Former Soldier takes 3 Hostage at Fort Stewart hospital

[DahliaBellona]

SAVANNAH — A former Army soldier seeking help for mental problems at a Georgia military hospital took three workers hostage at gunpoint Monday before authorities persuaded him to surrender.
No one was hurt and no shots were fired in the short standoff at Winn Army Community Hospital on Fort Stewart, southwest of Savannah, said fort spokesman Kevin Larson. Military officials said the hostages were able to calm the gunman and keep him away from patients until he surrendered.
Military police arrested the gunman, who was being questioned Monday afternoon. His name was not immediately released.
Brig. Gen. Jeffrey Phillips, a senior Fort Stewart commander, said the former soldier was seeking help for mental problems that were "connected, I'm quite certain, to his past service."
"He hadn't gotten the care that he wanted and he wanted it now," Phillips said, based on what one of the hostages had told him. "He'd had some experiences that could lead one to believe there were aftereffects to his service."
Both he and Larson declined to be more specific, citing the active investigation.
The suspect walked into the hospital's emergency room at about 4 a.m. local time carrying two handguns, a semiautomatic rifle and a semiautomatic version of a submachine gun, Phillips said. He took a medic hostage and headed to the building's behavioral treatment wing on the third floor.
An Army psychiatric nurse spotted the gunman and approached him to talk, Phillips said. That nurse was then taken hostage along with a behavioral health technician who refused to allow the gunman through a locked door to the patient area.
Still, the nurse — an Army major — was able to start calming the man.
"Working together, they maintained the situation, kept the gunman out of the territory where he could harm someone else and bought time for someone else to get there," Phillips said.
Military police soon arrived and surrounded the hospital. Army investigators trained in hostage negotiations worked their way to the floor.
In less than two hours, they persuaded him to put down his weapons and surrender.
Because the suspect is a civilian and the standoff involved hostages on a federal installation, the FBI was called in to help with the investigation. It was unclear Monday what charges the man would face.
Fort Stewart, the largest Army post east of the Mississippi River, is home to the 3rd Infantry Division. Most of the division's 19,000 soldiers are deployed to Iraq. It's the 3rd Infantry's fourth tour in Iraq since the war began in 2003.
Phillips said he'd seen nothing to indicate the former soldier had previously sought treatment at the Fort Stewart hospital.
"He broke the law, obviously, and he threatened people" and would have to face the consequences, Larson said. "But we are going to get him the help for behavioral health."

Wow. I think the Army needs to seriously wake up and help their Soldiers. I know he shouldn't have gone this far, however, I know for a fact that the Behavioral Health system on Fort Stewart SUCKS! They are so understaffed it's insane; you have to sit for a whole f'in day waiting to see someone and they''ll tell you to finally come back for a walk in. There's only ONE psychiatrist on post that can per scribe medications. And they won't allow you to go into the hospital portion unless your committing yourself. Seriously? Seriously?? UGH! I had such a bad problem with the Mental health system that I almost felt like walking into the Emergency room and telling them I'm going to KILL myself if they don't treat me. That's how bad it got. This is ridiculous.

Here's the link to the article
http://savannahnow.com/latest-news/2010 ... t-hospital

[saviger]

There are some crazy ppl in this world, both in uniform and civilian.

What gets me with this story is the way MSNBC reported it yesterday. The talking heads went on to explain that "Most" returning war vets are messed up in the head, and need to have their 2nd amendment rights stripped, and "observed" for an undetermined amount of time.

[Timmy_2_Tones]

There are some crazy ppl in this world, both in uniform and civilian.

What gets me with this story is the way MSNBC reported it yesterday. The talking heads went on to explain that "Most" returning war vets are messed up in the head, and need to have their 2nd amendment rights stripped, and "observed" for an undetermined amount of time.

Which will accomplish????? Oh yeah, it will just piss us all of. That is smart. :twisted:

[jxspyder]

There are some crazy ppl in this world, both in uniform and civilian.

What gets me with this story is the way MSNBC reported it yesterday. The talking heads went on to explain that "Most" returning war vets are messed up in the head, and need to have their 2nd amendment rights stripped, and "observed" for an undetermined amount of time.

Yeah, this is the part that made me sick. Maybe, instead of observing and stripping the rights of servicemembers, they should start looking in to VA and Military practices for returning soldiers. I can almost understand though, as it took me 2 years to start getting treatment for my back....by which time it was pretty much too late to do anything.

[Amiable Horde]

There are some crazy ppl in this world, both in uniform and civilian.

What gets me with this story is the way MSNBC reported it yesterday. The talking heads went on to explain that "Most" returning war vets are messed up in the head, and need to have their 2nd amendment rights stripped, and "observed" for an undetermined amount of time.

Yeah, this is the part that made me sick. Maybe, instead of observing and stripping the rights of servicemembers, they should start looking in to VA and Military practices for returning soldiers. I can almost understand though, as it took me 2 years to start getting treatment for my back....by which time it was pretty much too late to do anything.

agreed; it'd be a cold day in hell when the VA offers immediate help to problems that could become lifelong on the spot

[DahliaBellona]

There are some crazy ppl in this world, both in uniform and civilian.

What gets me with this story is the way MSNBC reported it yesterday. The talking heads went on to explain that "Most" returning war vets are messed up in the head, and need to have their 2nd amendment rights stripped, and "observed" for an undetermined amount of time.

Yeah, this is the part that made me sick. Maybe, instead of observing and stripping the rights of servicemembers, they should start looking in to VA and Military practices for returning soldiers. I can almost understand though, as it took me 2 years to start getting treatment for my back....by which time it was pretty much too late to do anything.

agreed; it'd be a cold day in hell when the VA offers immediate help to problems that could become lifelong on the spot

Hence why MSNBC, CNN, Fox all are nuts. Fox was even reporting that he had classified information or some crap. I was like, WHAT!? UGH! So, I talked to a girl that worked in the hospital, she said what this story reported, end of it; but, yeah, stripping us of our 2nd amendment rights? Yeah, MSNBC, get fucked. (Scuse my language)....

[Amiable Horde]

LET IT OUT!

let's just take over the station and proclaim justice!

wait .. that's just nuts

[Pakman3000]

Hence why MSNBC, CNN, Fox all are nuts. Fox was even reporting that he had classified information or some crap. I was like, WHAT!? UGH! So, I talked to a girl that worked in the hospital, she said what this story reported, end of it; but, yeah, stripping us of our 2nd amendment rights? Yeah, MSNBC, get fucked. (Scuse my language)....

Cable news is all manufactured like Justin Bieber teeny pop.

[jack]

they have no right to strip anyone of their second amendment rights, so long as they're a citizen of this country and good luck trying to convince the supreme court otherwise.... fucking smucks .

[Amiable Horde]

they have no right to strip anyone of their second amendment rights, so long as they're a citizen of this country and good luck trying to convince the supreme court otherwise.... fucking smucks .

haha agreed

[ASignorelli]

yeah, no joke, about 7 guys from my old battalion tried to commit suicide after my last deployment. including 2 that were E-7 +... I've seem some messed up stuff, but I'll never take the pussy way out. LOL