ROTC Grads React to Ft. Hood Shooting

Ole Miss ROTC Graduates, Lieutenant Colonel Sheldon Morris and Second Lieutenant Brady Fortenberry share their perspective on the recent shooting at Fort Hood.

Ole Miss Army Reserve Officer Training Corp (ROTC), which is housed in Bernard Hall, pictured above, 

prepares students for success as a military officer.  

Lieutenant Colonel Sheldon Morris and Second Lieutenant Brady Fortenberry joined the Army ROTC program while at Ole Miss for different reasons. 

Morris, who played football while at Ole Miss, wanted a career that would serve him well.  Fortenberry said he joined ROTC because he wanted to be a part of something bigger than himself. 

“I think a lot of the reason I joined was based off of 9/11, and I wanted to do my part for the country,” Fortenberry said.

Still, both had the intent of becoming an officer, knowing they would face difficult and risky occurrences. 

Fortenberry and Morris explained they knew that being in the Army would not be easy, but something like the recent shooting at Fort Hood always feels unexpected. 

Fortenberry, explained this feeling by saying, “If you have joined the Army since 2001, you have joined in a time of war; so, you know the risk that you are willing to take.  I would say it is just a shame that you have to be aware of the people in the same uniform.”

According to Morris, the scariest thing in life or in combat is the unknown. 

“The hardest thing to deal with is the unknown.  You don’t know who or what unit the active shooter is targeting.”  Morris said this goes for active combat or for this recent type of event on the base.

When asked if he was scared when he heard the news, Morris, who was stationed at Fort Hood for several years, said he was mostly concerned about his friends and fellow soldiers there. 

Morris said his wife, Chelsea, actually knew about the incident before he did and texted him to get in contact with one of his closest friends stationed there to make sure he was okay. 

“Chelsea understands that we [the Army] cannot be everywhere but that we put systems in place to disrupt or detect these types of horrific events from occurring.  More importantly, identifying what were the root causes of such attack and were there any indicators that would have allowed the leadership the opportunity to intervene.  A true army wife.”

And that’s exactly what the Army has tried to do.  After the 2009 incident, which Morris says had multiple indicators that weren’t acted upon, the Army has tried to better prepare for this sort of event. 

Fortenberry said he thinks the Army is doing all it can to take care of its soldiers’ mental health and to make sure these events don’t happen again.

“I think the biggest thing that everyone is starting to focus on is the mental health and treatment of soldiers with PTSD [Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder] and how that can be improved.  The security is about as tight as it could possibly be, with the base still being able to function.  With that being said, the military is focusing on how to better treat soldiers and make sure these instances do not occur.”

Lieutenant Colonel Sheldon Morris

Courtesy of: www.alumni.olemiss.edu

Second Lieutenant Brady Fortenberry

(No Picture Available)