Iraq Vetreran with PTDS Kills Three and Self at Fort Hood

The hawks in the GOP who all rubber stamped the Bush/Cheney lead fool's errand/fiascoes in Iraq and Afghanistan blather all the time about "supporting our troops," but when it involves more than a photo op for campaign ads or just insincere talk, they are missing in action.  Indeed, these supposed supporters of our troops would limit benefits and most dangerously do not want to fund treatment of veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder ("PTSD") and other emotional/mental disorders resulting from the horrors they were required to endure.  Yesterday, the consequence of such lip service and lack of action took the lives of three individuals at Fort Hood in Texas, plus the life of a troubled Iraq War veteran.  As noted in previous posts, my son-in-law was one of the "lucky ones" after his serious injuries in Afghanistan, but many are not given what they need.  Here are excerpts from a piece in the New York Times on yesterday's tragedy:

A soldier who was being evaluated for post-traumatic stress disorder opened fire at Fort Hood on Wednesday, killing three people and wounding 16 before killing himself, the authorities said. The shooting set off a huge police response and shut down the sprawling Army base, the same facility where a deadly rampage by an officer resulted in 13 deaths in 2009.

Fort Hood’s commanding general said the gunman, an Army specialist who had served in Iraq and was being treated for behavioral and mental health issues, had died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The commander, Lt. Gen. Mark A. Milley, told reporters that the soldier’s motive remained unclear, but that the shooting did not appear to be related to terrorism. 

A Pentagon official said the suspected gunman was Army Specialist Ivan Lopez. General Milley, while not identifying Specialist Lopez by name, said the gunman had served four months in Iraq in 2011 and was being evaluated for post-traumatic stress disorder, but had not yet been diagnosed with the condition. There were indications that he had self-reported a traumatic brain injury when he returned from Iraq, General Milley said. 

The episode appeared to have unfolded around 4:30 p.m. at a medical support building. Witnesses described chaos as gunshots rang out. 

The authorities said Specialist Lopez appeared to have walked into one building, then gone inside a vehicle and fired shots from the vehicle with a .45-caliber Smith & Wesson semiautomatic pistol that had recently been bought in the Killeen area. He got out of the vehicle, walked into another building and opened fire again, and then engaged with a female military police officer before shooting himself. 

He put his hands up, General Milley said, then reached under his jacket. The female officer pulled out her weapon, and then Specialist Lopez put his weapon to his head and fired.

We have countless ticking time bombs among our veterans, many of whom have complained of inadequate treatment and support after serving in the hell holes that are Iraq and Afghanistan.  Again, anyone who really supports our troops ought to be demanding funding to address their serious medical and mental health needs - just don't expect to see such action from Republicans who only truly care about the wealthy.