As the Sikh community in Oak Creek, Wisconsin tries to make sense of Sunday's mass shooting at a temple in the Milwaukee suburb, the man police say was responsible for the horrific event is creating a lot of questions for another group. Cops say the shooter was Wade Michael Page, a veteran of the U.S. Army.
If it's true (the shooter is believed to be one of the seven dead at the temple, brought down by a police officer who was badly wounded), Page's involvement is going to create a mess for the military as they're forced to paw through his past. For starters, there are allegations that he was a white supremacist, a neo-Nazi who fronted a racist white power band. Before that, however, Page was assigned to -- of all places -- the psychological operations department of the Army.
Sooooo ... the guy cops are saying went on a psychopathic killing spree that claimed the lives of six innocent members of the Sikh gurdwara was actually involved with helping soldiers ready for deployments and help transition them back home? He doesn't sound exactly psychologically sound himself. At the very least, it doesn't sound like he practiced what he preached during his hitch.
In fact, the horrors unleashed in Oak Creek don't fit the words "Army veteran" at all. When I think U.S. military, I think of someone who sacrifices for our country. I think honor. Bravery. I think of someone with principles, who believes in defending all Americans, regardless of race, religion ...
Instead we have what happened in Oak Creek, where a gunman walked into a temple filled with men, women, and children who were preparing for a prayer service. He opened fire on people, seemingly because he disliked their way of life, a way of life that is as American as yours or mine.
He may have been a veteran of the U.S. Army, but if Wade Michael Page did this in hate, he didn't deserve the uniform he wore.
What do you think of Wade Michael Page's past? Does it fit the image you have of a shooter responsible for multiple casualties?
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And really, this guy was discharged over a decade ago. How long did he serve? There's a difference between someone who was in for a couple years and someone who makes the army his career. I think it's unfair to brand this guy "army" before anything else, because really he's not.
Soldier girl, one thing to point out to you: the people that were killed were not Muslim, they were Sikh which is different.
..."Wade's job was as a Hawk missile system repairman, and he then became a psychological operations specialist,"...
"Psychological Operations Specialist (37F)
Overview
As a member of the Army special operations community, the psychological operations specialist is primarily responsible for the analysis, development and distribution of intelligence used for information and psychological effect.
Job Duties
Research and analyze methods of influencing foreign population from a variety of information sources
Operate and maintain equipment such as ground tactical vehicles and shelter systems, loudspeaker systems, state of the art computers, analog and digital recording and playback devices and communication systems
Travel to overseas locations in peace, crisis and conflict to assist U.S. and foreign governments, militaries and civilian populations"
Soldier grl, if you are going to be hateful at least spout educated hate. Sikhs are not Muslims.
..."ineligible for re-enlistment"...