Major Nidal Malik Hasan Likely Suffered From Vicarious Trauma or Compassion Fatigue.

13 were shot to death and about 30 others wounded by Major Nidal Malik Hasan. Why? Certain clues are now being discovered that hopefully will lead to prevention of such future incidents. CNN published surveillance video from a 7-11 in Fort Hood that shows Hasan at the cashier's counter at about 6:20 a.m. on the morning of the shooting. He was dressed in traditional Arab garb. He ate his routine breakfast. There were no overt signs that he was about to shoot people. But what lurked beneath the surface?

The owner of the store knew "Major Nidal." Hasan was born in Virginia but was of Jordanian decent. Hasan asked the store owner whether he planned to attend Friday Islam prayers, to which the owner replied that he was too busy. While Hasan was a major in the Army, since 2001, he had been telling his family that he wanted to get out of the military because he had been taunted after 911. Hasan was scheduled to deploy to Iraq. According to his cousin's quote in the New York Times, "He was mortified by the idea of having to deploy... He had people telling him on a daily basis the horrors they saw over there."

Others such as Staff Sgt. Marc Molano, knew Hasan as a psychiatrist who treated soldiers for Hasan for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). While some find it hard to believe that Hasan could do such a thing, it was clear that he did not support the cause in Iraq. Shootings

One can only imagine all of the horror stories from soldiers who have come back from Iraq and Afghanistan that were shared with Hasan. Such trauma is also known as vicarious traumatization or compassion fatigue. (Attorneys sometimes see family members of loved ones who have been vicariously traumatized by a family member's severe injuries. But of course they don't go and murder a bunch of people!)

With Husan, there were clues that things were not right. Hasan received his appointment to the Army as a first lieutenant in June 1997 after graduating from Virginia Tech with a degree in biochemistry. Six years later, he graduated from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences' F. Edward Hebert School Of Medicine in Bethesda, Maryland. He did an internship and then a residency at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. In 2003 he was promoted to captain. In 2009 he was promoted to major. In 2009, Hasan completed a fellowship in disaster and preventive psychiatry. He had been awarded the National Defense Service Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and the Army Service Ribbon. Hasan had never been deployed outside the United States. But something was not right. Hasan posted internet comments where he compared suicide bombers to a soldiers who fall on a grenade to save the live of others. And there was the legal clues. Hasan sought legal advice to try to get out of the Army.

President Obama called the shootings "tragic" and "a horrific outburst of violence."
Texas Gov. Rick Perry ordered that all flags in the state be lowered to half-staff as a tribute to the victims. What do the rest of us say? How about: "Thanks for those who have served our county in our armed forces. We truly appreciate your service and sacrifice. For those who do not want to continue to serve, here are your discharge papers. For any citizen who does not want the freedoms of our great nation, here is a plane ticket and a permanent visa to the country of your choice."

Update 11-9-09: Reports have surfaced that Hasan attended the same Virginia Mosque that a couple of the 911 terrorists apparently attended. The deceased victim of the Ft. Hood massacre include: Michael Cahill, 62, a physician's assistant; Maj. Libardo Eduardo Caraveo, a psychologist from Woodbridge, Virginia; Army Staff Sgt.; Justin DeCrow, 32, from Plymouth, Indiana; Capt. John Gaffaney, a psychatricc nurse from San Diego, California; Spc. Frederick Greene, 29, from Mountain City, Tennessee; Spc. Jason Dean Hunt,22, from Tipton, Oklahoma; Pfc. Michael Pearson, 22, from Bolingbrook, Illinois; Capt. Russell Seager, 51, from Racine, Wisconsin; Pvt. Francheska Velez, 21 from Chicago, Illinois; Juanita L. Warman, from Havre De Grace, Maryland; and Spc. Kham Xiong, 23, from St. Paul, Minnesota.