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At Fort Hood, Only Numbness

No big displays for 13 dead in place that has seen 8 years of death

By Jane Yager,  Newser Staff

Posted Nov 9, 2009 9:51 AM CST
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(Newser) – Death is no stranger at Fort Hood, where eight years of war have spawned a numbness that persists even after last week's shootings. No large-scale memorials have been made in honor of the 13 dead; the only signs of the tragedy are lowered flags and a small bouquet and balloon near the crime scene, reports the Washington Post. But the enduring pain is apparent.

New names are chiseled each month into memorials honoring the Fort Hood troops killed in Afghanistan and Iraq—500 in the past five years; a medical building has become a spiritual fitness center; the post now holds counseling, meditation, and yoga sessions. "How many tragedies can you endure without it leaving some residue on your soul?" asked a former Fort Hood chaplain. "We're suffering from a kind of emotional, spiritual and physical fatigue." And there is no rest for the weary; Fort Hood was largely back to business today, training troops who will be deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan.

Army Pfc. Joseph Foster, who was wounded during the Fort Hood shooting, along with his wife Mandi and 6-month-old daughter Keilee, speaks to the media Nov. 8, 2009 in Fort Hood, Texas.
Army Pfc. Joseph Foster, who was wounded during the Fort Hood shooting, along with his wife Mandi and 6-month-old daughter Keilee, speaks to the media Nov. 8, 2009 in Fort Hood, Texas.   (AP Photo/Larry W Smith, Pool)
Lt. Col. Pete Andrysiak talks about soldiers under his command that were killed or wounded in the rampage at Fort Hood. Andrysiak had 4 soldiers killed and 11 wounded in his battalion.
Lt. Col. Pete Andrysiak talks about soldiers under his command that were killed or wounded in the rampage at Fort Hood. Andrysiak had 4 soldiers killed and 11 wounded in his battalion.   (AP Photo/LM Otero)
Kanesha Howard on Nov. 8, 2009, talks about the shootings at Fort Hood. Her husband Sgt. Alvin Howard was among those shot and injured. One of their two daughters, Kristen, 7, is with her mother.
Kanesha Howard on Nov. 8, 2009, talks about the shootings at Fort Hood. Her husband Sgt. Alvin Howard was among those shot and injured. One of their two daughters, Kristen, 7, is with her mother.   (AP Photo/Jay Janner, Pool)
Flowers are left outside the entrance of Fort Hood in Killeen, Texas.
Flowers are left outside the entrance of Fort Hood in Killeen, Texas.   (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)
Soldiers stand in front of the Spiritual Fitness Center, a site for grief counseling, at Fort Hood in Killeen, Texas.
Soldiers stand in front of the Spiritual Fitness Center, a site for grief counseling, at Fort Hood in Killeen, Texas.   (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)
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US military • post-traumatic stress disorder • Fort Hood • Fort Hood shooting

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