By Naomi Lede
Life in America and, indeed Huntsville and Walker County, once seemed blessedly peaceful in comparison to other places. Recently, however, Americans looked on with horror and tried unsuccessfully to make sense of the actions of Army psychiatrist and Major Nidal M. Hasan who allegedly killed 13 people and injured 38 others at Fort Hood, Texas.
The News Bulletin indicated that there had been another “massacre.”
This time it was not in Illinois, California, Colorado, and Florida. It was at one of our most prestigious and noble bases of operation prior to deployment to various trouble areas of the world, Fort Hood, Texas. The tranquil hometown of our “men and women in uniform” was transformed into a battlefield.
Because my youngest brother, Roger, spent time in the Army and was stationed at Fort Hood, the military base and town of Killeen became a part of my world.
I will always cherish the precious memories of the drive from Huntsville and Houston to Temple and the Fort Hood area. It was a pleasure to stop in Caldwell – going and returning – to eat at a small café and order from a genuine Soul Food menu. We found friendly people along the route we took to and from Fort Hood. The rampage last week violated my personal memories because my fellow Americans did not deserve the fate imposed by a former colleague, Army officer and citizen of the United States Armed Forces.
The chief defenders of the nation; our providers of a common defense were attacked from within. We recently honored our troops and those who served in previous wars on Veterans Day. They are our heroes – the wind beneath our wings.
The word, “hero” is defined as the “courageous and caring ones who uphold our world with their sacrificial commitments. Strength and compassion fuel their mission to protect family, assist the community and transform nation.
Heroes are undaunted, proud, loving. The American soldiers in the Army, Marines — members of the Navy, National Guard and Coast Guard and other personnel at Fort Hood and bases throughout the nation and the world are our HEROES. We applaud them for their valor, honor, dedication, and commitment to ensuring that we have freedom.
All Americans and, indeed, my fellow Texans must join hands in unity. A working draft of a position paper on National Security (8-25-08) suggests that our goal should be as enduring as the vision discussed in the Biblical proclamation of liberty in the Book of Isaiah in the Bible. America’s strategy for achieving that end is a timeless slogan: Peace through strength – an enduring peace, based on freedom and the will to defend it.
Our leaders from both political parties have closed rank and pledged to find out why we lost so many at the hands of a colleague.
There is little room for bi-partisanship when a fellow member of our Armed Forces slaughters 13 people and critically wounds some of our finest men and women.
An enduring goal still requires the unity of Americans beyond differences of party and conflicts. Despite Army Major Hasan’s rank, consideration must now be given to the brave men and women at Fort Hood who fought as they did against enemies in the past to defend and save the lives of fellow soldiers. We are proud of them.
Among the fallen heroes were a mother-to-be and a newlywed soldier.
Faces of some of the fallen include: Spc. Jason Hunt, 22, of Oklahoma, Sgt. Amy Krueger, 29, of Wisconsin, Pfc. Aaron T. Nemelka, 19, of Utah, Capt. Russell Seager, 51, of Wisconsin, Pfc. Francheska Velez, 21, Pfc. Kham Xiong, 23, of Minnesota and Capt. John Gaffaney, 56, of San Diego.
We remember, too, Michael Grant Cahill, 62, a physician assistant, Spc. Frederick Greene, Staff Sgt. Justin DeCrow and Major Libardo E. Caraveo and others who will remain in our hearts forever.
The families of these heroes will need the support of the American people in the days ahead. Those that were fortunately left behind will be getting ready to ship out to Afghanistan – a post that will put them in harm’s way.
Bernie Foster, publisher of the Scanner (11-09-09) expressed our sentiment: “The horror and the unbearable sadness of this tragic loss of life touch all of us here in America…”
Finally, the heroism of those that survived, particularly Sgt. Kimberly Munley, will serve to remind us of her bravery and love for America.
For survivors, remember the Marines motto: “Semper Fidelis” which means “always faithful.” An advertisement proclaiming the few, the proud Marines applies to fellow members of our Armed Forces: “In life there are only a few people you can really trust…People who are always there for you.
That’s what it is like in the American Armed Forces…the sense of belonging…a bond that binds you together…the leadership skills and the sacrifices. Edward A. Steiner’s book, Nationalizing America (1916), observed: “I do not believe that the future of a nation is written in the land it occupies or in the language it speaks, or in the tradition it inherits; its future lies written in its will.
We have a national will. The past is after all secure; the battles of previous wars have been fought, the debt we owe to our ancestors will not be forgotten. The largest active duty armored post in the U.S. armed services, Fort Hood serves 297,000 soldiers, family members and retirees.
More than 45,400 soldiers of airmen are assigned there and more than 8,900 civilian employees work there. The names of those fallen soldiers that died are now safely enshrined upon the pages of history.
Naomi W. Ledé is a retired Senior Research Scientist, Distinguished Professor, and University Administrator. She serves as President/Chairman of the Board of the Samuel Walker Houston Museum and Cultural Center in Huntsville, Texas.
