Army psychiatrist Nidal Malik Hasan shouted 'Allahu Akbar' as he opened fire
Muslim major in stable condition under armed guard in hospital
Hasan was fervently opposed to War on Terror
Was due to be deployed to Iraq at end of year - but did not want to go
Had treated hundreds of traumatised Iraq and Afghanistan veterans
THE PSYCHOLOGICAL COST OF WAR
Fort Hood, the world's largest military base, was already under psychological siege before yesterday's shooting.
Home to 50,000 personnel, the sprawling site has borne the brunt of bloody wars in Afghanistan and Iraq over the last eight years.
The death toll stands at 685. But many of the casualties of America's foreign policy are still living - and would have turned to Major Nidal Malik Hassan for help.
His role as an army psychiatrist was to treat soldiers with psychological problems.
Many would have been suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), brought on by their experiences on active service.
Others would have been dealing with the aftermath of brain injuries.
Hasan's cousin Nader Hasan today suggested that the major struggled to cope with what he heard.
'He deals with stories, he'd tell us how he would hear things, horrific things,' he added.
Experts believe around 15 to 30 per cent of soldiers deployed on active service go on to develop psychological problems.
The risk increases with the tours of duty completed.
Paul Dirksmeyer, a chaplain at Fort Hood, described the results as 'emotional carnage', citing broken marriages, suicides and paranoia.
And then there is the less dramatic - but deeply debilitating - day-to-day behaviour - checking under the car for bombs before going to the supermarket, accelerating under bridges and swerving past tyres.
The effects on families are truly devastating.
'They are constantly watching their backs,' Charlotte Graves, a guidance counsellor at Fort Hood told The Times, referring to men returning from war zones.
'They are constantly on the alert, and the least little thing can set these guys off. They don't tolerate a lot of stuff.'
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/wor...-12-injures-31-shootout-troops-army-base.html
While an intern at Walter Reed, Hasan had some 'difficulties' that required counseling and extra supervision, said Dr. Thomas Grieger, who was the training director at the time.
Grieger said privacy laws prevented him from going into details but noted that the problems had to do with Hasan's interactions with patients.
MUSLIMS IN THE US ARMY
There is a small Islamic population currently on active duty in the US military.
Out of the 1.4 million service men and women, 3,572 are Muslim, according to US Department of Defense figures.
And out of that number, just 1,164 are in the Army - which has over half a million soldiers.
