In honor of the folks at Fort Hood, and soldiers everywhere
We’ll be hearing a lot today about the tragic shooting at Fort Hood, and we’ll be seeing a lot of that photo of Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, who killed 13 people before taking four bullets himself. Hasan is in critical condition. Two others initially arrested after the melee have been released, which means the killer was acting alone.
I suspect we’ll also be hearing about some heroism, for example from the civilian policewoman who reportedly brought Hasan down and was wounded herself. And unfortunately, we’ll be hearing about the victims, many of them probably soldiers who were either just returning from or preparing to travel to overseas war zones.
So I thought I’d post the following, just to brighten things up a bit and remind us about the real people involved in stories like this.
As a military brat myself, I have to admit that has a special poignancy. I remember very well the day Mom tricked us three kids with a similar surprise return home from Dad, who had been away on a long stretch of TDY (temporary duty). I also remember how upset she got the night I innocently told her that I had forgotten what Dad looked like. She didn’t like that at all. (Given Dad’s specialty, strategic early warning, he was never in a war zone, but he did have frequent posts away from home.)
As far as I can tell, the video was taken and posted just a few days ago. Since the daughter didn’t know Dad was coming home, he was probably back on leave rather than home for good. That means he’ll be headed back to Iraq pretty soon if he isn’t there already. Multiply those emotions by many, many thousands for all the troops overseas, and you’ll get a sense of the sacrifices we’re asking of our people.
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230 comments Add your comment
Peadawg
November 6th, 2009
8:03 am
Look what these 2 wars are doing to our soldiers…FULFILL YOUR PROMISE, OBAMA, AND BRING THEM HOME NOW!
I Report (-: You Whine )-: mmm, mmmm, mmmmm!
November 6th, 2009
8:04 am
Now if our “Commander in Chief” would only back their mission……
joe matarotz
November 6th, 2009
8:08 am
Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May their souls and all the souls of the faithful departed rest in peace.
I Report (-: You Whine )-: mmm, mmmm, mmmmm!
November 6th, 2009
8:13 am
When has the Democratic Party establishment in recent years ever run the equivalent of a Dede Scozzafava? It is unimaginable. They can hardly abide moderate Democrats, let alone the Zell Millers. Pro-life Democrats can’t speak at their conventions, and while they claim to “reach out to independents,” mistreat the ones closest to them, as Joe Lieberman now knows well. Big Tent advocates of the left, heal thyselves.
But Tuesday’s results will make it more difficult for them to maintain this arrogant, monopolistic attitude. All the faux-concern about the state of the Republican Party and the conservative movement masks their own problem: a polarizing presidency, stuffed with left-wing radicals, which is promoting legislation that leaves the American people cold and unafraid of alternatives. -Neumayr, AmSpec
It won’t stop them from pushing the bookman Republicans on us, however.
v racer
November 6th, 2009
8:13 am
Bookman,you’re a military brat? Just thought of you being one of us makes me want to puke.
Redneck Convert (R--and proud of it)
November 6th, 2009
8:13 am
Well, I sure hope that major that killed all those people pulls thru, so we can kill him and get Justice.
Have a good day everybody.
stands for decibels
November 6th, 2009
8:19 am
Thanks, Jay.
AmVet
November 6th, 2009
8:24 am
For the fallen…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wn_iz8z2AGw
Normal
November 6th, 2009
8:24 am
Mike, from below…
If you had taken the time to notice, you would know that everyday I tell the President I want him to bring the troops home. I also, daily write to the White House and The Democratic Party. I have done this for some time now.
I don’t know what makes you feel that you are so superior to the rest of us mere mortals and why you always try to incite the emotion of anger, but I do know that my greatest weapon against you and your kind, is indifference. As far as I’m concerned, when it comes to you, I hear nothing, I see nothing, I say nothing. You no longer exist.
Doggone/GA
November 6th, 2009
8:27 am
v racer – here’s your thought for the day: beauty is only skin deep, but ugly goes clear to the bone
electrician
November 6th, 2009
8:31 am
normal..I stand with you, you may remember our exchange on this subject a few days back..Mr. President..BRING OUR TROOPS HOME NOW.
Mrs. Godzilla
November 6th, 2009
8:31 am
In honor
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OrhMv_4Q-YU
jt
November 6th, 2009
8:33 am
I would mortgage my house and donate it to charity to have Steny Hoyer come on my property and tell me that I HAD to buy health insurance. PLEASE Steny.
PLEASE.!!!!!
electrician
November 6th, 2009
8:35 am
V racer..you must be new to this blog ,Jay has mentioned that many times over the years.
Normal
November 6th, 2009
8:35 am
Jay, I was an Army Brat. I can still remember at Fort Gordon, when I was 4 or 5 years old, during the Korean War, that Army Cars would pull up to a house in the housing complex, and the families would be sad and cry, and then they moved away. I never understood what was happening at the time, but it was the Army informing the family that the husband/father had been killed in action. If I can still remember, think of the kids that it happens to. War just doesn’t kill soldiers, it kills families and the innocence of little children.
AmVet
November 6th, 2009
8:35 am
Mrs. G, that was lovely.
When FDR died, the nation grieved, and this piece was a big part of finding some solace. It was as you see, revived after 9/11.
Later, all…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRMz8fKkG2g
Paul
November 6th, 2009
8:35 am
If that doesn’t choke you up, nothing will.
stands for decibels
November 6th, 2009
8:38 am
If that doesn’t choke you up, nothing will.
Particularly if you happen to have a child around that age.
Mrs. Godzilla
November 6th, 2009
8:40 am
AmVet
that music moves me to tears…..
Normal
November 6th, 2009
8:40 am
As far as the Fort Hood debacle is concerned, we know that the Major acted alone, and will be tried for his actions. The Army will see to that, but he must not be killed. He must be put away in Federal Prison for life. We cannot make him a martyr
stands for decibels
November 6th, 2009
8:41 am
This might be a good time to mention that however you feel about the death penalty, you do not want to live in the sort of country where it’s quick and simple to apply.
American due process means that there is a trial phase, and an appeals phase. And if you feel it ought to be suspended in certain egregious cases–if you really and truly feel it should, even half a day or so, still, after you’ve absorbed the initial shock–you are a piss-poor American.
mike
November 6th, 2009
8:44 am
Normal –
“If you had taken the time to notice, you would know that everyday I tell the President I want him to bring the troops home. I also, daily write to the White House and The Democratic Party. I have done this for some time now.”
That’s great, but what does it have to do with anything that I have said or that you have said to me?
“I don’t know what makes you feel that you are so superior to the rest of us mere mortals”
I don’t. This is a pathetic argument.
“why you always try to incite the emotion of anger”
What does this mean? What do I do that you or anyone else does not?
You are the one who initiated the conversation with me. How are my comments any different than yours? Be specific?
“but I do know that my greatest weapon against you and your kind, is indifference. As far as I’m concerned, when it comes to you, I hear nothing, I see nothing, I say nothing. You no longer exist.”
First of all, you initiated the conversation with me. Second of all, you have made this claim before and every time you were the one who struck up the conversation with me.
Finally and most importantly, there is nothing in my comments to you or my comments in general that is out of line, even by the standards of this board. I have never impugned your intelligence or morality. I don’t use profanity. I have never called you names. I simply have put forward arguments to which you have no response. If you want to use spurious claims of uncivil behavior as an excuse for your inability to respond, that’s cool. Whatever makes you feel good.
Doggone/GA
November 6th, 2009
8:46 am
sfd – “American due process means that there is a trial phase, and an appeals phase”
I’m not sure about how that applies to military trials though. This isn’t going to be tried in a civilian court.
@@
November 6th, 2009
8:48 am
Also a military brat (1 of 4) whose Dad went TDY many a time. He would leave in the wee hours of the morning before the sun came up because he couldn’t bear to see the tears.
The next morning We’d listen to his goodbyes while we ate our cereal. With the first call home, he’d talk to each of us. His absences would hit me hard. I would ask him what he was doing. He’d laugh and say “I’m crying in my beer, baby, cause you’re not here” to which I’d respond….
“I’m crying in my milk, Daddy.” With each call, we’d share that (OUR) little exchange.
Gale
November 6th, 2009
8:50 am
My suspicion yesterday was that a soldier had cracked. It appears that may have been the case. I wonder, given the convenience store vidio, if the Major usually wore traditional Arab garb off duty. He was born and lived in Virginia. Was his mode of dress habitual or recent? If recent, why didn’t someone notice and question it? Perhaps it was the elephant in the room, similar to the elephant that keeps us from discussing racism when it surfaces. This is a grim situation that will haunt us for years, I fear.
stands for decibels
November 6th, 2009
8:50 am
I’m not sure about how that applies to military trials though. This isn’t going to be tried in a civilian court.
Military justice includes an appeals process. I don’t claim to know the ins and outs but I’ve heard about enough cases to know that much.
If time permits you might want to look in here…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Court_of_Appeals_for_the_Armed_Forces
Steve Real
November 6th, 2009
8:51 am
Hang the traitor.
RW-(the original)
November 6th, 2009
8:52 am
Spurious claims of uncivil behavior seem to be rampant around here this morning. I’m used to it from the clown that piggybacked off of Paul’s unfounded claim, but I’m sure not used to them from Paul. Too bad neither of them could point to any specifics.
Guess I’ll head to work.
Later y’all I can’t wait to see how the 10:2% unemployment number gets spun into what a great job Porkulous is doing.
david wayne osedach
November 6th, 2009
8:54 am
I am surprised that this guy didn’t use a suicide bomb! That would have made a very clear statement.
Hef
November 6th, 2009
8:58 am
My Heart goes out to those who lost their lives yesterday due to this cowardly act. I only hope Hasan lives so that we might find out the truth to his actions. To guess now does no good unless your in the media where jobs are tied to sensationalism & where truth sometimes just gets in the way. The families of those who passed deserve better,let’s hope they get at least that.
Bosch
November 6th, 2009
8:58 am
Positive thoughts for Fort Hood families. But again, this coverage shows us how little actual journalism is left – all speculation, no facts. I guess they’ll just retract and sort that out later.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“I would mortgage my house and donate it to charity to have Steny Hoyer come on my property and tell me that I HAD to buy health insurance. ”
Go for it. Such empty threats. That’s almost like the wingnuts who claim that half of all doctors will quit their jobs if we get the public option. Yes, like I’m sooooo sure.
Gale
November 6th, 2009
8:59 am
That he did not use a bomb says more clearly to me that it was not the same as the suicide bombings we are unfortunately used to. This man is not the average unemployed and desparate radical we hear about in Iraq. He had an apparently good career. What he had was constant contact with combat weary troops. I don’t condone his actions. I wish someone in the medical command there had noticed that he was cracking.
Doggone/GA
November 6th, 2009
8:59 am
Thanks sfd. I’ve been around the military most of my life, but my parents were both civilians working for the DOD, so I don’t know a whole lot about the actual military side of things.
Normal
November 6th, 2009
9:00 am
Steve Real
November 6th, 2009
8:51 am
Hang the traitor.
Absolutely NOT. We treat him civilly, we try him for his crimes, and we put him away for life. We do nothing to make this man a martyr or a hero of Islam. That would be the very worse thing to do.
Bosch
November 6th, 2009
9:02 am
Hef,
“To guess now does no good unless your in the media where jobs are tied to sensationalism & where truth sometimes just gets in the way. The families of those who passed deserve better,let’s hope they get at least that.”
[Polite golf clap].
Angry Black Man
November 6th, 2009
9:04 am
Normal
Spot on at 9:00. I’d even go farther as to ask the media to quit using his name and trying to dig up his past. All they’re doing is making him more important than what he’s worth. Personally, I refuse to use his name. As far as I’m concerned, he’s Major. I respect the rank, but not the person. His actions were pure cowardice.
I’m not a military brat, but my family has served the country well in all branches. Jay, if it’s possible, can you give us any info on where or how to send our condolences to the families?
Bosch
November 6th, 2009
9:06 am
And I’m absolutely ashamed of the AJC this morning posting that headline. Is that a known fact that the gunman yelled that or is it just speculation to get people riled up? There is no way they have had time to interview the hundreds of people in that room, and I can not believe for one minute that the Army would have already released such information.
I’m not one for censorship, and if he did yell that, that is a totally different manner, and yes, deserves to be published to the public, but let’s at least give the investigators time to investigate the whole matter instead of throwing out meat bits for the blood thirsty media so they can pump up their ratings.
Marsh
November 6th, 2009
9:06 am
Officials are not ruling out the possibility that some of the casualties may have been victims of “friendly fire,” that in the mayhem and confusion at the shooting scene some of the responding military officials may have shot some of the victims.
This can and does happen.
Hef
November 6th, 2009
9:08 am
Bosch-Thanks,I was just about to send you same. { Polite theater clap}
Brad Steel
November 6th, 2009
9:08 am
mike,
you are so smart and it is easy to tell that you know you are such. (such a douchebag)
Paul
November 6th, 2009
9:12 am
Good Morning, RW-(the original)
Followup from downstairs, as that thread seems to have tapered off (thank heavens).
The first and second paragraphs were completely independent of one another. If you saw a link between the two and that’s what you mean by a spurious claim, that’s not what I intended. The second part was about a couple responses to Solder which were of the “quite your whining, you @@!$@…. I don’t remember that you’d even posted anything to her.
Last night there was a conversation involving you, me, NIF and Doggone/GA. NIF spoke of an incident in which a friend of his was killed for a cell phone and how that affected his thinking. Doggone/GA used the term ‘victim’ in referring to the shooter but the impression I had was it didn’t in any way absolve the shooter, just meant he had his demons to contend with. But I signed off and thought about it some more.
I’d mentioned I nearly lost two sons, college roommates to a couple punks with guns. Parking lot robbery in their apartment complex over Christmas. My wife and I were in San Antonio when the call came, drove straight through to Tallahassee – Florida State. The punks were arrested after they’d shot several other people and sentenced to long terms. One was a juvenile but that didn’t gain him much. Anyway, and this is the point: when they were sentenced I made a pretty harsh comment about what I hoped happened to them every day while they were in prison. One of my sons was chagrined at what I’d said. Here here he’d been through all that (his brother said “Dad, the worst part was I thought I was going to watch my brother die and there was nothing I could do to save him”) and he asked me to put aside those feelings.
So I can accept what Doggone/GA was expressing. I may not fully understand it, I may not be able to do it myself, but I can accept the sincerity of the expression.
That’s all I wanted to say and I’d like to be done with thinking about that. It was a tough night. There are 40 families out there who need support, now.
Common Sense #23
November 6th, 2009
9:12 am
“What is interesting, and more than a little distressing, is that the number of people wearing the uniform is only a bit more than 1.5 million on active duty, and that this represents only about one-half of one percent of Americans. A society coheres only when it shares beliefs and experiences, and humans rarely value things that are acquired at no cost. With a minuscule percentage of people making a contribution to our defense, we will not be successful in protecting a country of more than three hundred million people, worldwide obligations, and threat from a variety of malefactors who want to see us destroyed.”
Colonel Jack Jacobs (retired, Medal of Honor – Vietnam)
jt
November 6th, 2009
9:14 am
“Go for it.”
He won’t do it. I’ve asked. Him and Reid and Grayson. They won’t do it. Obama is too girlish for enjoyment.
Paul
November 6th, 2009
9:17 am
sfd 8:50
I’ve a lifelong friend who’s a schoolteacher. One of the parents of one of her students was arrested for a pretty horrific offense. Military took jurisdiction. I asked her what she thought about that. She said after watching it play out the thought amongst the school employees was, it’s better from the defendant’s standpoint to be tried in military court (lots of protections, thoughtful people in the process) but when it comes to being sentenced, it’s better to be in civilian court (her words were, ‘man, once they found him guilty, they hammered him!’). It was a child abuse case.
Doggone/GA
November 6th, 2009
9:17 am
“Obama is too girlish for enjoyment”
You might want to rethink that insult…since it appears it was a FEMALE police officer who took out the Ft Hood shooter.
jconservative
November 6th, 2009
9:18 am
Nice piece of writing Jay.
“War just doesn’t kill soldiers, it kills families…”
Amen Normal – well said.
Nothing Is Free
November 6th, 2009
9:19 am
Marsh
**Officials are not ruling out the possibility that some of the casualties may have been victims of “friendly fire,**
Only the policewoman had a gun. That was why he was able to shot so many people.
They haven’t released the actual injuries that this monster caused. Some people might have been hurt trying to get out from in front of his guns.
Marsh
November 6th, 2009
9:19 am
I’m sure if Hasan were Christian, lots of folks would be telling everyone to not jump to conclusions about his faith. They wouldn’t be slamming Christianity, they’d be telling everyone to be cautious, not to condemn an entire religion.
Joan
November 6th, 2009
9:20 am
This wimp of a President needs to dump or get off the pot about the mideast. Either go in with all guns blazing, decimate the population (cause that is the only way you will end inter-tribal wars) or just get out guys out of there now. We can sure use them on the borders, and in the inner cities. And this is what we get for being so naive as to allow Muslims in the military when we are fighting their ideologues. How stupid of us as a nation to be so incredibly simple minded in the name of political correctness.
Marsh
November 6th, 2009
9:22 am
NIF,
So sorry, I’d forgotten that you were a bystander.