Fort Hood: What the Gunman Caused

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On April 2^nd, 2014 a shooter entered Fort Hood, Texas, shot three soldiers, and injured sixteen others. After his unforgivable actions, he committed suicide. The gunman was a veteran who served in Iraq and was claimed to have health and mental issues.

It was reported he was being treated for PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (a mental illness usually found in soldiers and veterans), but there was no formal diagnosis or official statement claiming that he had the illness. However, it was discovered that he was suffering from depression and anxiety and taking anti-depressants.  While this supposedly contributed to the shoot out, another factor was that he was denied temporary leave to attend his mother’s funeral.

Because of this tragic event, the Internet erupted not only with sympathy for those at Fort Hood, but the realization that PTSD is not a stigma.

PTSD is a serious illness that usually occurs after something traumatic like sexual assault or war. In the armed forces, it is a strong possibility to be struck with PTSD. 11-20% of Veterans who served in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars were struck with PTSD.  10% of Veterans who fought in the Gulf War also obtained PTSD and 30% of Vietnam veterans have it as well. Its effects include reliving the event (ex.: hearing a car backfire and it recreating a memory for a veteran), feeling on the edge, feeling emotionless, and avoiding situations that remind you of the traumatic event.

As seen in other tragic, veteran incidents like this, the media tends to focus on the idea of PTSD being the ultimate cause of horrific actions. By concluding that veterans who have PTSD are dangerous individuals, they create a stigma around them and the illness itself. However, this recent event at Fort Hood has caused many veterans and writers to push the notion of taking the D out of PTSD and to stop labeling it as a cause of violence.

The gunman is completely guilty for his crimes committed at Fort Hood, but his lack of PTSD had no part in it. Rather than assuming veterans with PTSD are dangerous, we should investigate, and not believe everything the media tells us. Let us open our minds and look behind the veil of situations before deciding on what we believe.