 "Photo: CBS News")
Two weeks ago, Americans all over the world were shocked to learn of the worst tragedy on a military base to date. On Nov. 5, Army psychiatrist Maj. Nidal Mikal Hasan opened fire at a soldier readiness center on Fort Hood in Texas, killing 13 people and wounding 38 others. The wake of this tragedy has elicited a volume of controversy and emotion in the media, from mourning family members’ stories to angry accusations of terrorist activity. A number of conservative news sources criticized the mainstream media’s “PC” treatment of the tragedy, which downplayed Hasan’s Middle Eastern heritage, Muslim beliefs and known personal problems, blaming Army mental health services or racism instead.
Hasan’s motive is still not fully understood, so speculation runs wild. At this point, some conservative criticisms hold more water than their more sympathetic counterparts. Six months ago, investigators found blog posts indicating praise for suicide bombers and believed they were written by Hasan, but could not proceed because a concrete tie was not established. Hasan was also known to have worshipped for 10 years at a mosque run by radical Al-Qaeda-linked imam Anwar al Awlaki while living in Virginia. Though Hasan’s links to terrorist activity are tenuous, they are nonetheless disturbing and may serve as partial explanations for his actions, if proven.
What about the media’s claims of racist treatment or mental health problems? Hasan’s co-workers acknowledged that he dreaded and attempted to prevent his upcoming deployment to Iraq, and he also claimed racist treatment from fellow soldiers because of his traditional dress, Muslim faith and foreign name.
However, several of these points don’t add up when it comes to motivation for Hasan’s murders. First, as JAG lawyer Thomas Kenniff acknowledged in the Washington Post, “This is a person who outranked 95% of the military, and occupied a position of prestige both in the military and as a civilian. Doctors are treated like gold in the Army.” Kenniff also rejects the argument that Hasan snapped because he was mistreated for his race: “The Army is very vigilant when it comes to any sort of harassment, if for no other reason than they don’t want the kind of media fallout that resulted from past incidents. I won’t say it doesn’t go on, but I find it very hard to believe this Major and medial doctor was harassed to the degree that it would lead him to this point.”
Kenniff’s arguments are difficult to refute. Undoubtedly, racism still exists in the military, but Hasan was far less likely to face prejudice than an enlisted soldier. Furthermore, the Army is an extremely diverse group, which is grimly proven by the fact that Hasan’s victims were of a number of races and backgrounds. Even if Hasan were harassed, he had his chance to get out of the Army; having joined ROTC right out of high school, the now-38-year-old soldier had to re-up in order to stay in the military. Doing so also meant that he understood he would be deployed if necessary.
Popular talk about Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) doesn’t hold up either. Hasan had never been deployed abroad before, and while he did have to hear about accounts of war as a psychiatrist, it is far-fetched to assume that Hasan himself suffered from PTSD as a result. Numerous psychiatrists hear harrowing details on a daily basis, but none of them have killed or wounded over 50 fellow servicemembers.
The Fort Hood tragedy is a disturbing reminder of problems within our military, but not for the reasons of racism and PTSD so easily trotted out by mainstream sources. It is shocking to think that Hasan was able to gain access to two guns on base. This incident also reveals the Army’s ongoing shortage of psychiatrists, so dire that it would send a soldier like Hasan into a high-stress combat environment, even against his colleagues’ concerns. If there is anything to be learned from this horrendous incident, it is the need for vigilance even among the military family.
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