This afternoon–just four hours ago EST– at Ft. Hood, Texas, the country’s largest military base, Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, 39, killed ten soldiers and one civilian police officer and wounded 31 soldiers and civilians, several of them critically, before he was killed by civilian police at the scene. Hasan was a physician and psychiatrist who specialized in drug rehabilitation of other soldiers. (Substance abuse is a serious problem in the military.)   

Details are still being revealed about the shootings this afternoon, but one detail remains unchanged:  Hasan was about to be deployed to Iraq and reportedly did not want to return. Colleagues of Hasan said, “He just snapped.” 

Did Hasan have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as do so many who have served or are serving in Iraq and Afghanistan? Did his service as a psychiatrist in the military contribute to his stress and likely fear of going to the war zone?

Repeated deployments of the same soldiers, sailors and Marines have raised the rate of homicide, suicide and PTSD among American military personnel to above the national average for the first time, according to recent reports. (current.com/…/90382753_active-duty-army-suicide-rate-on-record-setting-pace.htm )

It’s too soon to say how the Ft. Hood story will shake out. No doubt much will be made of the fact that Hasan was of Jordanian descent and was a practising Muslim. But if Hasan did not want to return to Iraq and despite being a physician and psychiatrist took two guns and shot everyone in sight, clearly he did indeed snap. Which means the question is not so much “why?” as how many more will do the same thing before someone in Washington gets that these unwinnable wars are breaking our military and it’s time to bring them home for good.—VAB