“There’s no greater honor but also no greater responsibility for me than to make sure that the extraordinary men and women in uniform are properly cared for and that their safety and security when they are at home is provided for,” Obama said today.
The president was speaking about a shooting at the Fort Hood military base in Texas that killed at least 12 people.
“These are men and women who have made the selfless and courageous decision to risk and, at times, give their lives to protect the rest of us on a daily basis,” Obama said. “It’s difficult enough when we lose these brave Americans in battles overseas; it is horrifying that they should come under fire at an Army base on American soil.”
Obama said he has spoken with Defense Secretary Robert Gates and top military, security and investigative officials to ensure Fort Hood is secure.
Comments (23)
I.R.A.
Location: Belfast
5 November 2009 at 23:38 EST
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Who did this? CIA?
Cafer
Location: Ankara - Turkiye
6 November 2009 at 03:41 EST
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US Turkish Friends thoughts and prayers to Army brothers and sisters at Ft. Hood. We are sharing your pain.
SQasmi
6 November 2009 at 05:47 EST
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Fort Hood: A Sad and most Unfortunate incident but not the first one of its kind - Such shootings keep happening all over the world and the resposibility mostly fall on Terrorists - Allegedly agaist the undesired sitting Governments or Social Orders. But this not
SQasmi
6 November 2009 at 06:41 EST
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is not the case here. The man who had commited this horrifying crime happens to be a well trained and experienced Army Psyhiactrist. His this action was not due to some sudden provocation or reaction to some one’s presumptuous violence but be considered as some thing which has caused his psyche to submit to this kind of violence…. Politicians and Commanders (Reportings of Intelligence Agencies) must start searching their own souls to find out that where they have gone wrong to protect the world societies and what is causing this inhumane brutality.
ollivier
Location: France
6 November 2009 at 11:21 EST
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As long as the Bush anachronical Middle Age crusades will go on, against the “primitive native” and the “evil axe”, inherited from the Spanish conquistadors, the psychiatric desease will unhappily still spread, because the same day, 9 hungry civilians with children were shooted from expensive planes in Afghanistan.
http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2009/11/05/afghan-air-strike.html
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120112523
http://www.news-gazette.com/news/local/2009/11/05/afghan_villagers_say_nato_strike_killed_9_civilians
Jofa
6 November 2009 at 12:01 EST
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Can you believe it? It took Obama, over 2 minutes to mention the shootings when asked to make a statement about the Fort Hood shooting. What is wrong with this picture? Think about it.
Chrissy
Location: Illinios
6 November 2009 at 17:30 EST
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I’m not really following you on this. What DOES it mean? Perhaps he was just finishing up what he was actually there to talk about which was Indian Americans and their role in the goverment.
alfred Roper
Location: Middle East
6 November 2009 at 13:38 EST
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Sir, I can empathize with the suspected shooter at Fort Hood. I am a contractor working in the Middle East on a contract that directly supports the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. For monetary purposes, I hide behind the clause that usually members that hold diplomatic immunity hide behind when they know they are doing something that is morally or ethically wrong, even so, I strongly feel that the cause of my present professional status is right, Always supporting my country through supporting the fighting troops in Iraq / Afghanistan. I hold firm to my personal commitment that I will never, through contractual requirements, maintain, support or condone weapons of destruction. I served in Vietnam and I eye witnessed man’s inhumanity to man. The focus now should be on America’s young, the ones that sacrifice their lives, patriots who believe, and are willing to support contractual, ethical and moral convictions. Sir I strongly feel that no human, will ever be able to satisfy the grief that those that have lost loved ones abroad or at home. This they will have to do themselves through their convictions with the all mighty. I hope my words are inspirational for I truly feel love for my fellow man, and I feel that every country‘s populace predominantly feel as I do. In closing, an old saying, “in peace the more the merrier but in war sorrow is no justice for lives lost, one or an exponential of ones.”
deb dulal dey
7 November 2009 at 07:02 EST
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It shows the fanatic and the ugly face of religious hatred that resulted in this bloodshed. This kind of cowardly act should be deterred at any cost in home and in abroad. Being an Indian, I am in support of those brave hearts who lost their lives without getting a chance to defend them. We are being targeted here all the time, each moment we are being targeted and bogged down by some religious fanatics who are trying turn this beautiful world into a veritable hell. We should make sure that every nation should take a positive stand to make thing a matter of past.
regards
deb dulal dey
content writer
Kaitlin Beckman
7 November 2009 at 18:52 EST
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I don’t blame Obama for his inappropriate “shout out” or using the shooting to advance his political agenda. Or going to Camp David instead of Fort Hood… I blame the Amercan people who voted him into office and giving him the power to do so.
Gramps
Location: Fla
9 November 2009 at 07:57 EST
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This is the extent of this site’s coverage of the shootings? America.gov and the former USIA have become a shell, plastered with pictures and videos. Why would anyone abroad come here to find something worthwhile? What a terrible failure. No wonder the military spends so much on public affairs.
asolowish
10 November 2009 at 09:32 EST
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President Obama wants to protect the Muslim world and CHANGE their minds towards the USA.
The CHANGE President Obama is looking for will be at the expense of more American lives of soldiers and citizens.
I believe President Obama is the Coward in Chief of the greatest Miliitary Force.
This country has problems but none of those problems can not be overcome.
This country has overcome it’s issues for 200+ years, but can it survive 3 more years of this.
jews for obama
Location: israel4obama
10 November 2009 at 17:43 EST
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we in israel pray for obama. Obama will save america and israel and palstine.
we hope obama does a very great job.
me and my jewish brothers and sisters pray that God will bring victory to obama and protect obama from all evil and his enemies.
Obama will save us
thank you obama . you are the greatest !!!
Jitendra K
12 November 2009 at 11:49 EST
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Fanaticism can not be fought with bombs and guns is a lesson sooner learnt the better.
What is America attempting to do in Iraq and Afghanistan? Is that bloody game worth it if tears the very fabric of American society apart?
Dollars can neither buy loyalty nor extinguish the fire of hatred smouldering in the hearts of zealots.
The only way forward is to strengthen the existing islands of tolerance and enlightenment. Let the free world engineer a renaissance that in its glow banishes darkness from the globe.
The evil resides in the hearts and minds of the ignorant and the prejudiced and can not be vanquished by blood shedding. Goodness can neither be legislated nor handed out as a victor’s gift. A people must awaken to it themselves.
Peter
Location: kenya
14 November 2009 at 02:05 EST
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the killer may have been an islamic fundamentalist disguised as a loyal american soldier.
adil mh
Location: Hyderabad India
15 November 2009 at 01:16 EST
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Fort Hood Shootout involving Major Nidal Malik Hasan, who Was trying to justify his action in his mind, I believe he was Wrong very Wrong.
He killed fellow Army men for no fault of theirs. Islam condemns killing of innocent people.
A terrorist is one who disturbs peace and kills mindlessly innocent people. And Nidal is no less than a mindless killer.
He may have his justification for his act but Islam forbids and curbs such acts.
Mr. Hasan a educated officer of the American Army was under pressure due to passing remarks by fellow army men, on issues of 9/11 and his Islamic inclination, his origin. He must have experienced religious isolation and discrimination by few.
The Officer Hasan was of the opinion that the Muslims should have the right to Opt out of action when they are in combat with the Muslims.
As he found all the times the American army was in offensive engagement with the Muslims, weather it is in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, Iraq or in the Middle East.
But all these observations do not in any manner justify his criminal action of taking law in to his hands and killing people in confines of a secured army base.
Islam teaches Peace, Patients, and Protection of the innocent people and property.
The people killed by him were innocient and had families and loved ones back home, Hasan did not have the right to put to pain the families and loved ones of these ill fated army personnels.
We need more Muslims in the Forces as this is a good way of building confidence and to know the minds and educate the world armies about the peace loving nature of Islam and be loyal citizens to the nations we live in.
The world knows Islam forbids killing of any innocent person.
All what happened could be in the spurt of the moment due to some sort of provocation which he could not control and lost patience.
The loss of control and lossing of patience is unpardonable, and very sad.
It was expected of him to be calm and raise issues if distubing in the manner he was trained to with the authorities. and restrain himself from taking law in his own hands.
Restrain was the right weapon for that moment. Patience and restrain are the most powerful weapons of all times. One should always be loaded with them and respect them.
This should be treated as one of the isolated incidents and this should not effect the fellow Muslim Personnel’s in the US army.
Muslims have too many problems they can’t afford one like this Islam does not approve such acts.
The Criminal who is mindless or driven by evil designs is not mindful of the damage he is doing to his faith, community, and, his own family and loved ones.
The whole incident needs to be condemended and lessons learnt from.
Americans need to be understod well, like wise the Muslims need to understand the Americans and develop relation on grounds of faith and eqauality, supported by trust and mutual support and understanding.
http://www.adilmohd.wordpresss.com
http://www.adilmohd.com
rabbi abraham isaac
Location: jews for peace
17 November 2009 at 08:55 EST
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I agree with you adil and you are right . back in the early 1930’s many jews were serving in the U.S armed froces were also attacked because of their jewish faith. This is not new to us jews and muslims and african-americans . I have read that their are thousands of muslims in the United States marines and the army and the navy.
ilyas mohsin
18 November 2009 at 08:57 EST
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rabbi issac has pinpointed a social hazard which consists of demonizing a minority for its faith. While Fort Hood incident is condemnable on humanitarian grounds,
ridiculing fellow-soldiers can cause incalculable friction. Let us await the result of th einvestigation as President Obama advised wisely while blessing th evictims of the outrage.
rabbi abraham isaac
Location: jews for peace
24 November 2009 at 08:16 EST
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I think you have misunderstood me . What I am saying is that back in the 1930’s their were white christians americans who were afraid of the jews. Their were many white americans who could not trust the jews and they said that all jews were communist and wanted to destory america.Just like now we have white americans and zionist right wing jews who do not want to see muslims in the united states military.
I hope you can understand what i am saying. I am not against islam or muslims.
I am against the right wing zionist jews and right wing christans and some right wing muslims who wants to see america destoryed . thank you
manoj padhi
Location: raipur
18 November 2009 at 09:34 EST
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what i am going to write here ,is it read by mr.obama.
Michelle Austein Brooks
America.gov Staff
18 November 2009 at 11:01 EST
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America.gov is a Web site produced by the U.S. Department of State, it is not a White House Web site. People from all over the world read this site.
yvangkwheng
14 December 2009 at 20:28 EST
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All what happened could be in the spurt of the moment due to some sort of provocation which he could not control and lost patience.
links of london
wow gold
Rose Mary
Location: Australia
23 January 2010 at 17:37 EST
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The incident at Forthood is condemnable in the strongest terms possible. The question we need to ask ourselves is as follows,
What made the officer in question to act as he did?
In my opinion this matter must be investigated and the investigation should look into, whether serving officers from minority races and religions in the US army are experiencing discrimination?
And if that is the case, then this should be a good lesson, and the authority should address it.