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Hood community gathers to mourn victims

FORT HOOD, Texas — A chaplain exhorted hundreds of mourners gathered at a candlelight vigil to not give up hope in the aftermath of a deadly shooting spree at Fort Hood.

A grief counseling center was set up Friday at the Killeen Community Center to help residents struggling to make sense of the worst mass shootings on a base in the United States. At least 13 people died and more than two dozen were wounded in the attack Thursday.

The accused gunman, Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, was wounded and taken into custody after a gunfire exchange with two civilian police officers. Thirteen people died and more than two dozen were wounded.

Like other military installations nationwide, the bonds between Fort Hood and the town at its doorstep are tight. Town merchants depend on the soldiers who shop at their stores and eat at their restaurants. Locals show their appreciation and support for the troops, hoisting giant yellow ribbons and raising money for charities benefiting Fort Hood soldiers stationed in Iraq or Afghanistan.

“Most of our clientele are soldiers, so this affects everyone in the community,” said James Carpenter, 34, a tattoo artist at Zombie Ink and a former soldier who was stationed at Fort Hood before he left the Army in 2003. “Everyone is asking why and saying, ‘I can’t believe he did that.’ ”

Witnesses said Hasan stood on a desk and began firing after walking into the Soldier Readiness Center, where troops who are about to be deployed or who are returning undergo medical screening. Those who weren’t hit by direct fire were struck by rounds ricocheting off the desks and tile floor.

Officials say Hasan was stopped after two civilian police officers arrived on the scene and began a firefight with Hasan, who was hit four times including at least once in the torso.

‘Not able to converse’

Most of the shooting survivors remained hospitalized, many in intensive care. Hasan was transferred Friday to Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, about 150 miles southwest of Fort Hood. Army officials late Friday gave no indication of his condition except to say he was “not able to converse.”

Some who knew Hasan said he may have been struggling with a pending deployment to Afghanistan and faced pressure in his work with distressed soldiers, although authorities still did not have a motive.

Hasan’s Palestinian uncle said his nephew loved America and wanted to serve his country.

Rafik Hamad, 64, told The Associated Press in El-Bireh, West Bank, that Hasan had been harassed by other soldiers because of his Muslim faith but that he was not angry.

Fort Hood spokesman Col. John Rossi said that the assailant fired more than 100 rounds and that his weapons were not military arms, but “privately owned weapons ... purchased locally.”

Shock over the shootings persisted into Friday night, when hundreds attended a candlelight vigil in the first formal community gathering since the killings. Earlier in the day, a moment of silence was held at U.S. military installations as a show of respect for the victims, and 13 flag-draped coffins departed from Fort Hood for Dover Air Force Base, Del., and the military’s mortuary.

At the vigil, husbands wrapped their arms around their wives, babies cried and old men in wheelchairs bowed their heads during the service at a post stadium.

‘keep breathing … keep going’

The Army’s chief chaplain, Douglas Carver, offered prayers and encouragement to those in attendance.

“Remember to keep breathing. ... Keep going,” Carver told the crowd of several hundred, many dressed in fatigues and black berets.

The crowd sang “God Bless America” and “Amazing Grace” in the bleachers under the stadium lights. After about 20 minutes, the stadium went dark, the only light from camera flashes and surrounding buildings in the distance as candles were passed around the bleachers.

It was a tough night for Maj. Dan Walker, 34, who returned from Kuwait in June, his third deployment overseas.

“I’ve been to a lot of these in my career,” Walker said as he walked through the dark parking lot after the service. “They definitely don’t get any easier, and this one is probably one of the toughest ones just because it came so close to home.

“When you go to war, you expect it and understand it,” he added. “But this is different. When you come home, you try to relax and live as normal a life as possible. You don’t expect this.”

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Associated Press writers Caryn Rousseau in Bolingbrook, Ill., Robert Imrie in Wausau, Wis., Monica Rhor in Houston, Sophia Tareen, Michael Tarm and Amy Shafer in Chicago, and Dalia Nammari in El-Bireh in the West Bank contributed to this report.

Related stories

* Suspect in Hood shootings remains in coma

* Soldiers say carnage could have been worse

* Shooting suspect said goodbyes before attack

* Suspect was to deploy to Afghanistan

* Online support follows Hood shootings

* Tragedy assistance group was at Hood during shootings

* Muslim group condemns Hood shootings

* Shooting suspect was set to deploy

* Hasan among May 2009 officer promotions

The deceased

The following have been identified by their families as among the dead, according to The Associated Press.

* Michael Grant Cahill, 62, of Cameron, Texas, was a physician assistant who worked at the base as a contracted civilian. His daughter, Keely Cahill Vanacker, said Cahill was among 13 killed in the shooting spree.

* Kham Xiong, of St. Paul, Minn., died in the attack, said Tim McGowan, principal of Community of Peace Academy, a school attended by Xiong. McGowan said Xiong's father informed the school of his son's death.

* Francheska Velez, 21, of Chicago, was pregnant and preparing to return home. Family members said Velez had recently returned from deployment in Iraq and had sought a lifelong career in the Army.

* Pfc. Aaron Thomas Nemelka, 19, of West Jordan, Utah, was scheduled to deploy to Afghanistan in January, his family said in a statement. Nemelka had enlisted in the Army in October 2008, Utah National Guard Lt. Col. Lisa Olsen said.

* Pfc. Michael Pearson, 21, of Bolingbrook, Ill. “He felt he was in a rut. He wanted to travel, see the world,” his mother, Sheryll Pearson, told the Chicago Tribune. “He also wanted an opportunity to serve the country.”

* Spc. Jason Dean Hunt, 22, of Frederick, Okla., had served 3½ years in the Army, including a stint in Iraq. Gale Hunt said two uniformed soldiers came to her door late Thursday night to notify her of her son’s death.

* Sgt. Amy Krueger, 29, of Kiel, Wis., joined the Army after the 2001 terrorist attacks and had vowed to take on Osama bin Laden, her mother, Jeri Krueger said. Amy Krueger arrived at Fort Hood on Tuesday and was scheduled to be sent to Afghanistan in December, her mother told the Herald Times Reporter of Manitowoc.

* Juanita Warman, 55, was a military physician assistant with two daughters and six grandchildren. Her sister, Margaret Yaggie of Roaring Branch in Pennsylvania, told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that her sister attended Pittsburgh Langley High School and put herself through school at the University of Pittsburgh. She said her sister spent most of her career in the military.

* Capt. John Gaffaney, 56, of San Diego, was a psychiatric nurse who his family said was killed at Fort Hood a day after arriving at the base on his way to Iraq. In a statement read by the California National Guard Friday, the family said Capt. Gaffaney was an avid baseball card collector and fan of the San Diego Padres. He liked to ride his Harley-Davidson motorcycle, restore his 1965 Ford Mustang and read military novels. The Williston, N.D., native served in the Navy from 1973 to 1978 and the California National Guard from 1984 to 1999. He was a supervisor for the San Diego County Adult Protective Services agency. He is survived by a wife and son.