Lee, who said he had worked with Hasan, told Fox News he was being sent to Afghanistan.

Lee said Hasan had hoped Obama would pull troops out of Afghanistan and Iraq and got into frequent arguments with others in the military who supported the wars.

Faizul Khan, a former imam at a mosque Hasan attended in Silver Spring, Md., said he spoke often with Hasan about how Hasan wanted to find a wife. Hasan was a lifelong Muslim and attended prayers regularly, often in his Army uniform, Khan said.

Origin and the rest of the news item: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_fort_hood_shooting

[John317]

We need to pray for the man who did the shooting as well as his family and all the victims, their families and friends. May they all find healing and security in trusting Christ.

[BobRyan]

1. Did Hasan believe that by doing this -- he was getting a "ticket into heaven"?

2. Is there a single Islamic cleric who differs with Hasan on that point?

3. Would Hasan have "thought twice" if he knew that Islamic clerics were agreed that his action was sending him to hell, not heaven?

4. Would having that bit of news - not ONLY have saved the lives of American soldiers -- but also the life of Hasan himself?

Question -- why are they not giving Islamic clerics who believe that Hasan's actions were not "sending him to heaven" some air time so that all would-be Hasan's are better informed about that mistake?

in Christ,

Bob

[Outta Here]

There's nothing in the article, as quoted, above that indicates this man had any religious motives for this shooting.

[Tom Wetmore]

Probably for the same reason that it is rather difficult to find a unified voice for Christianity...

As you may be aware, self-righteous zealots do seem to frequently steal the limelight and shout the loudest, drowning out other voices...

[bonnie]

There's nothing in the article, as quoted, above that indicates this man had any religious motives for this shooting.

He is reported to have been shouting the same phrase while shooting as the group that recorded the beheading of the young american man in Iraq.

Allahu Akbar! God Is Great

Witnesses to Thursday's massacre at Fort Hood said alleged shooter Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan appeared calm and shouted "Allahu Akbar!" before opening fire at a crowd of young soldiers, pausing only to reload before he was taken down by a female officer who is being hailed as a hero.

[Guest]

The count is now 13 dead, and 30 wounded.

[Dr. Shane]

I think this could have all been avoided if his commanders would have allowed him to get out of the military and pay them back for his education. This is an issue where his religious liberty was not respected. Not only was the Army so stupid to force him to stay in, they decided to ship him to Afghanistan.

[bonnie]

I think this could have all been avoided if his commanders would have allowed him to get out of the military and pay them back for his education. This is an issue where his religious liberty was not respected. Not only was the Army so stupid to force him to stay in, they decided to ship him to Afghanistan.

He was not drafted,he went by choice. If it was against his religious principals he should not have enlisted.

When can people be expected to take responsibility for their decisions,freely made?

I am sure many soldiers are in the military that do not want to go to Iraq or Afghanistan.

Pretty simple solution is to not sign up knowing you may well be spending time on the battlefield.

If they were to let all out that decided they had made a mistake might be a pretty fast exit for many.

[bonnie]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091106/ap_on_re_us/us_fort_hood_shooting

Quote:

At least six months ago, Hasan came to the attention of law enforcement officials because of Internet postings about suicide bombings and other threats, including posts that equated suicide bombers to soldiers who throw themselves on a grenade to save the lives of their comrades.

Investigators had not determined for certain whether Hasan was the author of the posting, and a formal investigation had not been opened before the shooting, said law enforcement officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to discuss the case.

[John317]

Interesting portions from the above news article:

Soldiers reported that the gunman shouted "Allahu Akbar!" — an Arabic phrase for "God is great!" — before opening fire, said Lt. Gen. Robert Cone, the base commander. He said officials had not yet confirmed that Hasan made the comment......

An imam from a mosque Hasan regularly attended said Hasan, a lifelong Muslim, was a committed soldier, gave no sign of extremist beliefs and regularly wore his uniform at prayers......

Someone who used to work with Hasan said he had expressed some anger about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Retired Col. Terry Lee told Fox News said Hasan had hoped President Barack Obama would pull troops out of Afghanistan and Iraq and got into frequent arguments with others in the military who supported the wars......

Faizul Khan, a former imam at a mosque Hasan attended in Silver Spring, Md., said "I got the impression that he was a committed soldier." He said Hasan attended prayers regularly at the mosque in Silver Spring, Md., and was a lifelong Muslim. He spoke often with Hasan about Hasan's desire for a wife.

In an interview with The Washington Post, Hasan's aunt, Noel Hasan of Falls Church, Va., said he had been harassed about being a Muslim in the years after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks, and he wanted out of the Army.

......

At least six months ago, Hasan came to the attention of law enforcement officials because of Internet postings about suicide bombings and other threats, including posts that equated suicide bombers to soldiers who throw themselves on a grenade to save the lives of their comrades.

Investigators had not determined for certain whether Hasan was the author of the posting, and a formal investigation had not been opened before the shooting, said law enforcement officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to discuss the case.

[Nan]

There are going to be many theories and background stories to this tragedy.

I just wonder if,as a psychiatrist, this man had anyone who was

keeping a tab on his mental health, or had anyone he felt he could

go to. If he really was looking for a wife, it suggests he did

not have family who could have given some balance to his life.

Not that this speculation will help his victims.

[Dr. Shane]

It was just stupid to take a muslim who was trying to get out of the Army and send him to Afghanistan. When I was a soldier they would not deploy anyone to a country where they had served as a missionary or in the Peace Corps because of a conflict of interest. This guy was clearly conflicted about being deployed to a Muslim country. There was probably just some stubborn commander unwilling to grant religious liberty to him that denied his request to not be sent to Afghanistan. I would like to see the news cover that angle of the story.

[bonnie]

It was just stupid to take a muslim who was trying to get out of the Army and send him to Afghanistan. When I was a soldier they would not deploy anyone to a country where they had served as a missionary or in the Peace Corps because of a conflict of interest. This guy was clearly conflicted about being deployed to a Muslim country. There was probably just some stubborn commander unwilling to grant religious liberty to him that denied his request to not be sent to Afghanistan. I would like to see the news cover that angle of the story.

If he was that conflicted perhaps he should not have enlisted.

His religious liberty was in his hands before he enlisted.

[Ron Lambert]

It would be good to focus on the hero who stopped the gunman and undoubtedly saved many lives--the female civilian police officer who exchanged shots with the gunman and brought him down.

Quote:

A female civilian police officer is being hailed as a hero in the aftermath of a gunman's rampage at Fort Hood....

The attack killed 13 people and wounded 30 others at the Texas military post, but the carnage ended there, thanks to the quick response of Fort Hood Police Sgt. Kimberly Munley.

Munley and her partner responded within three minutes of reports of gunfire on Thursday, Lt. Gen. Bob Cone said Friday. Authorities say Munley, 34, exchanged fire with the gunman, Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, who remains comatose in a Texas hospital. Munley is in stable condition, officials said.

Link: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,572574,00.html

Officer Munley shot Hasan four or five times, even though she was shot herself in the legs and I believe arm. Make no mistake, women can be heroes too.

Officer Kimberly Munley pictured here with country singer Dierks Bentley at a July 4 Fort Hood festival, in a photo from Munley's Twitter account.

She does not exactly look big and tough, does she? It is ironic it would be such a sweet-looking, slightly-built lady to bring down the big bad Islamic shooter. In Saudi Arabia, women are not even allowed to have drivers licenses, let along serve in the police or military.

[Dr. Shane]

If he was that conflicted perhaps he should not have enlisted.

His religious liberty was in his hands before he enlisted.

He isn't enlisted. He is an officer. Officers do not enlist. Those that enlist are called "enlisted". Officers are called "officers."

He joined the Army prior to 2001 in exchange for them paying for his schooling. There is absolutely no reason that a life-long Muslim that had joined the military prior to 2001 should have been forced to go fight a war in a Muslim nation. That is a clear violation of religious liberty.

[bonnie]

Originally Posted By: bonnie

If he was that conflicted perhaps he should not have enlisted.

His religious liberty was in his hands before he enlisted.

He isn't enlisted. He is an officer. Officers do not enlist. Those that enlist are called "enlisted". Officers are called "officers."

He joined the Army prior to 2001 in exchange for them paying for his schooling. There is absolutely no reason that a life-long Muslim that had joined the military prior to 2001 should have been forced to go fight a war in a Muslim nation. That is a clear violation of religious liberty.

Had this been a SDA he would have been ordered where they wanted him.

Sounds like he got his free education and then wanted to dictate his terms

[phkrause]

Pretty sad but doesn't justify the killing of others. Like I've said about other shooting's, shoot yourself in the head first and if you don't die than do whatever.

pk

[Kountzer]

Enlisted, officer, whatever. If you are an officer in the military you have some sort of contracted obligation to serve in the military for a specified time. You just can't decide at a momemnts notice you want out. It doesn't work like that, even for an officer.

As for the muslim issue, there are many muslims in the army and other parts of the us military. And many of them are serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. The U.S. has had a military presence in the middle east way before 2001. Marines were getting bombed while they slept in the barracks in Saudi Arabia as far back as the Reagan administration. The point I am making is the shooter at fort hood should of known of the possibility of being deloyed to islamic countries when he first became a soldier. I could see that possibility 25 years ago.

[Dr. Shane]

Had this been a SDA he would have been ordered where they wanted him.

[Dr. Shane]

Enlisted, officer, whatever. If you are an officer in the military you have some sort of contracted obligation to serve in the military for a specified time. You just can't decide at a moments notice you want out. It doesn't work like that, even for an officer.

An officer agrees to a commitment when he or she is commissioned. They can resign their commission before the commitment time is up but it is up to the higher command whether or not to accept the resignation. If the resignation is accepted, the resigning officer has to repay the military for his or her education.

[bonnie]

Quote:

Many Adventists were sent to Virgina during the Vietnam War. I was stationed in Panama on an operation that required all soldiers to work seven day a week with three days a month off. I was the only soldier in the operation that had every Saturday off.

I am sure you will correct me if wrong,but those that enlisted as in the Vietnam era could not enlist and expect religious liberty.They knew what would be expected of them. Those that were drafted could go as CO's.

Quote:

During WW2, Japanese-Americans were sent to the European war theater.

And this means what?? That this man should have been given a destination list to choose from? Perhaps if he wasn't looking for a free ride to his education he would have been a little more careful as to what it required.

Quote:

He hired a lawyer to get out of the military and volunteered to pay the government back for his education. He was willing to pay for what he got.

How gracious of him. To bad he didn't pay for his education as many do.Then he would not have had to deal with military service.

Strange how some believe they can set terms and conditions no matter what contract they sign.

It has gotten to the point that no one is responsible for their own actions.

It is either a stupid commanding officer,someone harrassed them, someone mishandling their credit card is a victim of slime ball CC's,the ones using theirs responsibly and accepting CC perks are slime balls as well. Not the one that cannot handle it responsibly.

In a grown up world in which they live they cannot be trusted to take care of their own responsibilities.

This doesn't sound like sudden uncontrollable rage in a person that is mentally unstable.

It sounds like it was planned before hand and the man was going to make sure to inflict as much pain as possible because he could not get his way.

He made a incredibly selfish decision. Not a thought to the pain and what it would do to his own family.Not a thought to those he killed that had children,wives/husband's/parents.

He did not want to go to Afghanistan,a place he would have had to have known would was more than just a possibility.

To bad if after he got his education he wanted out and made promises.

[Dr. Shane]

It has gotten to the point that no one is responsible for their own actions.

I am not saying this man is not responsible for his actions. I am saying it could have been prevented. The military could have prevented and the FBI could have prevented it. The military choose to trample on the man's religious beliefs and the FBI was asleep at the wheel.

This is the first case of terrorism on our shores since 9/11. President Bush kept us safe after 9/11 and less than one year into Obama's term we are attacked by a militant, Muslim terrorist. I, by no means, am defending this Muslim terrorist. My point is that it could have and should have been avoided.

[phkrause]

Not sure how you can say that Shane. There is no way to know how a soldier will react to any situation. He's not the first soldier to shoot at fellow soldiers. There have been other attacks by none muslim soldiers during that last 30 years and even in the Bush years. So we never can know what's up. I know that many marines, not sure about right now, but back in 66-68 that came back from vietnam that were locked up in prison at paris island because they could not be let back into society because they were so violent. A friend of mine that served in the marines during the late '60s related this to me, he couldn't believe how bad these guys were. So we really never know what a person is capable of until after the fact.

pk

[bonnie]

Originally Posted By: bonnie

It has gotten to the point that no one is responsible for their own actions.

I am not saying this man is not responsible for his actions. I am saying it could have been prevented. The military could have prevented and the FBI could have prevented it. The military choose to trample on the man's religious beliefs and the FBI was asleep at the wheel.

This is the first case of terrorism on our shores since 9/11. President Bush kept us safe after 9/11 and less than one year into Obama's term we are attacked by a militant, Muslim terrorist. I, by no means, am defending this Muslim terrorist. My point is that it could have and should have been avoided.

Your first post.....

I think this could have all been avoided if his commanders would have allowed him to get out of the military and pay them back for his education. This is an issue where his religious liberty was not respected. Not only was the Army so stupid to force him to stay in, they decided to ship him to Afghanistan.

Places all blame on the stupid army for doing what is normally done. You voluntarily enlist and many freedoms you take for granted sit on the sidelines for a while.

His religious liberty was not disrespected,it was simply not a consideration for the shooter when he enlisted.

I doubt in the capacity he would have served he would have been on the battlefield with guns,killing fellow muslims.

To bad he didn't respect his religious convictions while mowing down 30 some innocent people. Aren't Muslims,except for the radical opposed to murder?