am not stationed at Ft Hood, but I have several friends who are. One who came back from Iraq this past Jan and one who is there now.  I would never want to get stationed there.

i am glad you are doing a congressional.  The unit that came back in Jan filed about 57 IG complaints and only one did the IG even entertain.  The chaplains, the IG, no one there has any power to do anything.  There are times they won't even let a soldier go see the chaplian or other people because they "need them for the mission."

They make it sound so good with getting off by 5pm and 3 on thursday for family time.  Yea, they need it because they are so stressed out all the time.

My friend that came back in jan has a messed up back.  She was put on half days with no activity and her commander absolutely would not recognize her profile so the doctor has to put her on con leave until her surgery.

There was one of her friends who was sent to Germany, diagnosed with breast cancer, but was returned to Iraq to complete her last 4 months there, the unit would not release the girl to come home to get treatment.  My mom had breast cancer adn 4 months she would have been dead with the kind my mother had.

It is happening all too often.  The cav units there dont care about their people.  My friend who is there now, they didn't get anything othen than the 14 days block leave. The whole thing of getting the incoming unit to take over 90 days out so you can spend time with your family before you go and prepare mentally...NOPE NOT, he had details all the way up until the weekend he left.  He made what was supposed to be a confidential complaint, but the next day the BDE CDR had him in the office basically telling him to stop sniviling and deal with it.

I feel for the families of these victims.  They make it home from the battle field only to be shot on their own turf.  I hope this incident opens up an investigation into why this happened.  I'm surprised it hasn't happened already there, and if things don't change, i wouldn't be surprised if it didn't happen again.

I wish you luck on your congressional.  I know too many people there, I hope you are on your way out because i know at Hood you get stuck there for 6 and 7 years.  Once your chain of command gets that they are going to try to squash it, make you look dumb, and black ball you like no other.  My prayers are with you

Less