Tragedy Strikes Close to Home

Tragedy Strikes Close to Home

As I tried last week to digest the events that happened last Thursday at Ft. Hood, Texas, I could not get my mind wrapped around an event like that happening, especially at one of our army posts. As I traveled home from Oklahoma City, I thought about how dangerous this world can be. Every time an incident like that occurs, it always seems to take me back to the tragedy of the Edmond Post Office Massacre that happened over twenty years ago. Unfortunately these tragedies seem to occur all too frequently. The Edmond tragedy even created a term that is now all too commonly used. That term is “going postal.” It seems that these acts occur completely in random locations and we just never know where the next breaking news story is going to happens. But, one thing is sure, it always seems like it is somewhere else. While we are shocked and saddened at the loss of life, we are almost always somewhat removed because it is not in our neck of the woods. Except, even that statement is not really accurate because, come to think of it, the first event was in Edmond, and then one of the most horrific events in our nation’s history occurred at the Federal Building in Oklahoma City. So, maybe it is in our neck of the woods.

The Ft. Hood tragedy reached all the way to Tipton, Oklahoma. One of the young soldiers was one of our own, Tipton native, Specialist Jason Dean Hunt (known at home as “J.D”) was on his way to serve his country and stand in harm’s way to keep us free, knowing full well that he could possibly give his life for his country. He had already done a stint in Iraq and had just reenlisted for six years to go back for round two. It seems unimaginable that his service would cost him his life here at home at the hands of a fellow soldier.

It is hard to say what switch flips in somebody’s brain that makes them do terrible things and there seems to be no way to predict when the short circuit will occur. That is really what makes it so scary is that you just never know. We have had terrible tragedies in a post office, a church, even schools. They have been young, and some not so young. It is just an unexplainable tragedy. It seems a total waste of many lives and it is hard to understand. One common thread that stands out as you look back over events like these is that it almost always seems to be a tormented soul, someone who feels abused or mistreated in someway. I do not know what has happened in our society that causes a few of these people to react in such violent ways. But, the all too common denominator seems to be that profile for some reason.

To even make the tragedy worse, J.D. had just married two months before. He was 22 years old and was a 2005 graduate of Tipton High School. Specialist Hunt leaves behind a young wife, a sister (Lelia Willingham), his mother (Gale Hunt), and his grandmother (Kay Smith). We feel hopeless in these situations and most, including myself, really do not know what to do or say. But, as Oklahomans always do, we will pray for this family and do all we can to help them through this time of sorrow and terrible tragedy, and as time passes, we will struggle to understand.

If you would like to contact me while I am at the capitol, please do not hesitate to send an email to donarmes@house.gov or call me at 1-800-522-8502.

And here’s a little something to think about as you go down the road:

“No person was ever honored for what he received. Honor has been the reward for what he gave.” -Calvin Coolidge