Editor-in-Chief: Fort Hood tragedy hits Muskingum

As you well know, the nation’s worst killing spree on a military base occurred last week, Nov. 5. The killing spree occurred on the Fort Hood Army Base, located just outside of Killeen, Texas.

On this evening of Nov. 5, when I turned on the TV and saw this breaking news, all I could make out from the chaos was that there was a massive shooting on a Texas Army base, that soldiers were killed, and the base was on lockdown.

I was terrified. My boyfriend, Tad, is currently stationed in Texas with the Army National Guard for in-depth medical training classes that are to last a duration of two-weeks – however, he never told me the name of the base where he is stationed.

I guess the name of the base of where he was to be stationed never came up in any of our past conversations before he left on Nov. 1.
Was he on this base? I literally ran to my phone-I had to make sure Tad was all right.

I couldn’t call him, however, because he was supposed to be in his medical training class, so I took to the next best thing: texting.

After frantically texting, crying and worrying that my boyfriend could be a part of this horrible tragedy, Tad finally contacted me, telling me that he was ok and that he was not on the Fort Hood base.

With a big sigh of relief knowing that Tad was safe, the biggest question in my mind now was where was Fort Hood?

Luckily, after doing some research on MapQuest, I found that Dallas, where Tad is stationed, is about 160 miles away from Fort Hood.

Thank God. But c’mon, what are the chances that my boyfriend would be stationed in Texas on an army base, when the nation’s worst killing spree on a military base occured - in Texas on an Army base!

After enduring that momentary fear that seemed to last for hours, I realized just how terrible this tragedy really was for the family members who not only endured the same fear I had just endured, but ended up with a totally different and more horribly devestating result - the loss of their soldier.

I have never been this close to a tragedy of this sort; however, it is a feeing that a significant other of a military member must get used to.
But I must say from first hand experience, that one can never get used to fearing for the life of a loved one.

Luckily, the abscence of my soldier and my fear for him will all be ending for me soon.

Well, temporarily, that is.

Because to my extreme happiness, Tad’s training session will be ending soon, and I will be picking him up from the Columbus International Airport on Sunday.

However, our reunion will be a bit sweeter, because I am getting an opportunity to hug and kiss my soldier, to tell him how I’ve missed him and to enjoy catching up on the events of the past two weeks - something the victims of Fort Hood will never again be able to experience.

My heart goes out to those victims and to them I say I am truly and deeply sorry for their loss.

I pray that the Lord stays with them through these tough times and I pray that a horrible shooting like this will never again occur.

May God forever bless our soldiers and their families.