Tragedy At Fort Hood

I guess everyone's heard about the tragedy at Fort Hood by now. A soldier went off-track and started shooting at the base processing center (where soldiers going to or coming back from a war zone are processed). There are at least 12 dead and 30 wounded. It will be a long time before the folks at Fort Hood can put this tragedy behind them.

It is terrible enough that our soldiers are getting killed in two ridiculous overseas wars, but to have them gunned down on American soil is unbearable. President Obama agrees saying, "These are men and women who have made the selfless and courageous decision to risk, and at times give, their lives to protect the rest of us on a daily basis. It's difficult enough when we lose these brave Americans in battles overseas. It is horrifying that they should come under fire at an Army base on American soil."

There are a couple of unusual aspects to this incident. First, the gunman was an Army Major. Usually, when something like this happens, it is done by a soldier with little rank and no power.

Second, the Major was a mental health professional. It is very odd that he would be the shooter, rather than a patient of his with something like PTSD. Why did he do it? No one knows yet (and we may never know).

-Was he striking a blow for muslim fundamentalists? We know he was a U.S. citizen of Jordanian descent.

-Was this a delayed reaction to a poor rating he received before being transferred to Fort Hood last summer?

-Was this a reaction to his upcoming deployment to either Iraq or Afghanistan?

-Had he just heard too many horror stories from soldiers returning from a war zone, and just snapped?

-Was it a result of personal problems that we don't yet know of?

It could be any or all of the above. I have to wonder though, would this have happened if we weren't involved in two unnecessary quagmires in Iraq and Afghanistan -- wars that have accomplished little except to kill thousands of soldiers and mentally and physically wounded many, many others? Maybe not.

NOTE: Think Progress is now reporting that the shooter is not dead. Although shot several times, Major Nidal Malik Hasan is in stable condition and is not in imminent danger of death. Maybe we will find out what motivated him after all!