'It was absolutely heart-wrenching'
By Liz Foreman
Editor-in-chief
KILLEEN -- Leaning on an opened car door, using one trembling hand to wipe tears from underneath glasses frames and the other to hold herself upright, 24-year-old Stella Avalos waited helplessly at a Valero gas station across from Fort Hood's East Gate for more news from her husband -- only hours after a gunman opened fire within the post, leaving 12 dead and 31 injured on Thursday afternoon.
Avalos was unable to receive information from her husband, who was told not to make phone calls from within the locked-down post unless it was an emergency.
Just an hour and a half before, it was a normal day at work for Avalos at Metroplex Hospital in Killeen. Then, Dr. William Louis, the obstetrician-gynecologist Avalos works for, informed the staff that he was called into surgery for wounded shooting victims who were rushed to the hospital. Avalos called her husband around 2:30 p.m. and only spoke briefly to him, but long enough to know he was OK.
At the Visitor Control Center, near the Main Gate, parents, family and friends of those locked down inside the post awaited any information -- no matter how trivial - to piece together the puzzle of what was happening inside.
Among those most frantic were the parents locked out of the post. Their eyes glazed with fear as their children were locked down for hours in one of the 10 schools through dinner.
Cynthia Wood, wife of specialist Joshua Hood, who is currently deployed to Iraq, put on a brave face as she waited near the Main Gate for the lockdown to be lifted.
Her son Conner, almost 3 years old, was at the Fort Hood Child Development Center, across the street from the Soldier Readiness Processing site where the shooting is reported to have taken place.
"I was just doing stuff around the house when I heard the Fox News network came on and Sheppard Smith came on and said, 'tragedy at Fort Hood.'"
Wood said she began to panic when she heard the location of the shooting and rushed from her home, speeding toward the post.
Relief, the little there was, came in knowing her son was safe.
The school was feeding him dinner and even prepared to take out sleeping bags in case bedtime arrived before parents were allowed to pick children up from the school, Wood said.
Daniel Clark, whose daughter was also inside the post during the shootings, waited for hours at the Fort Hood visitor's entrance among throngs of reporters, in desperate search of information regarding what was going on within the locked-down post.
Clark said his daughter, Madeline Clark, 5, was released early from her school outside of the post and was brought to Fort Hood early Thursday afternoon to spend the rest of the day with her stepfather, Brandon Gott, a medical employee at Carl R. Darnall Army Military Hospital.
"I was terrified at first. I didn't know where she was," Clark said.
"I just wanted the reassurance of talking to her. At first, it was just the uncertainty. The only thing we have are [journalists], and let's face it, [they] know just as much as we do. All we are getting were bits and pieces having to put them together."
To the Clark's relief, Madeline was reported to be safe at home after the lockdown was lifted, but that did not stop the 5-year-old from feeling the effects of the shootings.
"She (Madeline) was scared," Daniel said. "She saw someone on a stretcher in the hospital."
"I can't imagine what she's feeling," said Clark's wife, Rachel. "I'd be shaken up."
Schools were released from lockdown around 6:30 p.m. Thursday and children were dismissed to parents who arrived to sign them out.
Eight miles away from the tragedy-torn post, former military policeman Eric Sanford was at his home in Harker Heights with his wife and 6-month-old twin daughters Thursday when the shootings began.
"We had no idea what was going on," Sanford said.
"There were rumors about there being more than one shooter, rumors that the shooter had gotten off post, and so my first reaction was to make sure everyone in my house was safe," Sanford said.
"It starts off with absolute shock, then moves to anger," he said. "Just like the feelings always do. I'd say we are moving quickly toward the anger part now."
As a former military policeman, as well as a civilian police officer, Sanford said he was pleased with the way the police handled the crisis.
"It was absolutely heart-wrenching for me to hear that a police officer was shot and killed," Sanford said. "I've been in this situation before where the guy you're working with is down, and you just have to keep going. I was very impressed with the way they handled themselves."
Shock resounded even more poignantly for those stationed on post. Sgt. Rebekah Lampman, Fort Hood soldier, was in awe like many others who never thought they would be victimized in the safe haven that the post represents.
"Everybody's been shocked here," she said.
"They can't believe something like that would happen here. I never thought this would happen. People are friendly here. It's usually a quiet and safe place to be."
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