The Nov. 5 shooting deaths at Fort Hood, Texas, of 13 men and women, and the injuries sustained by 30 others, have cast a long shadow on the observance of Veterans Day this week.
Rather than remembering the sacrifices of the countless servicemembers, including the victims at Fort Hood, that have served their nation with honor and distinction, news coverage has been dominated by the actions and motivations of one dishonorable man.
There has been much speculation about what drove alleged gunman and Army psychiatrist Maj. Nadal Malik Hasan to open fire on members of his community. Army and federal investigators are in the middle of their investigations, and there undoubtedly will be more revelations about the reasons for his murderous rampage.
However, as curious as I am to know the whole story, I refuse to allow Hasan to dominate my thoughts any longer this week.
I will not let his name be foremost on my mind during this time that is meant for those who have served their nation to the best of their abilities. Instead, I want to put the focus where it belongs: first and foremost, on the victims and their Families, all of whom are dealing with incalculable loss and pain.
These men and women are heroes and should always be remembered as such. They were mothers and fathers, sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, and friends and coworkers. The impact of their loss will be felt deeply throughout Fort Hood and the Army.
Secondly, the men and women of Fort Hood who performed at the highest levels of bravery and compassion in the middle of horrific violence deserve to be recognized. On multiple occasions, they acted in the face of danger to save lives. Their quick reaction and professionalism made a difference in the hours after the shooting. Several servicemembers and Civilian employees emerged as heroes. Such heroes include:
Aca,!AcSgt. Kimberly Munley, a Civilian police officer with Fort Hood's Department of Emergency Services (DES), who exchanged fire with Hasan, stopping his assault and saving lives.
Aca,!AcSenior Sgt. Mark Todd, a Civilian police officer with Fort Hood's DES K-9 Division, who also exchanged fire with Hasan and helped to treat injured victims after Hasan was felled.
Aca,!AcSpc. Francisco De La Serna, an Army medic who treated Munley for the gunshot wounds she received in her exchange with Hasan.
Aca,!AcPfc. Amber Bahr, an Army nutritionist who put a tourniquet on a wounded Soldier and carried him to receive medical care even though she, herself, had been shot. These names, along with the many others who acted bravely, are the ones worth mentioning.
They are the ones that deserve the airtime, the radio waves and the printed pages. They are the ones that have earned the right to be remembered. During a radio address to the nation Saturday, President Barack Obama praised all those who acted courageously on that fateful day.
"We saw Soldiers and Civilians alike rushing to aid fallen comrades, tearing off bullet-riddled clothes to treat the injured, using blouses as tourniquets, taking down the shooter even as they bore wounds themselves," Obama said. "We saw Soldiers bringing to bear on our own soil the skills they had been trained to use abroad - skills that been honed through years of determined effort for one purpose and one purpose only: to protect and defend the United States of America."
The president was not alone in putting the eyes of the country on those who deserve it most.
"The stories of courage and heroism I heard today make me proud to be a leader of this great Army," said the Chief of Staff of the Army, Gen. George W. Casey Jr., during a press conference Nov. 6 on Fort Hood's Sadowski Field. "I am very proud, not only of the men and women here at Fort Hood, but of our whole Army. We take care of our own, we will grieve as a Family, and we will maintain our focus on our missions around the world."
The tragic events of Nov. 5 have rightfully cast a somber shadow throughout the nation. However, we shouldn't forget that even in the darkest moments, light can shine through. In this instance, light came in the form of the Soldiers and Civilians who lived the Army value of personal courage and faced danger with both physical and moral courage.
The shooting at Fort Hood has shown the best, and the worst, of the Army. And while it would be disingenuous to ignore the violence and aggression that caused this tragedy, it would be a far greater crime to allow it to suppress the courage and compassion that followed.
This Veterans Day week, perhaps more than any other in recent memory, we need to focus on the best of what the Army is. We need to focus on the victims, their Families and all those who did the right thing. They represent what the Army aspires to be. Give them the spotlight.
They've earned it.
Social Sharing