« Previous · Home · Next »
More Fallout from Hood
By Shannon P. Meehan
Brief forward (John): All, we're honored to have with us a new blogger -- Shannon Meehan. Shannon is -of course- a VMI man and an Army armor officer with combat experience in Iraq. He's also the author of Beyond Duty, a gritty war memoir that's well worth your time. Shannon has an insider edge on the Hood fallout, as he was treated in an office next to Hasan's (here's a link to a Dallas Morning News piece, hot off the wires, where Shannon is quoted extensively). Please join me in welcoming our newbie to the family -- all of us at OPFOR are very excited to have him.
Hasan’s violent action leaves one dumbfounded and near speechless over the tragedy that occurred at Ft Hood. But as we sift through the remains of that horrific day, my greatest concern moving forward is that his act could serve as a major step backward for the Army in its attempt to heal soldiers that are suffering and may need to seek the advice or counsel of the psychiatrists the Army provides.
Given that Hasan was a psychiatrist for the Army, his brutal actions are the greatest violation of trust between a doctor and patient. This may leave soldiers reluctant to be honest with their psychiatrists or counselors. Hasan’s primary job as a soldier and psychiatrist for the Army was to help soldiers heal, and his actions were in direct contrast with this. He has cast a cloud over all Army psychiatrists sincerely trying to build a legitimate trust with their patients. He has given pause to soldiers thinking about confessing their pains or seeking counsel. And that is something I feel is incredibly important, especially given my experiences with writing a memoir and confessing my own pains, and how that has helped me.
There is such an importance in soldiers being able to tell their stories, and they should tell their story. They should feel comfortable telling their story. What has happened here, I fear, will stop soldiers from reaching out, telling their story, and seeking any counsel they may need.
TrackBack
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://op-for.com/mt/mt-tb.cgi/2435
Comments
this guy must really be crazy. the people that shot him should have made really made sure that he was dead when they shot him. he does not need to even be breatheing this american air . i say exucute the s..o..b..!!!!!
I suspect the "war crimes" claims by him are probably bogus anyway.
He'd be a big security risk though- whom did he share confidential information with?
I was in a secluded area north of Uebach-Palenberg today. During the Battle of Aachen in WWII US forces broke through the West Wall, also known as the Siegfried Line, to incircle Aachen from the north. I had reached a fork where I could have gone to the North or toward the west when I saw this animal that looked like a cross between a Great Dane and a Border Collie moving in a Westward direction. So I went that away too.
The path took me behind a tree line that was the the front lines of a battle that lasted all day on the 2nd of October 1944 between German Forces, of which division I can no longer rember exactly, who had the advantage of a line of Bunkers along the high ground, made with reinforced concrete and being similar to the type of bunkers that many Americans have seen at Normandy. If you know your way around those bunkers can still be visited to this day. Walking down this path in a westerly direction one comes to a very strange ruin indeed. It is a conical structure, in part faced with brick and partly with exposed reinforced concrete. It has no windows and no doors. Other than a few local farmers there is probalby no one who remembers that it is there. It does not look like it could have any military function. Perhaps it has something to do with coal mines in the area that have been closed down for several decades. As I was leaving this structure I heard a hissing sound behind me and turned to see sparks and smoke eminating from the top of the structure. There was a flash of light and suddenly on the top of the structure stood a man, if he was a man, in clothes that looked like they came from a previous century. I was stunned but not speachless. Are you Thomas Paine or Benjiman Franklin perhaps I asked. My question was not answered but instead all I got was a statement. "Not all paintings are originals" Holy shit I said.
You must be Franz Hals. But even before the S was pronounced he, if it was a he, disappeard in a puff of smoke. (Frans Hals is my favorite painter)
Now why in the heck was it so important that he tell me that not all paintings are originals? I know that. Furthermore why do these things always happend when I am alone in some secluded place? Well I guess it must be because I am charmed. Go figure a guy who has halluciantions and thinks that Hassan is normal and those who he shot got what they fully deserve is charmed. Why the irony of it all never ends.
The above comment is missing the word, where
at the beginning of the 2nd sentence.
It should read, Where during the battle of Aachen..........
The 29th Infantry Division was the one that cracked the West Wall if I remember correctly.
It has been awhile since I read the account of the battle. The US won and now I speak German.
Who knows maybe I will start studying Chinese now too. There is a lot of time to study when one is in prison.
Who the F is Curt Kastens and why has he chosen here of all places to post his gibberish?
I don't think Hasan's action put a cloud over all psychiatrists. Hasan is a jihadist muslim first and foremost. The army ignored many indications that this person was a threat. Through the rigorous application of political correctness Hasan was able to parade himself as a psychiatrist until he worked up the nerve to shoot people. Perhaps if the Army is concerned with the doctor-patient relationship, look for muslim doctors with Soldier of Allah on their business cards. That Hasan was in his position for as long as he was given the indications being made known demonstrates gross incompetence at many levels of our armed forces.
Sorry the post is so blunt. But I believe we live in times that require blunt, honest action. Not PC BS getting more people killed, at home and abroad.
And I don't know who Curt Kastens is either; my eyes crossed 1/3 of the way through that post so I didn't finish...
Post a comment
Potential comment conditions listed here. Oh, and you may use basic HTML for formatting.
"Major Nidal Malik Hasan's military superiors repeatedly ignored or rebuffed his efforts to open criminal prosecutions of soldiers he claimed had confessed to "war crimes" during psychiatric counseling, according to investigative reports circulated among federal law enforcement officials."
http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/officials-major-hasan-sought-war-crimes-prosecution-us/story?id=9019904&page=1
I am not up on military law, but wouldn't such counseling session still be confidential and not able to be acted on, even if war crimes had been committed? Wouldn't Hasan have been taught that as part of his medical/psychiatric education? Wouldn't this serve as yet another big red flag that something wasn't right with Hasan?