The shootings at Fort Hood, TX are hitting the military community especially hard because it happened on a base, where families should feel completely secure.
Servicemen living at Fairchild Air Force Base said there are benefits to living behind military gates, but they are shaken by the attacks.
One reason Staff Sergeant Chad Watkins has lived on F.A.B. for three years is that behind the gates, there is a whole city of military families with their own community.
Behind the fence line is a system supporting thousands of service men and women and their families, including an elementary school and gas station.
"We have our own clinic, dental office, department store," said Sgt. Watkins. Which means the line between work and home is relatively short.
Thursday's mass shooting at Fort Hood focused on the personnel processing center where troops prepare for deployment. While most victims were at work, many other people were on base taking advantage of the same kind of daily life amenities available at Fairchild.
"My heart goes out to the people down there, it's a tragedy," said Sgt. Watkins. A tragedy Fairchild has experienced themselves.
In 1994, a former airman who'd been discharged after a psychiatric evaluation, opened fire with an assault rifle. He killed 4 people and wounded 21 more, including children before he was shot and killed.
It's not something anyone wants to see again, especially on a base where a balance is struck between family life and tight security.
