Posted on 04/03/2014 6:08:36 AM PDT by KeyLargo
Fort Hood gunman Ivan Lopez sought mental health treatment
Published: April 3, 2014 7:05 AM By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
FORT HOOD, Texas - An Iraq War veteran being treated for mental illness was the gunman who opened fire at Fort Hood, killing three people and wounding 16 others before committing suicide, in an attack on the same Texas military base where more than a dozen people were slain in 2009, authorities said.
(Excerpt) Read more at newsday.com ...
88 Mics aren’t “line” guys but they have a pretty high injury rate from what I hear due to IEDs hitting convoys. He may have seen some stuff over there but probably nothing direct fire related.
From http://www.armywriter.com/NCOER/88M-duty-description.htm
MOS 88M Motor Transport Operator Duty Descriptions
88M2P SENIOR VEHICLE OPERATOR
Serves as a senior vehicle operator and assists in operation of vehicles over varied terrain to include snow and ice in support of garrison and field exercises; manages loading and unloading of personnel and equipment and protects cargo against damage; performs vehicle self recovery and field expedients to include towing and snow chains; assists in training and maintaining driver skills for drivers; ensures deadline vehicles have correct parts on order; responsible for the welfare of seven Soldiers; responsible for the maintenance and readiness of three M1081 LMTVs, three M1082 trailers, two M1120 LHSs, and two M1076 trailers valued in excess of $1,239,000.
88M20 Senior Vehicle Operator
Serves as a senior vehicle operator; oversees and assists in operation of vehicles over varied terrain in support of garrison and combat operations; manages loading and unloading of personnel and equipment and protects cargo against damage; performs vehicle self-recovery and field expedients to include towing; assists in training and maintaining driver skills for drivers; checks to ensure PMCS is completed by drivers while on missions and during command maintenance; corrects or reports all vehicle deficiencies; responsible for the welfare of three Soldiers.
88M3O Motor Transport Operator
Performs duties as squad leader in a forward deployed Brigade Support Battalion Distribution Company; supervises and provides technical guidance to two noncommissioned officers and ten Soldiers; plans, organizes, and performs assistant patrol leader duties for combat logistic patrols; dispatches vehicles, verifies log books, receives and fills taskings for motor transport; compiles time, mileage, and load data for equipment and vehicles; responsible for the operation of three RG31/MRAPs, one M1117 ASV, and two M1151 HMMWVs valued in excess of $5,750,000.
Class V Section Sergeant
Served as the Class V Section Sergeant for a Forward Support Company in direct logistical support of 2nd Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment with a Combined Functional Team strength of 789 Soldiers; responsible for integrating Composite Risk Management (CRM) by identifying hazards, associated risk, and implementing control measures; responsible for the health, welfare, and professional development and growth of four NCO’s and nine Soldiers assigned to his section; responsible for the operation, accountability, and maintenance of five M1085 LHS Load Handling Systems and Basic Issue Items valued in excess of $2,500,000.
88M40 Truckmaster
Serves as a Truck Master in a multi-function Special Forces Battalion consisting of over 370 Soldiers; responsible for emplacing and enforcing safety and environmental standards within the motorpool; responsible for the Drivers Training Program, health, welfare, professional development, safety, tactical and technical competence, and morale of 9 Noncommissioned Officers and 22 Soldiers; directly responsible for $ 4 million dollars worth of MTOE equipment.
88M40 Truckmaster
Supervises 50 plus member medium headquarters transportation platoon consisting of maintenance, supply, mess and admin sections. Assists the Operations Officer in coordinating, supervising and controlling company mission operations. Organizes and supervises driver training, reconnoiters routes and coordinates maintenance matters with Motor Sergeant and platoon sergeants. Assists the operations Officer in preparing operational reports. Maintains personnel status and vehicle availability. Records safe driving mileage accumulated by unit drivers. Organizes and establishes unit motor park, developing and formulating plans that are critical to successful operations.
88M30- No Duty Title Provided
Supervises and operates all wheeled vehicles and equipment over varied terrains and roadways throughout Afghanistan in support of combat operations; supervises drivers performing preventive maintenance checks and services; employs land navigation techniqiues; operates radios, weapons and blue force trackers when mounted to vehicles; provides sustainment training to three NCOs and 13 soldiers; supervises his section providing support to TF Chosin, 3d IBCT; responsible for 5 MATVS, 2 M977s, and M1077 PLS valued at over three million dollars.
88M40 Transportation Platoon Sergeant
Responsible for the morale, health, and training of 46 Soldiers. Responsible for the maintenance, accountability, and effective utilization of all platoon vehicles, weapons, and associated equipment worth over $25,000,000. Plans, manages, and monitors platoon motor transport operations, including platoon area of the unit motor pool. Counsels, disciplines, and develops soldiers and NCOs into competent leaders. Maintains the highest state of combat readiness regardless of conditions and personnel changes.
88M - No Duty Title Given
Provides professional support and technical guidance to all Army Soldiers requiring motor transport; plans, organizes, and operates a motor vehicle convoy; performs convoy route reconnaissance; commands a convoy march unit or serial; supervises transporting of all types of cargo; supervises personnel preparing vehicles for deployment; train constantly on convoy defense; prepares and implements the security and defense plans.
88M20 HEAVY WHEEL VEHICLE OPERATOR
Performed duties as a Heavy Wheel Vehicle Operator in a Heavy Equipment Transportation (HET) Company in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom 08-09; responsible for the health, welfare, training, discipline, moral and accountability of 2 Soldiers; responsible for the maintenance and accountability of 1 Heavy Equipment Transport (HET) system, all assigned MTOE equipment and Basic Issue Items (BII) valued in excess $750,000.
88M Transportation Supervisor
Serves as Transportation Supervisor; responsible for the doctrinal training, moral, health and welfare of 15 Soldiers and 10 Civilian staff members; plans, and coordinates worldwide movement of personnel, units, and equipment via military, and commercial transport; maintains worldwide visibility over the movement of personnel, equipment, and supplies in support of EUCOM, and AFRICOM area of operations; responsible for the maintenance, and accountability of MTOE and TDA equipment valued at $2 million.
88M20 Dispatcher
Soldier serves as the unit's Dispatcher. They are responsible for maintaining all vehicle log books and Track miles for each mission. They are responsible to maintain up to date records of every soldier's military driver licenses, Accident Avoidance classes and civilian Driver's license. They must keep good records for individual driver's mileage critical for awards and badge recommendations.
88M Assistant Truck Master
Served as an Assistant Truck Master in a Medium/Heavy Truck Company in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) 08-10 in Multi National Corps Iraq West (MNCI-W); responsible for licensing and safety of 157 Soldiers: responsible for the safe transport of all classes of supply to the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, 2nd Marine Division and the 10th Sustainment Brigade: responsible for tracking and cordinating the company's Convoy Logistics Patrols (CLP): responsible for the daily accountability and equipment reports. Primary advisor to the Truck Master on all operational missions within the command.
88M Materiel Movement NCO
Served as Materiel Movement NCO in the 574th Quarter Master Support Company, 18th CSSB; providing logistical sustainment support in the USAREUR theater of operation; responsible for section equipment worth over $65,000; responsible for assisting the training, planning and scheduling of drivers training for the company; as team chief, responsible for the training, health and welfare of four Soldiers and their family members.
88M Movements Supervisor / Shipyard Supervisor
Served as the Movements Supervisor and Shipyard Supervisor for the Contingency Operating Base Q-West Central Receiving and Shipping Point (CRSP) yard providing support throughout Multinational Division North Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom 08-10; ensured the health and welfare of three Soldiers and their Families; accountable for the upkeep and maintenance of two M871A1 trailers, one M916, one 10K Generator and one 15K Generator with a property book value of $1,000,000; responsible for equipment in the CRSP yard in transit to combat units with a value reaching over $20,000,000.
88M40 Brigade Motor Sergeant/Logistics NCO/BTT Maintenance Advisor
Serves as Brigade Motor Sergeant and Logistics NCO for the US Army's Iraqi Border Police (IBP) Brigade Border Transition Team (BTT). Serves as mentor, advisor, and trainer to the Iraqi Brigade Maintenance Officer. Responsible for developing and implementing the Brigade's maintenance program. Responsible for the IBP’s maintenance, receipt, and issue of over 70 military and civilian vehicles valued in excess of $2M. Serves as BTT Motor Sergeant for all internal team equipment valued in excess of $300K
88M10 Vehicle Driver
Operates M915A1 and other assigned wheeled vehicles under all driving conditions throughout Afghanistan. Transfers equipment and personnel between Bagram Army Air Field, Ports of Entry, and remote bases. Documents all operational actions and coordinates with dispatcher to maintain efficiency and readiness. Performs daily PMCS and identifies equipment failures. Performs and records minor maintenance actions. Complies with all safety regulations and procedures. Ensures proper vehicle loading and care.
88M10 Vehicle Driver
Operates assigned vehicles over varied terrain in support of combat operations. Manages loading and unloading of personnel and equipment and protects cargo against damage. Operates vehicle material handling equipment (MHE), as required. Employs land navigation techniques. Maintains qualification with radios and vehicle-mounted weapons. Performs vehicle self-recovery and field expedients to include towing. Corrects or reports all vehicle deficiencies. Prepares vehicles for shipment by air, rail, or vessel.
88M30 GENERIC
Supervises drivers performing preventive maintenance checks and services (PMCS) on vehicles. Operates in the truck terminal as a squad leader. Trains new drivers and manages the driver sustaimnent training program. Plans, organizes, and operates a motor vehicle convoy. Performs convoy route reconnaissance. Commands a convoy march unit or serial. Supervises transporting of all types of cargo. Posts and controls guards used to prevent pilferage and vandalism of cargo and equipment. Takes charge of vehicle recovery. Supervises personnel preparing vehicles for deployment
88M30 Transportation NCO
Supervises enlisted and contract personnel in the maintenance and operation of a vehicle fleet worth over $30M. Coordinates with ARFOR and other tenant units to provide required support. Budgets for fuel, equipment, and personnel and ensures all resources necessary for operations are available. Schedules and prepares convoys carrying critical equipment and passengers. Operates transport service serving more than 60K personnel annually. Identifies equipment failures and implements and tracks PMCS inspections.
88M Motor vehicle operators, serve in almost every unit in the Army. They are in artillery units driving ammo and transportation units driving everything. Males are usually assigned to the P1 (Infantry) support platoons. That could mean 5-ton trucks or HEMTTs. Regardless of gender, 88Ms can be assigned at the support battalion level moving cargo and fuel to the P1 units with larger vehicles like the M915. Or at the Group level, doing theater support with all kinds of heavy trucks. Soldiers in the Reserves drive whatever vehicle the assigned unit has since the Reserves have no P1 units themselves. Typical trucks driven are M915s or HETs. Most reserves are assigned to a transportation unit where the most commonly driven truck is the M915A3. An older truck, the M931A2, is also still used. 88Ms do a lot of driver training, coupling and dropping trailers, securing loads, and train constantly on convoy defense. There will also be a lot of common Soldier skills training.
I had one of these IDs in Vietnam.
All of our jeeps and trucks were stick shift. I wonder how many in the military today even know how to drive a vehicle with a manual transmission. Are they are all automatic transmissions now?
As a truck driver, no less. And...that was nearly 4 years ago! Also, the military spokesperson says there is no record of him ever being in any combat.
Notice his rampage stopped when a good gun showed up! Proves once again that the bad gun is silenced when a good gun arrives.
Hence why I put “line” in quotes.
Here’s a detailed piece from the major daily paper in Puerto Rico:
http://www.elnuevodia.com/consternacionenguayanillaporlamatanzaentexas-1745284.html
Includes a pic but I’m too rusty and am a FReeper who forgot how to FReep so I couldn’t post it.
One of the effects of depression is lacking gumption. So people develop strong suicidal ideation, but never do anything about it. So you cure their depression, but the suicidal ideation persists.
The problem isn’t the drugs; the problem is expecting that you can give someone who has been depressed something to relieve the depression, and everything will be fine. But in a culture that refuses to call anything wrong, there’s not much that can be done to correct outlooks that have been molded amidst emotional instability.
“Fort Hood gunman Ivan Lopez sought mental health treatment”
To me, it sounds like the headline should read “Fort Hood gunman Ivan Lopez was being treated for mental health issues” as “sought” sounds a bit inconclusive. Sounds like he was medicated.
I wonder if it will involve those “psychotropic drugs”?
depending on your place and time, truck driver in Iraq is full of nasty surprises and very tense in the best of times.
Very astute. I think Catholicism went through a period of time when it was the only "true religion", forced its tenets on the unwilling, and engaged in practices that all should find repugnant.
Details about Fort Hood shooter Ivan Lopez
Posted: Apr 03, 2014 8:50 AM CST
His name was Ivan Lopez. He was married, had other family members and lived in the Fort Hood area, having arrived at the post in February from another base in Texas. He was assigned to the 13th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary).
A spokeswoman for the Puerto Rico National Guard on Thursday said Lopez was from the U.S. territory and joined the island’s National Guard in 1999.
Lt. Col Ruth Diaz said Lopez went on a peace and security mission to Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula in the mid-2000s. He left the Puerto Rico National Guard in 2010 to join the U.S. Army.
http://www.myfoxdfw.com/story/25152870/details-about-fort-hood-shooter-ivan-lopez
Another issue, which I doubt is at play here, is ADD. ADD and depression commonly occur together, and it’s hard to sort out which causes which: A symptom of depression is a lack of focus, which mimics ADD, and a result of ADD is underacheivement which leads to depression. So which came first, the chicken or the egg?
If a depressed person is misdiagnosed as having ADD, and does not take anti-depressants (or the anti-depressants don’t work), the ADD meds can have the same effect on him that they would have on anyone else. And ADD meds aren’t very different from crystal meth; it’s just people with ADD (or mood stabilizers) don’t get high from them. But when a depressed person crashes off that ADD-med high: bad news!
Info about Ivan Lopez (from FNC Justin Fishel)
Per US official:
He joined the Puerto Rico National Guard in 1999. Army records show Puerto Rico as his home of record.
He was born in October, 1979. 34 years old.
He was a truck driver for the Army.
He arrived at Fort Hood just this year, 2014.
Justin Fishel
Fox News Channel
Pentagon /State Dept. Producer
In the News/Activism forum, on a thread titled Fort Hood gunman Ivan Lopez sought mental health treatment , KC Burke wrote: To my report Lopez was a truck diver
“depending on your place and time, truck driver in Iraq is full of nasty surprises and very tense in the best of times”
You bet it’s also a good way to get killed or injured. But it’s nothing like going out on patrol and engageing the eenemy. That is stressfull. .
“...Islam appeals to the mentally ill because it is a weird grudge-cult that justifies violence and hatred and makes the mentally ill think that they aren’t crazy, they’re just working for a greater cause and they’re being persecuted for it. Muslims really do see themselves as picked on, even though they are the ones who initiate the violence throughout the world...”
That’s about the size of it.
Lieutenant General Mark Milley
Video: http://news.sky.com/story/1236453/who-was-fort-hood-shooter-what-we-know
To amplify on your point...he was a Specialist (E-4) at the age of 34. Suggests he entered the Army later in life, since many individuals at that rank are in their late teens/early 20s. Raises obvious questions about what he was doing for the 10 years (or so) after high school and before he joined the Army. May have entered the service because of the recession, or could be the type of person who bounced from job to job, and finally signed on with the Army in hopes of gaining skills and more stability.
Also, I can’t speak for the Army, but in my former branch (USAF), the ASVAB scores for transportation-related careers are lower than they are for other MOS’s/AFSCs.
Finally, his period of service in Iraq came towards the end of our involvement. Situation was much more stable and drivers far less likely to encounter IEDs and other threats. During a stint in an intel billet at the height of the surge, I worked on a few projects relating to the IED battle and interviewed some convoy commanders after they returned. Some of them experienced some pretty harrowing events. But I don’t think the shooter had the same types of experiences three or four years later.
Was this an immediate pathway to citizenship?
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