THE STORY OF MAJOR NIDAL MALIK HASON

Another story of mass murder is hardly the news it once was. We are growing accustomed to such stories in our country. However, the largest mass murder on a military base on U.S. soil is still a major event and without question a tragic event. How much did we know and when did we know it? When you first heard about it, did you hear the name of the shooter? If not, what were your thoughts about what might have happened? When you heard that the shooter's name suggested he was an Arab, what did you think? When you heard that he was a dedicated Muslim, what did you think? We all have our own theories even before all of the evidence is in; often we modify our interpretations with the revealing of new facts. Where do we go for our facts in an effort to become better informed and to bettet understand what happened? Probably we watch television coverage or go to news sights on the internet to secure the facts. What not everyone considers is that the facts come clothed in a story shaped by the broadcasters and commentators who interpret for us the facts. Seldom do we seek or find facts isolated from a narrative being composed by the network or editorial staff designed to interpret those facts for the listener or viewer.



Yesterday's tragic event is another example of vastly different narratives being shaped by idealogues at networks and newschannels. Within hours one could pick up on the contrating narratives being used to explain the event that had just occured.



NARRATIVE # 1 Hasan was a psychiatrist and had to deal with soldiers returning from staysin Iraqand Afghanistan. He witnessed men and women experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder and other negative effects of their involvement in the two wars being waged by his government in Washington. In addition, since 2001, he and other Muslims in the military were experiencing harassment. Some called him a "camel jockey" which he found very offensive. He wanted out, but the military wouldn't let him because of debts he incurred through a free medical degree he earned from the government while in the Army. He became more and more disenchanted with the wars and their consequences being felt by the people of Iraq and Afghanistan as well as the consequences being experienced by returning soldiers, as well as muslims in the military. As CBS News.com expresses it "Military officials say they are still piecing together what may have PUSHED(emphasis mine) Hasan...to turn on his comrades".



CBS NEWS.COM further explains that a cousin said "soldiers harassed him for being a Muslim" and that as a psychiatrist he "was traumatized by the stories he heard from returning soldiers with post-traumatic stress disorder as he counseled them at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington and later, at Fort Hood."



ABC NEWS ONLINE adds that as "Hasan was about to be deployed to Iraq, he was suffering from some of the same stresses he was trained as an Army psychiatrist to treat...his family says he had hired a lawyer to help him get out of the Armed Forces."



MSNBC goes further by presenting an article explaining that one of the reasons President Obama has been hesitant to send additional troops to Afghanistan is the fact that he is aware of the deterioration of the mental and physical health of our over-taxed soldiers who have been deployed over and over to continue these wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. "After many years of lengthy war zone rotations in Iraq and Afghanistan, Army personnel are experiencing record rates of suicide, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and other mental health problems, as well as worsening alcohol and drug abuse...The psychological toll on the all-volunteer force today is unprecedented, Army officials say, acknowledging that they do not know how much the Army can sustain before it breaks....making the health of the force a major consideration in President Obama's current deliberations over sending more U.S. troops to Afhanistan.



"It's unclear what motivated the Army psychiatrist who is thought to have opened fire on fellow soldiers Thursday, although it's clear he had worked in settings where the effects of combat stress were pervasive....A small but increasing number of soldiers undergoing the mental strain of repeated combat deployments are taking lives--often their own."



The article then points out that 75 soldiers at Fort Hood have commited suicide since 2003. Further 81 confirmed suicide deaths in the Army have occured thus far in 2009.



Now for a few observations on this narrative: (1) This account constantly refers to Nasan by his profession as a Psychiatrist. (2) This account emphasizes that he was himself traumatized by having to counsel with so many victims of the war who suffered from mental health issues. (3) Narrative # 1 focuses on the unfair treatment he received from his fellow soldiers. (4) This narrative seeks to make his story part of a bigger story that concerns the mental condition of all of the Armed Forces who are experiencing battle fatique from these prolonged war efforts. (5) At least the President is concerned about their health and that helps explain his hesitancy in sending additonal soldiers to Afghanistan. In this narrative the shooter himself becomes a victim of the Bush wars.



NARRATIVE # 2 This narrative focuses on Hasan's religion rather than his professional career as a Psychiatrist. Hasan is and always has been a muslim. Fox News highlights the comments of retired Colonel Terry Lee who prior to his retirement was a colleague of Major Hasan. Colonel Lee points out that Hasan had made several comments suggesting that he admired the suicide bombers in Iraq and Afhanistan. He also expressed his opposition to the U.S. war effort in these two countries. Apparently Major Hasan had expressed on a blog his admiration for suicide bombers.



This scenario leads us to believe that Hasan was a radical religious extremist who saw himself as part of a jihad against America. Some say he acted alone and thus cannot be a viewed as a terrorist because as far as we know at the moment he was not part of an organized effort. Is the definition of a terrorist "a member of a group" or "one who seeks to produce and does produce terror by his comments or actions"? If he was a fanatic terrorist then we may need to strenthen our military and prepare them for future battles. If he was psychologically impacted by the overwhelming stress being experienced by the military then maybe we need to find a way to excuse ourselves from Iraq and Afghanistan as soon as possible. Do we see how these two narratives are fueled by political ideology as much as they are by the facts.



Factors that may or may not be explanatory are introduced to help support one narrative or the other. For instance the MSNBC story was supported by statistics concerning a growing problem of suicide on military bases across the country. Of course suicide is a growing problem among the non-military population just as it is among military personnel. Also it is interesting to note that the suicide rate in the general population is considerably higher in the 20 to 24 age group then any other age group in America. Many of our soldiers are in that age bracket. Also of note is the separation of families produced by military duty that would help account for more depression and higher suicide rate. In other words to extrapolate from the statistical data concerning suicide rates among the military that its all due to repeated deployments to the warzone is beyond proof from current data, but when weaved into a story about Hasan, the Psychiatrist, it helps explain his actions as a depressed and stressed soldier and helps reinforce the view of those who would like to see our soldiers disengage from combat.

Its probably too early to decide between these two narratives, but it illustrates the politicalization of news stories. There may emerge a third narrative that includes elements of both numbers 1 and 2 above, or it may be totally different. Our world view often provides the framework for our interpretation of facts presented to us by events. Political correctness and anti-war views make some individuals and news sources seek for data that can reinforce such positions. With others anti terrorism is a higher priority than anti-war views. With anti terrorists, terrorism is always a distinct possibility and its not the last possibility to be considered.

Our lesson is to remember that facts present themselves in multiple contexts (religious, political, family, personal etc.) and which if any explains the events can be determined only by following where the evidence leads. While our world view usually determines our initial responses to facts, our ultimate conclusions must be determined by the evidence. We probably all have our tentative conclusions at the moment, but before we can speak with certainty, we must await the arrival of further evidence.