Fort Hood, Texas - As investigators tried to determine the motive behind the shooting rampage at Fort Hood, the largest US military installation in the world, the community continued to struggle Saturday with what had happened. Blood drives and other efforts to help continued in the adjacent town of Killeen, where spontaneous displays of American flags and crosses for each of the victims had sprung up at area churches. On Friday night a candlelight vigil drew mourners on to the base, while a moment of silence was observed at US military installations across the world earlier in the day.
Texas Governor Rick Perry met with many of the victims Saturday in a hospital and told reporters they appeared to be making progress.
"There's some that are going to be a long time healing up. Some that will be out in a few days and everything in between," he said.
The alleged gunman in the Thursday attack that killed 13 people, army psychiatrist Major Nidal Malik Hasan, remained in critical condition late Friday, but was expected to survive. The 39-year-old devout Muslim was transferred to the Brooke Army Medical Centre in San Antonio, Texas, where he remained on a ventilator and was unable to communicate, an army spokesman said.
At the Scott and White Hospital in nearby Temple, Texas, doctors said just two of the 10 patients brought to the trauma facility remained in the intensive care unit. They were now in stable condition, chief of surgery Roy Smythe said.
The injured were an "unusually resilient brave group of individuals," he said, but noted some could suffer from physical or psychological wounds for the rest of their lives.
A total of 30 people were wounded in Thursday's attack and brought to several surrounding hospitals.
In the post-attack soul-searching on the ravages of war and the stress with which soldiers live, authorities have focused on destigmatizing the need for psychological help.
"We want to remove the stigma from soldiers and their leaders who come forward and say, 'I need some help,'" said Colonel John Rossi Friday night, adding that a 24-hour grieving centre had been set up at Fort Hood with clergy and counsellors.
Hasan reportedly shouted, "Allahu Akbar," or "God is great," before emptying two handguns at the Texas base's centre that prepares soldiers for deployment overseas. Rossi said he fired more than 100 rounds.
The gunning down of fellow soldiers was both heartbreaking and despicable, US President Barack Obama said during his weekly address Saturday.
"It is an act of violence that would have been heartb
