STATEMENT: Sen. Farnese Expresses Sorrow and Concern over Tragic Fort Hood Mass Shootings in Texas

Philadelphia, November 6, 2009 – Democratic Chairman of the Senate Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee, Sen. Larry Farnese, called Thursday’s attack on soldiers at Ft. Hood Army Base in Texas, “horrific” and “despicable.”

“My heart goes out to the families of those who ended up being the targets of a gunman who investigators say turned out to be one of their own,” said the senator.

Law enforcement officials say Army psychiatrist, Major Nidal Malik Hasan used a 5.7-caliber semi-automatic pistol to gun down 43 people, killing 13 of them at the largest military base in the country.

Sen. Farnese pointed out the proximity of the shootings to Veterans Day.

“As we prepare to honor our nation’s military veterans, we must take special care to remember who lost their lives so tragically, while right here on American soil – on their own Army base,” he added. “I hope that investigators find out how and why this unbelievable violence occurred, so it can never happen again.”

He also commended the bravery of the soldiers who tried to save the lives of their injured comrades during the chaos.

“Many of those soldiers ripped apart their own uniforms to make bandages as they tried to provide first aid to the wounded. They are true heroes and their actions will not be forgotten,” said Sen. Farnese.

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