As law enforcement and military officials continue their investigation into the shootings at Fort Hood in Texas, a longtime member of the U.S. military and an Iraq War combat veteran said such incidents impact anyone who has worn a uniform.
Retired U.S. Army Col. Gregory A. Ritch of Connellsville said that he was saddened to learn of Thursday's massacre at the military installation that left 13 dead and 30 wounded.
"We are a band of brothers," he said. "It makes no difference if we personally know them or not; we still grieve for their loss."
U.S. Army Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan is accused of entering a Readiness Center on the post about 1:30 p.m. and opening fire, according to reports. The motive for the shooting has yet to be revealed. Some accounts report that Hasan was scheduled for deployment to Afghanistan and had expressed some anger about taking part in the war.
Hasan, 39, remains hospitalized after being shot four times by a civilian officer, Fort Hood police Sgt. Kimberly Munley .
Ritch, who served more than three decades in the military, said that soldiers are aware that joining the armed services includes the likelihood of going to war.
"Every soldier that serves has the potential of being deployed," he said. "That's why we train; we train to go to war."
Hasan, according to base commander Lt. Gen. Robert Cone, was a psychiatrist that was working with soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.
Despite his medical position, Hasan would participate in combat training in preparation for deployment, said Ritch.
"When the unit deploys to theater, whether you are a rifleman, truck driver, doctor or attorney, you will go through the training," he said. "You are a soldier first."
Ritch said stress is a part of the process that a soldier, his family, and community experiences as a unit readies for departure.
Hasan, he added, was additionally challenged because of his Muslim religion.
"For Hasan, because it was to be the first time, it would be a challenge," said Ritch. "Because of his Muslim faith, he was additionally challenged; for him to go to war meant that he would be fighting against his faith."
Meanwhile, U.S. Army veteran Tony Canzonieri took part in a Vets4Vets workshop this weekend geared to help war veterans return to civilian life, while helping his brother who was in the same building when the shootings took place, deal with his pain.
Canzonieri, 23, of West Newton, like his brother, served with the Army's 1st Cavalry Division, headquartered at Fort Hood. A non-combat accident resulted in his early departure from the military.
Two of the soldiers killed Thursday were his brother's personal friends, said Canzonieri, adding that his sibling was on another floor during the shooting spree.
"He heard the shooting and got out of the building as quickly as he could," he said. "He's fine, but naturally shaken by what happened."
Canzonieri said that he has spoken to his brother several times, as he knows from his own experience he needs to work through the horrific events.
"Every time he has a break, he's called and we talk," said Canzonieri.
The Vets4Vets workshop, held at the Jumonville Training Center in North Union Township, was to help those returning soldiers resume normal lives, so that stress does not translate into something like what took place at Fort Hood, said Canzonieri.
"For me, (while in Iraq), I was always in a hyper-vigilant state of mine, sometimes 14 to 16 hours a day, seven days a week," he said. "That doesn't shut off when you return home.
"You drive too fast; stay off the sides of the road because that's where (the enemy) put the bombs and you no longer go to the places you hung out because there are too many people there," he said.
The problems arise when the soldier fails to get help or talk about their feelings.
"Whenever there is something wrong with us emotionally, we push it to the side," said Canzonieri. "We're soldiers; we're tough and we're suppose to shrug it off."
The workshop, he said, was to allow those suffering with anger, sleeplessness and stress to talk to other soldiers that have had similar experiences.
Because he was most concerned with his brother's well-being, Canzonieri said that he has not followed news accounts about Hasan. However, he added that stress does exist for soldiers preparing for deployment.
"It is a terrifying feeling going into an unknown situation where you might not come back," he said.
November 06, 2009