Sad day

I know everyone and their brother is talking about the shooting at Fort Hood, sorry for adding to the din. I spent over four years there - filling the roles of civil servant, soldier and spouse of a soldier. It was the best community I’ve ever been a part of. My heart breaks for all the families - of course the victims’ families - but not just them. Like LTG Cone said (when the reporter asked him if the soliders in the readiness center were armed), “this is our home.” Someone - a family member, no less - opened fire in their home. How do you feel safe after that? My heart breaks for the families dealing with the aftermath of this scary, crazy disaster.

I am so glad that Hasan lived. I want to know why. There so little info available that the speculation is running wild on every network. Can it really be as simple as he didn’t want to deploy? Or that he was against the war? I hope the families of Fort Hood are able to get some answers and sense of control back…as much control as you can have when your loved one is in a constant deployment rotation.

One bright spot? Lots of people donating blood today. I know it’s not how we want to inspire donors, but maybe a few of these new donors will come back again later, under happier conditions. The Armed Services Blood Program always needs eligible donors. If you can’t donate directly to the military, donate to the Red Cross - where the military purchases blood in the case of shortfalls.