"Too little, too late" seems to be a recurring motto. Too often tragedy strikes when we are unprepared. Only after the dust has settled are we able to understand what went wrong and hopefully prepare for the future. Once again, media headlines have been infiltrated with news of a mass shooting on U.S. soil, this time on an American military base in Fort Hood, Texas. Any competent track runner knows that being one-step behind is no way to win a race. America's sluggish response to increased domestic threats has cost American lives and will continue to threaten citizens' safety unless a more proactive effort is made by the public to counter the increased risks.
Mass shootings are becoming all too common in the headlines, and Americans are becoming numb. On Nov. 5, a gunman went on a shooting rampage at the Soldier Readiness Center on the Fort Hood Military base. A 39-year-old Army psychiatrist, Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan opened fire on Thursday killing 12 soldiers, one civilian and injuring over 30 others. The death toll was cut short thanks to the heroic actions of 34-year-old civilian police officer Sgt. Kimberly Munley, who shot Hasan four times.
A day after the Fort Hood killings, 40-year-old Jason Rodriguez opened fire at an office complex in Florida, killing one and wounding five others. Random mass shootings are becoming America's own form of domestic terrorism. President Barack Obama called the killings at Fort Hood "incomprehensible." In actuality, the Fort Hood shooting is all too common. The Oklahoma City bombing, the Columbine High School massacre, the Virginia Tech shooting and others have become numbers in a growing list of mass murders on American soil. Americans are now so accustomed to mass violence that we are becoming desensitized. Gun violence is not a top agenda for either political party, though in light of events of the past several years, it should be. While there is certainly public unease at the rising number of mass shootings, there has been no public backlash or movement to end the violence.
In light of the increasingly frequent mass shootings, public venues need to take proactive measures to combat threats. We need to stop asking "How could this happen?" And need to start asking "How can we prevent future attacks?" Rather than respond, we need to counteract. To start, military bases, work places, schools and other public venues need to enact measures to assess the mental health of personnel and students. Perhaps the solution begins with combating the stigma that exists in America toward mental health problems. As a society, we must become more accepting of people who suffer from mental illness or mental disorders that result from trauma or stress. We need to raise public awareness about mental health and problems such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, an illness that has affected many U.S. soldiers deployed to war zones.
An assault on any military facility should be expected in the post 9/11 world and extra precautions should be taken daily. It should not come as a surprise that a military base could become a target for mass violence. Specifically on military bases, frequent mental health screenings of military personnel are essential. Those in the military are more prone to mental health problems such as depression or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder due to their high stress level jobs and the negative effects of warfare. As in all other mass shootings, the question becomes how could an individual so troubled slip through the cracks? While mass shootings are impossible to predict, all public venues should have a distinct plan for various emergency scenarios. Many public venues do, but these plans should be checked and reworked monthly in response to new threats.
The motive behind the Fort Hood Killings is still not clear. Questions have been raised about Hasan's extremist tendencies as well as about the stress impact of his job as an army psychiatrist. Hasan also complained about abuse by peers due to his Muslim religion and Palestinian dissent. Whichever motive is true, the attack could and should have been prevented. For those who condemn the investigation into Hasan's possible ties with terrorists, it is important to recognize that anyone who attacks a U.S. military base must be investigated for extremist ties regardless of his heritage. If it turns out that the speculations regarding Hasan's ties to a radical Imam in Afghanistan and other extremist values is confirmed, then the FBI did not act upon important information gathered prior to the attack. Hasan was no doubt mentally unstable. While this does not in any way excuse his actions, it does indicate a failure on the part of the military. Reviews of army personnel are faulty and mental health services lacking. It is no secret that many American war heroes return home to the States with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and very little military support. The number of suicides in 2008 in the American military was the highest ever reported. The military, workplaces and schools are generally all lacking in mental health resources and support. Mental health screenings of employees, while they do exist, are conducted rarely. The U.S. Army should have taken more precautions in ensuring that those caring for soldiers are psychologically sound. Warning signs should not have been disregarded and possible ties to terrorism investigated. The question is how many more tragedies will occur before the public takes a stand to end the violence? To ignore the lessons learned from the Fort Hood shootings and other tragedies over the years would be negligent.
Ashley Chappo's column appears Thursdays in The Cavalier Daily. She can be reached at a.chappo@cavalierdaily.com.
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