Fort Hood trauma remains with soldiers

KILLEEN, Texas (KXAN) - Three months after a tragedy that changed the military and the nation, many people at Fort Hood continue to deal with the strain of fighting two wars and the emotional struggles left by the shooting.

Officials at Fort Hood say 1,113 soldiers sought some type of mental health counseling after the Nov. 5 shooting in which Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan reportedly killed 13 people and wounded 30.

Recognizing the need for assistance, officers at Fort Hood have encouraged soldiers to seek help, and have emphasized ways to allow soldiers to express their feelings without putting their careers in jeopardy, Lt. General Robert Cone said Friday.

Cone also said psychiatrists and mental health professionals from around the country have called with the desire to provide their services to the post.

"I think we have another 10 hires in progress and I think we have another 20 reservists that are coming in at an interim period," he said.

Community healing spots are important as well.

"Every customer is very important to us," said Killeen barber Jeffrey Taylor.

Taylor, of the VIP barbershop, said he has had hundreds of important conversations about the tragedy in the past three months.

"It's still something that they're dealing with," Taylor said.

"I think people are pretty much coping with it," said Sgt. Jamel Kirk as he received a haircut. "They're going on day-by-day like it's normal but somewhere in their mind they probably still think about it."

20 percent of those affected by the Fort Hood shooting that sought counseling after the incident still need follow-up, Lt. Gen. Robert Cone said.

The commanding general at Fort Hood said the army will continue to follow such individuals through the healing process during a two-year period of monitoring the mental health of soldiers on post.

Meanwhile, Cone said that no one at Fort Hood has lost their job over the shooting and that  the Army is still pursuing an Article 32 hearing for Hasan.

He said the post's leadership has undergone major reviews to make sure a similar incident does not happen again.

"We'll continue to look hard at ourselves to find ways to do things better," Cone said.

As Fort Hood continues to deal with the effects of the shooting, more than 800 members of the 3rd Corps at Fort Hood will transition to Iraq to help with the withdrawal of soldiers there.

There are more soldiers coming home as well, Cone said.

75 percent of soldiers that are assigned to Fort Hood will soon be on post, the largest number of soldiers the post has seen on-sight in six years.