News 12 at 11 o'clock, November 5, 2009

EVANS, Ga.---Many military families in the Augusta area have been stationed at Fort Hood at one point or they know someone who has been. The incident could have happened at any installation, and hearing that a soldier has committed such a horrible act is saddening and disturbing for many military families.

Ft. Hood is a duty station familiar to lots of people, but for one local woman the connection runs deep. Mary Pat Seal's husband is assigned to Fort Hood.

Seal has been has been glued to the television after hearing about the shooting. In addition to her husband being assigned there, she has family in the area.

"When my mother-in-law called me on the phone, I was at the office and she sounded so shaken," says Seal. "My brother-in-law is getting ready to go to Afghanistan, and the last two times, he deployed from Fort Hood, and immediately I thought he was there (at the scene of the shooting)."

Her brother-in-law was not there, but her husband Robbie, a Signal Officer previously assigned to Fort Gordon, is now stationed at Ft. Hood. While her husband is fine, the Seals also have friends in Killeen and Dallas, so hearing the news was disturbing.

"We were very, very close to a lot of families on post. My husband is a soldier--that's just the way it is. We are a big family."

As a military family, Seal says you never really lose touch with the ones you love and care about. It is like an extended family, and the bond is always there. That's why she reached out to old friends in the vicinity of Ft. Hood just hours after the shooting.

"I did call some people that I know that still live there and spoke to some friends," Seal said.

While Mary Pat is here in Augusta, she says her heart and concern are miles away with the other military families. She says she's relieved her husband and brother-in-law are safe, but says her heart aches for the other families touched by this tragedy.

"My first thought my gut in my heart goes straight to the families who will never get to hold their soldiers again," said Seal.

Department Army Public Affairs Statement:

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of those who have been killed and wounded. The leadership at Fort Hood is marshaling the medical support and counselors necessary to take care of our Soldiers and their families and to notify the next of kin. The shooting took place in an area where Soldiers gather for pre-deployment processing. The motives of the gunmen and their identities are being investigated by both Criminal Investigation Command and the FBI.

"This is a terrible tragedy that we will know more about in the coming days. For now our focus is squarely on taking care of our Soldiers and their Families."

Lt.Col. Nathan Banks, Sr.
Army Public Affairs Spokesman