Related links
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Inside Fort Hood: A Tour Of The Grounds
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Fort Hood Military Base Training Video
WASHINGTON -
President Barack Obama lamented "a horrific outburst of violence'' in the killings of a dozen soldiers and wounding of 31 more people at Fort Hood Army Base in Texas today.
"There has been a tragic shooting at the Fort Hood Army baseÂ… We don't yet know all the details at this moment,'' Obama told an assembled audience for an event at the White House. "What we do know is that a number of American soldiers have been killed and even more have been wounded in a horrific outburst of violence.
"My immediate thoughts and prayers are with the wounded and the families of the fallen,'' the president said. "These are men and women who have made the selfless decision'' to protect the nation. "It is horrifying that they should come under fire at an Army base on American soil.''
Obama, who had been informed of the shootings privately this afternoon, offered his first public remarks at the start of an address to a summit of native American tribal leaders meeting at the White House.
The White House said that the Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, FBI and other members of the intelligence community were gathering information and assessing the situation at Fort Hood, where the Army has reported 12 killed and 31 injured today in a series of shootings allegedly started by a soldier.
"I would ask all Americans to keep the men and women of Fort Hood in your thoughts and prayers,'' the president said. "We will make sure that we get answers to every possible question about this horrible incidentÂ….
"There is no greater honor, but also no greater responsibility, than for me to make sure that the extraordinary men and women in uniform are properly cared for,'' Obama said. "We are going to stay on this.''
Obama curtailed his prepared remarks for a tribal assembly that he had addressed in the morning and the returned to this afternoon for closing comments, which offered him the first opportunity to address the Fort Hood shootings in public.
mdsilva@tribune.com
"There has been a tragic shooting at the Fort Hood Army baseÂ… We don't yet know all the details at this moment,'' Obama told an assembled audience for an event at the White House. "What we do know is that a number of American soldiers have been killed and even more have been wounded in a horrific outburst of violence.
"My immediate thoughts and prayers are with the wounded and the families of the fallen,'' the president said. "These are men and women who have made the selfless decision'' to protect the nation. "It is horrifying that they should come under fire at an Army base on American soil.''
Obama, who had been informed of the shootings privately this afternoon, offered his first public remarks at the start of an address to a summit of native American tribal leaders meeting at the White House.
The White House said that the Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, FBI and other members of the intelligence community were gathering information and assessing the situation at Fort Hood, where the Army has reported 12 killed and 31 injured today in a series of shootings allegedly started by a soldier.
"I would ask all Americans to keep the men and women of Fort Hood in your thoughts and prayers,'' the president said. "We will make sure that we get answers to every possible question about this horrible incidentÂ….
"There is no greater honor, but also no greater responsibility, than for me to make sure that the extraordinary men and women in uniform are properly cared for,'' Obama said. "We are going to stay on this.''
Obama curtailed his prepared remarks for a tribal assembly that he had addressed in the morning and the returned to this afternoon for closing comments, which offered him the first opportunity to address the Fort Hood shootings in public.
mdsilva@tribune.com
