Washington (CNN) - President Barack Obama on Thursday called the Fort Hood, Texas, shootings "tragic" and "a horrific outburst of violence."
He expressed his condolences for the shooting victims.
"These are men and women who have made the selfless and courageous decision to risk and at times give their lives to protect the rest of us on a daily basis," he said.
"It's difficult enough when we lose these brave Americans in battles overseas. It is horrifying that they should come under fire at an Army base on American soil."
Government authorities are working to ensure that Fort Hood is secure, he said. The president asked for all Americans to keep the soldiers from the base "in their prayers."
There is no greater honor or responsibility as president than making sure U.S. soldiers are properly cared for, he added.
"We will make sure that we get answers to every single question about this horrible incident," he pledged.
Twelve people died in the shooting - including a gunman - and about 30 were wounded, a Fort Hood spokesman told CNN.
Updated: 5:36 p.m.
Related: Eleven killed, plus gunman, in Fort Hood shootings, officials say
Related: Fort Hood, a home to thousands
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Such a tragedy. God help us, we are such a violent people.
I will keep their families in my thoughts, very tragic.
God Bless our soldiers and their families!
My heart goes out to the familes of the slain and the injured. I will keep them all in my prayers!
UNREAL! My thoughts and prayers are with the families and soldiers hurt...This has to stop, how is it none of these guys raised any red flags. We need to make sure we are taking care of our soldiers when they come home!! This didnt have to happen
Prayers and thoughts to our brave men and women in uniform. Let us all have them in our thoughts today!
OMG, My sister and her family live on Ft Hood Base.....My prayers go out to the family of the victims........
Our thoughts and prayers go out to the killed and injured and also to their families.
we are all not violent people. it just takes a few bad apples to make it seem that way. senseless and tragic, nothing more, nothing less...
What is tragic is being here at Ft Hood, and on lockdown, knowing some of our soldiers are safe while others have been killed by their brothers in arms. Very Sad that it has come to this. Soldiers come back from deployment and they are run 130 mph from the get go with no pause to get the right things done to stand back up.
I am in my fifties and life never used to be so violent. Makes you wonder where we are going. Very sad.
My condolences to the families of those killed and my prayers for those who have been wounded.
What a tragedy not only to our town, state, country and soliders, but to as society as a whole that we output this type of behavior.
terrible tragedy. maybe it will wake the leaders of the services up and show them that you can't just keep sending people off to combat year after year. the services are broken and this is the horrible outcome
My prayers are for the families and other loved ones of the dead. I also pray that whatever the reason for these shootings something can and will be done to prevent this horrible act from being repeated.
My condolences go to the families of these soldiers.
Such a tragedy. I ask CNN not to show fame to the killer(s) by placing their name or picture on the news. Why is this so simple for this country's news media to understand this?
I have been informed that one of the shooters was a Major not from the US and that they have shut down the ventilation systems on Fort Hood too. I have family that lives on Fort Hood and in the US Army.
I feel so bad, our soilders have served our country, and come home
to die on American soil. A brother has killed his brothers, what has
gone wrong. Our nation needs to heal, there is to much anger.
Why?
Diane
Highly tragic on two levels. One – for those who died. Two – this will no doubt be used as some sort of pretext for further civilian gun regulation (even though it happened on a military base) or banning people of Muslim descent from the military...
I pray that God will always bless America from such a tragedy
My heart goes out to the familes of the slain and the injured. I will keep them all in my prayers!
It was in very poor taste that Obama started out his comments with a shout out and praise rather than addressing this tragedy at Ft. Hood right from the start.
We are asking too much of our soldiers. Putting their lives on the line fighting in wars we have no business continuing. Now this!! Soldiers of America, hang in there! I know it's tough! Hopefully you'll one day have the type of leadership that won't that fully support you after you've gone out and done their dirty work.
I thought this terrorism thing was of the past or not real?
Guess not U-h?
Prayers to all the family of the injured and dead.
Maybe now the other half of this country will get there heads out of there azz's and realize it can happen any where and any time .
Terrorism is REAL like it or not.
Have we forgotten Jesus gave His Life for us...everytime i turn the tv on someone is killing someone else....when will it end ? Stop the madness....
What a world we live in.
Unfortunately it's getting worse and worse by the day. With all we've learned from the past, all the education and technology we have and yet still barbarians in many ways.
My condolences to the families who have lost love ones. RIP.
I dont understand what is wrong with people sometimes.
So very sad. I am at work, trying to understand more and am curious what motivated somebody to do this to American troops? PTSD? Troops are people too and tak'in a beating already both at home and away – they don't need this... so sad
Keep the prayer with them and Give them comfortable like Jesus did
Such a sensless tragedy. My thoughts are with the family of those killed and the entire community in Ft. Hood. How did this kind of violence become an option in order to cope?
My father was once stationed at Ft. Hood, 1st Cavalry. May the victims and their families find peace.
The number of tours each man in the Service is doing may have something to do with this,lets hope not.This War has got to stop.Bring the troops in Iraq home now.
Prayers for families and fellow servicemen and women who have been affected by this terrible tragedy.
I send my condolances to those on Fort Hood.
Let's continue to remember that guns don't kill people, but rather it is people using guns that kill people.
To all my brothers and sisters at arms in Fort Hood!! Keep Your heads high at times like this.. We dont know what was in there minds to commit such a tragety!! Tomas Garcia is my cousin! he is based there but is currently in afganistan dont know if its more dangerouse there or in fort hood??
My thoughts and prayers are with those who lost their lives, the wounded, and te families and friends of all of them. This is shocking, I was just in Ft. Hood less than a month ago. It isn't good at all that soldiers should have to live in fear in their own home land. Hopefully they will get to the bottom of the situation quickly.
This is an absolute tragic. My thoughts and prayes are with families of our service men and women. God Bless America.
I'm here in Austin. I was at Ft Hood for 6 years. My heart and prayers go out to the victims and their families and to the military community at large. Despite what politicians do, you are all thanked everyday for your service. I feel your pain as a veteran. Stay strong and watch out for each other, in battle and in peace.
God Bless our military.
Very sad ..... very sad indeed
The greatest thing all you civilians can do right now is stop anyone in uniform and thank them for their service. If you see a vet, do the same. It makes a world of difference, trust me.
My condolences to my comrades in arms...I will pray for you all.
I live on Fort Hood and have for 6 years.. we will pull together and get through this as all military families do. This is a very sad tragedy. Our heart go out to the families.
My prayers go to my 1st cav brothers and sisters at Fort Hood, please lets stop this unneeded killings. God rest there souls.
I'm a veteran of the U.S Army; that being said, and ALL politics aside, this is a dark day for my brothers and sisters who wear the Nations uniform to defend our home and our way of life. My heart goes out to the Ft. Hood community, and I pray to God Almighty that they find comfort in this seneless tragedy.
I have lived on Fort Hood for 6 years and the support on the installation is above and beyond. We will pull this sad tragedy.
As a former Army soldier in the 80s, I am simply horrified by this shooting, BY AN ARMY OFFICER, of HIS OWN compatriots. Our base (I work on an Army base as a civilian member of the team now) is on increased security and glued to the news updates. We are all devasted. Our hearts go out to those who are injured, and those who have lost loved ones, as well as the entire Fort Hood community. A terrible day for the entire Army family!
this is horrific. I'm not an American, nor a soldier, but I empathise & sympathise with those survivirs & their families, and I'll pray for those who have died. Only God knows why, for sure!
What a sad tragic day in America my heart goes to all those affected families.
I have lived on Fort Hood for 6 years and the support on this installation is above and beyond. We will pull this sad tragedy.
During times of senseless tragedy we often ask ourselves why has God allowed this to happen? I tell you to remember this, if you believe in God you must also believe that there is another force at work in the world, Satan is his name. He feeds on those who are weak and vulnerable, not of the right mind, he finds his way into their hearts and creates distruction wherever he goes. This sad and terrible tradegy of senseless death and lives wasted with no purpose is such a case. Now is the time to ask God to give strength to the families and to those who have suffered injuries and loss. Do not waste your breath wishing ill on those who perpetuated this act, if they are not already in hell they soon will be. God bless America and God bless us all.
My heart aches for the families involved. It is a disgrace that the burden of fighting under extremely heavy stress falls on the shoulders of one percent of our population. If we must constantly wage war the burden and cost should be shared by the nation.
This is sad:( We just moved from there. My husband was part of 3rd ACR . I loved it, it was very family based. I have all of fort hood's soliders and family in my thoughts and prayers!
May the faith of the loved ones be a blanket of comfort to them in this hour of need and in the days to come as for the rest of us IN GOD WE MUST TRUST!!!!!There can never be peace across the waters or at home until GOD is seated at the conference table there is terror and turmoil everywhere because where there is no GOD there can be no peace!!!!!Father God I ask that you forgive those who have chosen to remove your name for they know not what they do-please have mercy on us and restore peace and harmony to this nation to the world in Jesus name I ask it all,AMEN.
Let's put politics on hold. We should pray for the families of the victims. Remember behind every brave soldier is a spouse and, often, children. To them, we hold you in our hearts. We, Americans, care!!
Obama isn't going to "save us" come on. Grow up. This has nothing to do with him "saving" us or our Nation. Focus on this tragedy and how we can overcome this. Not just the base as a whole, but our Country and all of our military families. May the deceased rest in peace and the wounded make it through. May their families stay strong and know that they are all in our prayers.
How in the world can the President of our Nation come out to address such a tragic event and start with laughing, smiling and waving? Has he no sense of decorum? Has he no sensitivity for the losses? Every other President I have seen from Reagan through Bush knew how to communicate their sympathy through their actions, without having to simply read the words off a teleprompter. I am embarrassed by his performance.
My heart goes out to the familes ,i will keep them all in my prayers
very sad.
REVELATION
A fiery Red Horse came out, It,s rider was given power to take peace from the earth and to make men slay each other . My Prayers Go Out To The Families.
How terrible....
My condolences and prayers to the family, friends, and service men/women of Ft. Hood.
My thoughts & prayers go out to the families of the soldiers killed at Ft. Hood. As a veteran(U.S. Air Force), I will pray for those families,as well as for the family of the man responsible for this heinous action. I know this will cause some bad feelings, but something caused this man to snap. What? Only God knows. I pray for comfort for each family that had a member either killed or wounded in this awful situation. May the Good Lord continue to bless our great nation, & may those who don't know Christ flee to him in this time. Maybe somthing good can come out of a horrible tragedy.
Military families are strong, supportive and will stand together. Let's all pray for a shield of protection around them.
This is a tragedy, and condolences go to all vistims of this heinous act of violence! I only wish Obama could get the priorities right, instead of giving a shout out to the crowd first before extending condolences. We crucified Bush for his reaction on 9/11, our current President appears to be as bad or worse. Let's also have the MSM tell the truth and publish the shooters name real fast, as well as explore his religious/political leanings.
No weapons formed against me shall prosper. I am with you Mr. President. They know not what they do please forgive the foolish.We are praying for them all.
My Hearts go out to the families and friends of Fort Hood and you'll be in my prayers.I hope this country wakes up and realized that no soldier has to be ashamed of having PTSD ,I only hope our military makes it so that the Soldiers understand that we stand with them in all we do to make sure that PTSD is not a Shame nor should we shame them for coming forward.American soldeirs deserve that from all of us.
My thoughts and prayers to all the families at Ft. Hood.
Folks, please don't make political statements based on this tragedy, we have to be bigger than that, the United States has to be bigger than that.
This is so sad. Our brave sons and daughters serve our country bravely only to come back and be killed on US soil. My sincere prayers and thoughts go out to these brave men and women in uniform and there families. GOD bless our military.
World Peace!
Prayers go out to ALL tonight!
What happened in Fort Hood is tragic and our hearts do go out to their families. Please consider what happened in Fort Hood is a daily occurrance in Afghanistan.
Whether you agree with the war or not our men and women are dying there every single day. Please pray for them and support them in any way possible.
My prayers are with each every one of you. God bless you.
Just because we come home from a deployment ok does not mean that we dont need help. My thoughts and prayers go out to my brothers and sisters in uniform and to everyone affected by this.
I lived at FT HOOD for 10 years my thoughts and prayers go to all soldiers and families
Natalie,Zeus bless You&Your family!!!
my heart breaks but i know god is in the mist of the families..my husband is serving now in iraq. and very concerned about us but i ensure his family is good.i want to say the the families i will continue to pray for your peace and understanding and that we must forgive this person (s) for our pain and all come together as a unity to seek understanding and guidance..bless all those who serve our beautiful country
My heart and prayers go to every single family in Fort Hood as well as every military personals. We should hold every soldier and their families in our thoughts every day. Thank you for the sacrifices you have made to protect our country. I only hope measures are taken to protect you.
my sister is staioned at ft.hood. she is fine thankfully. enough soldiers are diying in the war, we dont need any more diying for no reason at home at home. send them ur prayers
This does not surprise me, when our son was killed in Iraq we discovered that our causality assistance officer had ONE week of training to deal with our lose. Does the military check the mental condition or qualifications of the officers?
Our thoughts and prayers go out to the killed and injured and also to their families.
Its a really sad day to hear the same sirens go off on a US base stateside that we heard overseas in a war zone. Strength and prayers to all of the families, soldiers, and civilians of Ft Hood.
My heart and prayers go out to those involved in this horrific incident. Thank you, all you service men and women for all that you do for our country. Thank you, all the parents and family members of those men and women who made them the soldiers that they are or were. Thank you, we owe you so much, THANK YOU!
GOD BLESS OUR MILITARY MEN AND WOMEN.
May all of today's HEROES rest in peace and may our wounded HEROES have a speedy recovery.
Very sad....Condolences to the families of the dead soldiers. RIP.
my heart goes out to all the families with lost and injured soilders...
I am a retired First Sergeant, my heart goes out to all the soldiers and their families may God watch over you.
My heart absolutely broke when I heard the news about this tragedy. I have friends that live in Ft. Hood, and it scares me to think that I could loose anyone of them while they're deployed overseas...but to have to worry about them being in harms way on an US military base on our own soil because of some lunatics who are military personnel, just makes it worse. My prayers go out to ALL of the soldiers and their families. Thank you, each and everyone of you for ALL that you do for us as a country, I cannot express that enough!!!
The economy, I believe is a main factor. I hope that soldiers that are serving and who come home from war are getting the assistance they need to be able to adapt to there normal lifestyles. There are so many mental health issues that occur that lead to other issues. Mental health needs to be taken care of. Its important that they have the love and support that they need to recover.
Prayers and Love from Canada November 5th 2009
nothing left to say..only heart felt sorro for all
Such a sad day for All of us on the home front of USA Soil. God bless all the love ones involved this tragedy and our All our Arm Forces and their Loves ones also the USA President Obama ,First Lady Michelle and Family .My heart and prayers goes out to all of you.
Sincerely, From a VA Hospital Staff Nurse
The stress that soldiers and their families endure does not end when deployment is over. We get back to hugs and family only to know that the next deployment is on the way. There has to be a change so that soldiers and families do not spend their time together worrying about the next separation. I am proud to serve and do not regret my choices but as I get settled back into my life one month home from Iraq, I know that my time is limited at home and the next rotation is coming. My prayers go out to those at FT Hood and to all military personnel as we are all affected by this tragedy.
There are now 13 confirmed deaths including gunman. I am on Ft Hood and I know that we will make it through this. It hurts even more, because the gunman was a fellow soldier.
This is so devastating. My condolences to the victims' families.
My prayer goes out to all our men and women in uniform. I also am a soldier in the US army and its sad to see a brother in army commit a tragic act. My prayer goes out to all the family and friends of soldier in Ft. Hood as always i know we will pull thru this.. and do keep each other out.
It is a horrible tragedy to have happened but what more can be expected when our very own president is a Muslim as is the shooter. violence begets violence
Steve
They protect us everyday, no words can express the graditude we U.S citizens should be thankful for each day. They fight for our lives and strive for US to survive, there is no reason for our soliders to be feeling this inside. Our world is getting crazier and crazier everyday. When events like this happen we should take our time to pray. For the good, for the bad and for the evil to go away. May our soliders continue to be protected and may the US of A be blessed forever....My condulences to the families of this tragic event. Vazquez Family....
prayers inbound for the soldiers who lost their lives today, and their families. and, how arrogant of obama to be giving shout outs and campaigning before condolences were offered...
In a way this is worse than the 911 attacks.At least then it wasn't one of our own attacking us.But America will get through this.We are a tough nation!Let's all pray for their families!