On Monday, Sgt. John Russell, a 54th Engineer Battalion soldier out of Bamberg, Germany, walked into Liberty Combat Stress Center at Camp Liberty and shot four soldiers and a sailor to death before being taken into custody.
A day after the killings, Maj. Gen. Daniel Bolger, who commands Multi-National Division-Baghdad and the 1st Cavalry Division, said he’d taken the time to speak with some of the troops in the aftermath of the shooting.
“It’s tough to lose anybody in this war, but under those circumstances it wrenches you even harder,” Bolger said.
Russell, 44, of Sherman, who is a communications specialist, has been charged with five counts of premeditated murder and one count of aggravated assault.
Russell, who was at the end of his fifth combat tour, is now in custody at the Victory Base Complex in Baghdad.
According to The , Russell, who’d been referred to the stress facility by his commander, was escorted out after he got into an argument with someone inside. He came back later with another gun, but it was unclear where he got that gun.
In the aftermath of the shooting incident, Bolger said implementing changes to security at Camp Liberty was not necessary.
“We have really good procedures as far as control and clearing weapons,” Bolger said. “Those are very sound measures that we’ve been using for many years in this war, and in previous operations. They’ve served us well.”
Bolger added that command could consider implementing a policy that prohibits weapons of any kind at or near stress clinics.
Some possible changes could include providing more escorts for soldiers needing mental health services, but the greatest change has already begun to take shape, and that is re-enforcement by commanders on the ground to keep a close watch on their soldiers.
“There have not been any adjustments yet, but we did stress to the chain of command the importance of knowing where your buddy is at … and being aware of people’s attitudes and moods,” Bolger said. “When you are with someone 24-7, you can see when they are acting a little off and, although it is hard to do, you really got to step up and intervene.”
The combat stress clinic is nothing new to the military, which has had similar clinics in place for decades and are similar to the outpatient clinics on most military posts.
However, Bolger said incidents like this shooting should not come as a surprise to the American public or top military brass.
“In this particular war, we’ve got some particular challenges,” Bolger said “We are sending soldiers in here two, three and four times into this environment. Over time, losing friends and getting your buddies hurt or killed around you, having to deal with that and having blood on your hands, let alone having to kill people you may not care much about, but they are people just like you are, and none of that is good for you over time. Most people at some time need to go and talk to somebody about it.”
Meanwhile, next of kin for those killed are still being notified, and Bolger said he is unsure if any of the victims were Fort Hood soldiers.
“It’s going to be a very tough day for five families in America,” Bolger said.
