Keith Burgess-Jackson, J.D., Ph.D.

To the Editor:

The only thing truly surprising about the tragic rampage at Fort Hood (front page, Nov. 6) is that we seem to be as surprised by it as we are horrified.

Those making the crucial decision about whether to stay and fight or quit the field of battle might ponder the awful, universal truth that the ravages of war extend far beyond that field to wound hundreds of thousands who will never hold a gun or toss a grenade.

Anne Bernays
Cambridge, Mass., Nov. 6, 2009

Note from KBJ: Why is it surprising that we are surprised by the mass murder of soldiers by one of their fellow soldiers? It's not the least bit surprising that we are surprised by this. Soldiers are trained to protect civilians by killing their enemies. Does the writer think that soldiers are murderers? What a strange letter!