Officers May Be Punished for Ft. Hood Tragedy

Review finds Hasan's shortcomings ignored

By Rob Quinn, Newser Staff

Posted Jan 15, 2010 1:45 AM CST | Updated Jan 15, 2010 5:29 AM CST

(Newser) – Up to eight army officers may be disciplined for errors of judgment ahead of the deadly Fort Hood shooting rampage, according to an official familiar with a Pentagon review of the incident. The review found that officers allowed accused shooter Nidal Malik Hasan's career to advance despite his erratic behavior and failure to meet required standards for physical fitness, appearance and work ethic, the official tells the Los Angeles Times.

The review found that Hasan could have been forced out of the military well before the shootings if his shortcomings had been properly addressed, the official says. The investigation, which calls for a revamp of how the military identifies threats from within, found that officers let Hasan's failings slip because they were impressed by his undergraduate record, infantry service, and knowledge of the Muslim faith. "The Army thought it had hit the trifecta," the offical noted.

[Images (1)]

[Quotes (1)]

The 2007 picture provided by the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences shows Nidal Malik Hasan when he entered the program for his Disaster and Military Psychiatry Fellowship. (AP Photo/Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, File)

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COMMENTS

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Showing 3 of 7 comments

Shannonals

Jan 17, 2010 1:02 AM CST

Yet another idiotic comment by WhatTha. Technically, if your actually looking for blame, you need to point the fingers at the military. If that's not enough for you, and you truly need a bigger head on a pole, this man's career started to thrive during the Bush years, so once again, your comments are meaningless WhatTha.

Shannonals

Jan 16, 2010 5:02 AM CST

hankhill your comment is idiotic.

Shannonals

Jan 15, 2010 11:14 AM CST

Doesn't work that way riffran. Military trails aren't cut and dry like civilians seems to think, especially when fingers are now being pointed toward field grade officers.

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Crime & Courts • US

US military • Department of Defense • US Army • Fort Hood • Fort Hood shooting • Nidal Malik Hasan

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Officers May Be Punished for Ft. Hood Tragedy