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<DIV>Major Nidal Malik Hasan was born in Virginia to parents who immigrated to
the US from Jordan. He joined the army immediately after high school, and
in exchange the army paid for him to go to college and medical school.
According to Hasan's aunt, he had sought for several years to receive a
discharge, due to harassment relating to his religion, Islam. Hasan's
cousin, Nader Hasan, a lawyer in Virginia, said that Nidal Hasan turned against
the wars after hearing the stories of those who came back from Afghanistan and
Iraq. The cousin added that Hasan had been harassed by his Army colleagues
because of his Middle Eastern ethnicity.<BR><BR><A
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Hood_shooting">http://en.wikipedia<WBR>.org/wiki/<WBR>Fort_Hood_<WBR>shooting</A></DIV>
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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>
<H1 class=firstHeading id=firstHeading>Fort Hood shooting</H1>
<DIV id=bodyContent>
<H3 id=siteSub>From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia</H3>
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<TD class=mbox-text><B>This article documents a <A
title="Portal:Current events"
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Current_events">current
event</A>.</B> Information may change rapidly as the event
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<P>The <B>Fort Hood shooting</B> was an <A title="Active shooter"
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Active_shooter">active shooting</A> which
occurred within a brief span of time on Thursday, November 5, 2009, at <A
title="Fort Hood" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Hood">Fort Hood</A>,
an army post in Texas, and which resulted in 43 victims. At approximately 1:30
p.m. (<A title="Central Time Zone (Americas)"
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Time_Zone_(Americas)">local
time</A>), Major Nidal Malik Hasan, an Army psychiatrist stationed at the <A
title="Killeen, Texas"
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killeen,_Texas">Killeen</A> <A
title="United States Army"
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Army">U.S. Army</A> base,
allegedly entered the Soldier Readiness Center and opened fire, initially
killing 11 people and wounding 30 others (two of whom later died in the
hospital) before he was shot and seriously injured by local police. Two others
were detained but later released without charge.<SUP class=reference
id=cite_ref-CNN_0-2><A
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Hood_shooting#cite_note-CNN-0"><SPAN>[</SPAN>1<SPAN>]</SPAN></A></SUP></P>
<TABLE class=toc id=toc>
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<H2> </H2></DIV></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<H2><SPAN class=mw-headline id=Shootings>Shootings</SPAN></H2>
<DIV class="thumb tright">According to news reports, Major Hasan entered the
Soldier Readiness Center -- a complex used to process soldiers before and after
deployment -- at approximately 1:30 p.m. (CST) and opened fire with two <A
title=Handgun href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handgun">handguns</A> on a
crowd gathered 30 minutes before a scheduled college graduation ceremony for
soldiers and family members.<SUP class=reference id=cite_ref-MT_1-0><A
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Hood_shooting#cite_note-MT-1"><SPAN>[</SPAN>2<SPAN>]</SPAN></A></SUP>
Thirteen people (eleven soldiers and two civilians) were killed;<SUP
class=reference id=cite_ref-Reuters_2-0><A
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Hood_shooting#cite_note-Reuters-2"><SPAN>[</SPAN>3<SPAN>]</SPAN></A></SUP>
eleven people died at the scene and the twelfth<SUP class=reference
id=cite_ref-MSNBC2_3-0><A
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Hood_shooting#cite_note-MSNBC2-3"><SPAN>[</SPAN>4<SPAN>]</SPAN></A></SUP>
and thirteenth<SUP class=reference id=cite_ref-Horrific_4-0><A
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Hood_shooting#cite_note-Horrific-4"><SPAN>[</SPAN>5<SPAN>]</SPAN></A></SUP>
later in the hospital. Thirty-one others were wounded before Hasan was shot at
least four times by police officers. Contrary to initial reports he was not
killed in the incident, and was hospitalized in stable condition.<SUP
class=reference id=cite_ref-CNN_0-3><A
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Hood_shooting#cite_note-CNN-0"><SPAN>[</SPAN>1<SPAN>]</SPAN></A></SUP></DIV>
<P>Initially, three soldiers were believed to have been involved in the
shooting; two soldiers were initially detained but subsequently released. The <A
title="Fort Hood" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Hood">Fort Hood</A>
website posted a notice that indicated that the shooting was not a drill.
Immediately after the shooting, the base and surrounding areas, including a
number of local schools, were locked down with military police and <A title=SWAT
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SWAT">SWAT</A> teams. The lockdown lasted
about five hours and by 7 p.m. local time was lifted.<SUP class=reference
id=cite_ref-lockdown_5-0><A
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Hood_shooting#cite_note-lockdown-5"><SPAN>[</SPAN>6<SPAN>]</SPAN></A></SUP>
In addition, <A class=mw-redirect title=FBI
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FBI">FBI</A> agents were called in from <A
title="Austin, Texas"
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austin,_Texas">Austin</A> and <A
title="Waco, Texas"
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waco,_Texas">Waco</A>,<SUP class=reference
id=cite_ref-BBC_6-0><A
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Hood_shooting#cite_note-BBC-6"><SPAN>[</SPAN>7<SPAN>]</SPAN></A></SUP>
and <A title="Texas Ranger Division"
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_Ranger_Division">Texas Rangers</A> were
dispatched.<SUP class=reference id=cite_ref-Rangers_7-0><A
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Hood_shooting#cite_note-Rangers-7"><SPAN>[</SPAN>8<SPAN>]</SPAN></A></SUP>
United States President <A title="Barack Obama"
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barack_Obama">Barack Obama</A> was briefed on
the incident, <A title="White House Press Secretary"
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_House_Press_Secretary">White House
press secretary</A> <A title="Robert Gibbs"
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Gibbs">Robert Gibbs</A> told
reporters. President Obama later held a press conference about the shooting.<SUP
class=reference id=cite_ref-CNN_0-4><A
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Hood_shooting#cite_note-CNN-0"><SPAN>[</SPAN>1<SPAN>]</SPAN></A></SUP></P>
<H2><SPAN class=mw-headline id=Suspect>Suspect</SPAN></H2>
<DIV class="thumb tright">
<DIV class=thumbinner style="WIDTH: 142px"><A class=image
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Major_Nidal_Hassan.jpg"><IMG
class=thumbimage height=175 alt=""
src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/56/Major_Nidal_Hassan.jpg/140px-Major_Nidal_Hassan.jpg"
width=140></A>
<DIV class=thumbcaption>
<DIV class=magnify><A class=internal title=Enlarge
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Major_Nidal_Hassan.jpg"><IMG height=11
alt="" src="http://en.wikipedia.org/skins-1.5/common/images/magnify-clip.png"
width=15></A></DIV>Hasan in 2007</DIV></DIV></DIV>
<P>Major Nidal Malik Hasan, age 39, was a U.S. Army <A title=Psychiatrist
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychiatrist">psychiatrist</A> at the time of
the shooting. In July 2009 he had been transferred to Fort Hood from
Washington's <A class=mw-redirect title="Walter Reed Medical Center"
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Reed_Medical_Center">Walter Reed
Medical Center</A>.<SUP class=reference id=cite_ref-CNN_0-5><A
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Hood_shooting#cite_note-CNN-0"><SPAN>[</SPAN>1<SPAN>]</SPAN></A></SUP></P>
<H3><SPAN class=mw-headline id=Early_life_and_education>Early life and
education</SPAN></H3>
<P>Hasan's parents immigrated to the US from <A title=Jordan
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jordan">Jordan</A>.<SUP class=reference
id=cite_ref-NYTimesWeb_8-0><A
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Hood_shooting#cite_note-NYTimesWeb-8"><SPAN>[</SPAN>9<SPAN>]</SPAN></A></SUP>
He was born in <A title=Virginia
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia">Virginia</A>, where he grew up. He
joined the army immediately after high school, and in exchange the army paid for
him to go to college and subsequently to medical school.<SUP class=reference
id=cite_ref-NYT-2_9-0><A
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Hood_shooting#cite_note-NYT-2-9"><SPAN>[</SPAN>10<SPAN>]</SPAN></A></SUP>
Hasan graduated in 1997 from <A class=mw-redirect title="Virginia Tech"
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia_Tech">Virginia Tech</A>, where he
was a member of <A title="Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps"
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Army_Reserve_Officers%27_Training_Corps">ROTC</A>,<SUP
class=reference id=cite_ref-War_Objection_10-0><A
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Hood_shooting#cite_note-War_Objection-10"><SPAN>[</SPAN>11<SPAN>]</SPAN></A></SUP>
with a bachelor's degree in biochemistry and in 2003 from the <A
title="Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences"
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uniformed_Services_University_of_the_Health_Sciences">Uniformed
Services University of the Health Sciences</A> with a medical degree (M.D.), and
later finished his <A title="Residency (medicine)"
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Residency_(medicine)">residency</A> as a
psychiatrist.<SUP class=reference id=cite_ref-Virginia-license_11-0><A
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Hood_shooting#cite_note-Virginia-license-11"><SPAN>[</SPAN>12<SPAN>]</SPAN></A></SUP><SUP
class=reference id=cite_ref-NYTimesWeb_8-1><A
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Hood_shooting#cite_note-NYTimesWeb-8"><SPAN>[</SPAN>9<SPAN>]</SPAN></A></SUP>
In 2009, he completed a fellowship in Disaster and Preventive Psychiatry at the
Center for Traumatic Stress.<SUP class=reference id=cite_ref-ABC_12-0><A
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Hood_shooting#cite_note-ABC-12"><SPAN>[</SPAN>13<SPAN>]</SPAN></A></SUP></P>
<H3><SPAN class=mw-headline id=Recent_context_and_possible_harassment>Recent
context and possible harassment</SPAN></H3>
<P>Hasan was promoted from <A title="Captain (United States)"
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captain_(United_States)">Captain</A> to <A
title="Major (United States)"
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Major_(United_States)">Major</A> in May
2009.<SUP class=reference id=cite_ref-ABC_12-1><A
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Hood_shooting#cite_note-ABC-12"><SPAN>[</SPAN>13<SPAN>]</SPAN></A></SUP><SUP
class=reference id=cite_ref-Army_times_13-0><A
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Hood_shooting#cite_note-Army_times-13"><SPAN>[</SPAN>14<SPAN>]</SPAN></A></SUP>
Before being transferred to Fort Hood in July 2009, Hasan had received a poor
performance evaluation.<SUP class=reference id=cite_ref-AP_Update_14-0><A
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Hood_shooting#cite_note-AP_Update-14"><SPAN>[</SPAN>15<SPAN>]</SPAN></A></SUP></P>
<P>According to Hasan's aunt, Noel Hasan of <A class=mw-redirect
title="Falls Church, Virginia"
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falls_Church,_Virginia">Falls Church,
Virginia</A>, he had sought for several years to receive a discharge, due to
harassment relating to his religion, <A title=Islam
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam">Islam</A>. An Army spokesman could not
confirm the aunt's statement.<SUP class=reference id=cite_ref-Wash_Post_15-0><A
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Hood_shooting#cite_note-Wash_Post-15"><SPAN>[</SPAN>16<SPAN>]</SPAN></A></SUP></P>
<P>Hasan had come to the attention of federal authorities at least six months
before the attacks because of internet postings he may have made discussing
suicide bombings<SUP class=reference id=cite_ref-Scribd_16-0><A
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Hood_shooting#cite_note-Scribd-16"><SPAN>[</SPAN>17<SPAN>]</SPAN></A></SUP>
and other threats. However, it remains unclear that he was the author of the
posts, and no official investigation was opened.<SUP class=reference
id=cite_ref-AP_Update_14-1><A
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Hood_shooting#cite_note-AP_Update-14"><SPAN>[</SPAN>15<SPAN>]</SPAN></A></SUP></P>
<P>According to retired Colonel Terry Lee, "He said maybe Muslims should stand
up and fight against the aggressor. At first we thought he meant help the armed
forces, but apparently that wasn't the case. Other times he would make comments
we shouldn't be in the war in the first place."<SUP class=reference
id=cite_ref-War_Objection_10-1><A
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Hood_shooting#cite_note-War_Objection-10"><SPAN>[</SPAN>11<SPAN>]</SPAN></A></SUP></P>
<P>Hasan was about to be deployed, whether to <A title=Iraq
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iraq">Iraq</A> or <A title=Afghanistan
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afghanistan">Afghanistan</A> is unclear,<SUP
class=reference id=cite_ref-MT1_17-0><A
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Hood_shooting#cite_note-MT1-17"><SPAN>[</SPAN>18<SPAN>]</SPAN></A></SUP>
on November 28. According to Jeff Sadoski, spokesperson of <A class=mw-redirect
title="U.S. Senator" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Senator">U.S.
Senator</A> <A title="Kay Bailey Hutchison"
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kay_Bailey_Hutchison">Kay Bailey
Hutchison</A>, "Hasan was upset about his deployment".<SUP class=reference
id=cite_ref-NYTimesWeb_8-2><A
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Hood_shooting#cite_note-NYTimesWeb-8"><SPAN>[</SPAN>9<SPAN>]</SPAN></A></SUP>
Hasan's cousin, Nader Hasan, a lawyer in Virginia, said that Nidal Hasan turned
against the wars after hearing the stories of those who came back from
Afghanistan and Iraq.<SUP class=reference id=cite_ref-cousin_18-0><A
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Hood_shooting#cite_note-cousin-18"><SPAN>[</SPAN>19<SPAN>]</SPAN></A></SUP>
Noel Hamad said, however, that the family did not know he was being sent to
Iraq. "He didn't tell us he was going to deploy," she said.<SUP class=reference
id=cite_ref-USA_Today_19-0><A
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Hood_shooting#cite_note-USA_Today-19"><SPAN>[</SPAN>20<SPAN>]</SPAN></A></SUP></P>
<P>According to his cousin, Nidal Hasan was a practicing <A title=Muslim
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muslim">Muslim</A> who had become more devout
after the deaths of his parents in 1998 and 2001.<SUP class=reference
id=cite_ref-NYT-2_9-1><A
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Hood_shooting#cite_note-NYT-2-9"><SPAN>[</SPAN>10<SPAN>]</SPAN></A></SUP>
However, his cousin does not recall him ever expressing any radical or
anti-American views.<SUP class=reference id=cite_ref-NYT-2_9-2><A
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Hood_shooting#cite_note-NYT-2-9"><SPAN>[</SPAN>10<SPAN>]</SPAN></A></SUP>
The cousin added that Hasan had been harassed by his Army colleagues because of
his Middle Eastern ethnicity. Said the cousin, "He was dealing with some
harassment from his military colleagues. I don’t think he’s ever been
disenchanted with the military. It was the harassment. He hired a military
attorney to try to have the issue resolved, pay back the government, to get out
of the military. He was at the end of trying everything."<SUP class=reference
id=cite_ref-MT2_20-0><A
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Hood_shooting#cite_note-MT2-20"><SPAN>[</SPAN>21<SPAN>]</SPAN></A></SUP></P>
<P>Hasan is single with no children.<SUP class=reference
id=cite_ref-Stars_and_Stripes_21-0><A
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Hood_shooting#cite_note-Stars_and_Stripes-21"><SPAN>[</SPAN>22<SPAN>]</SPAN></A></SUP></P>
<H2><SPAN class=mw-headline id=Victims>Victims</SPAN></H2>
<P>Ten of the wounded survivors of the shooting were treated at <A
title="Scott & White Memorial Hospital"
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_%26_White_Memorial_Hospital">Scott
& White Memorial Hospital</A>, a <A title="Trauma center"
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trauma_center#Level_II">Level 2</A> <A
title="Trauma center" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trauma_center">trauma
center</A> in <A title="Temple, Texas"
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temple,_Texas">Temple</A>, <A title=Texas
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas">Texas</A>.<SUP class=reference
id=cite_ref-Temple_22-0><A
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Hood_shooting#cite_note-Temple-22"><SPAN>[</SPAN>23<SPAN>]</SPAN></A></SUP>
All of them had gunshot wounds.<SUP class=reference id=cite_ref-Temple_22-1><A
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Hood_shooting#cite_note-Temple-22"><SPAN>[</SPAN>23<SPAN>]</SPAN></A></SUP>
Seven more were taken to Metroplex Adventist Hospital in Killeen.<SUP
class=reference id=cite_ref-Temple_22-2><A
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Hood_shooting#cite_note-Temple-22"><SPAN>[</SPAN>23<SPAN>]</SPAN></A></SUP>
Another wounded victim, a civilian police officer working on the base, who is
credited with shooting the suspect, was originally reported to have been
killed.<SUP class=reference id=cite_ref-BBC_6-1><A
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Hood_shooting#cite_note-BBC-6"><SPAN>[</SPAN>7<SPAN>]</SPAN></A></SUP>
Ten of the dead were soldiers, the other two civilians.</P>
<H2><SPAN class=mw-headline id=Response>Response</SPAN></H2>
<P><A title="Lieutenant general (United States)"
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lieutenant_general_(United_States)">Lieutenant
General</A> <A title="Robert W. Cone"
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_W._Cone">Robert W. Cone</A>,
commanding officer of Fort Hood, called the attack "a terrible tragedy,
stunning", saying the base community was "absolutely devastated."<SUP
class=reference id=cite_ref-Huffington_23-0><A
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Hood_shooting#cite_note-Huffington-23"><SPAN>[</SPAN>24<SPAN>]</SPAN></A></SUP>
Meanwhile, a spokesman for the <A title="United States Department of Defense"
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Department_of_Defense">Defense
Department</A> called the shooting an "isolated and tragic case."<SUP
class=reference id=cite_ref-MSNBC1_24-0><A
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Hood_shooting#cite_note-MSNBC1-24"><SPAN>[</SPAN>25<SPAN>]</SPAN></A></SUP>
and Defense Secretary <A title="Robert Gates"
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Gates">Robert Gates</A> said, "I can
pledge that the Department of Defense will do everything in its power to help
the Fort Hood community get through these difficult times."<SUP class=reference
id=cite_ref-USA_Today_1_25-0><A
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Hood_shooting#cite_note-USA_Today_1-25"><SPAN>[</SPAN>26<SPAN>]</SPAN></A></SUP>
The chair of the <A class=mw-redirect title="Senate Armed Services Committee"
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senate_Armed_Services_Committee">Senate Armed
Services Committee</A> <A title="Carl Levin"
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Levin">Carl Levin</A> said "Our hearts
go out to the families of the brave Americans who lost their lives in today's
senseless violence at Fort Hood, Texas, and to those who were injured"<SUP
class=reference id=cite_ref-USA_Today_1_25-1><A
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Hood_shooting#cite_note-USA_Today_1-25"><SPAN>[</SPAN>26<SPAN>]</SPAN></A></SUP>
and the shooting was condemned by the <A
title="Council on American-Islamic Relations"
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Council_on_American-Islamic_Relations">Council
on American-Islamic Relations</A>.<SUP class=reference id=cite_ref-MT3_26-0><A
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Hood_shooting#cite_note-MT3-26"><SPAN>[</SPAN>27<SPAN>]</SPAN></A></SUP></P>
<P>Other military bases increased security in the hours after the shooting.<SUP
class=reference id=cite_ref-Other_Base1_27-0><A
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Hood_shooting#cite_note-Other_Base1-27"><SPAN>[</SPAN>28<SPAN>]</SPAN></A></SUP><SUP
class=reference id=cite_ref-Other_Base2_28-0><A
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Hood_shooting#cite_note-Other_Base2-28"><SPAN>[</SPAN>29<SPAN>]</SPAN></A></SUP><SUP
class=reference id=cite_ref-Other_Base3_29-0><A
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Hood_shooting#cite_note-Other_Base3-29"><SPAN>[</SPAN>30<SPAN>]</SPAN></A></SUP></P>
<P>Within minutes of the incident becoming public, <A
title="President of the United States"
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/President_of_the_United_States">President</A>
<A title="Barack Obama" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barack_Obama">Barack
Obama</A>, <A title="Vice President of the United States"
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vice_President_of_the_United_States">Vice
President</A> <A title="Joe Biden"
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Biden">Joe Biden</A> and former president
<A title="George W. Bush"
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_W._Bush">George W. Bush</A>, issued
statements of support and sympathy for the victims. Obama described the incident
as "tragic" and "a horrific outburst of violence" in a press conference in <A
title="Washington, D.C."
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington,_D.C.">Washington, D.C.</A> going
on to say, "It is difficult enough when we lose these brave men and women
abroad, but it is horrifying that they should come under fire at an army base on
U.S. soil." "My immediate thoughts and prayers are with the wounded and the
families of the fallen," he said. Obama also offered his help to Cone.<SUP
class=reference id=cite_ref-CNN_0-6><A
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Hood_shooting#cite_note-CNN-0"><SPAN>[</SPAN>1<SPAN>]</SPAN></A></SUP>
His statement was preceded by <A title="Joe Biden"
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Biden">Joe Biden</A> who said "<A
title="Jill Biden" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jill_Biden">Jill</A> and I
join the President and <A title="Michelle Obama"
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michelle_Obama">Michelle Obama</A> in
expressing our sympathies to the families of the brave soldiers who fell today.
We are all praying for those who were wounded and hoping for their full and
speedy recovery. Our thoughts and prayers are also with the entire Fort Hood
community as they deal with this senseless tragedy",<SUP class=reference
id=cite_ref-Biden_30-0><A
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Hood_shooting#cite_note-Biden-30"><SPAN>[</SPAN>31<SPAN>]</SPAN></A></SUP>
while Bush said he "was saddened to learn of the tragic incident at Fort Hood.
<A title="Laura Bush" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laura_Bush">Laura
Bush</A> and I are keeping the victims and their families in our thoughts and
prayers during this difficult time."<SUP class=reference
id=cite_ref-USA_Today_1_25-2><A
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Hood_shooting#cite_note-USA_Today_1-25"><SPAN>[</SPAN>26<SPAN>]</SPAN></A></SUP>
Texas <A class=mw-redirect title="US Senate"
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/US_Senate">Senators</A>, <A
title="Kay Bailey Hutchison"
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kay_Bailey_Hutchison">Kay Bailey
Hutchison</A> and <A title="John Cornyn"
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Cornyn">John Cornyn</A> both issued
messages expressing their shock and sympathy at the shooting.<SUP
class=reference id=cite_ref-BBC_6-2><A
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Hood_shooting#cite_note-BBC-6"><SPAN>[</SPAN>7<SPAN>]</SPAN></A></SUP><SUP
class=reference id=cite_ref-Cornyn_31-0><A
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Hood_shooting#cite_note-Cornyn-31"><SPAN>[</SPAN>32<SPAN>]</SPAN></A></SUP></P>
<H2><SPAN class=mw-headline id=See_also>See
also</SPAN></H2></DIV></FONT></DIV>
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