Death on Base: The Fort Hood Massacre by Anita Belles Porterfield, John Porterfield (review)

Very few academic works have appeared about the shooting at Fort Hood that occurred on November 5, 2009. An Army psychiatrist, Maj. Nadal Malik Hasan, walked into the Readiness Processing Center on base and fatally shot thirteen people, wounding more than thirty others in the process. Anita and John Porterfield have assembled an outstanding collection of interviews and background information on the suspect to help understand why this horrific event took place. Anita’s background in both behavioral science and emergency medical services administration allows for a unique perspective when critiquing the response to and aftermath of the shooting. A full-time writer experienced in mass communications, John draws the reader into the book while providing a well-rounded account of the events. The result is a welcome addition to the primary research on mass killings and workplace violence.

The most revealing aspect about this book is how extensively the authors interviewed soldiers and actual witnesses of the shooting. The authors also explored recent research on mass killings, drawing parallels between this shooting and others (i.e., the shootings in 1991 at Luby’s Cafeteria in Killeen, Texas, and in 1966 at the University of Texas at Austin by Charles Whitman). The Porterfields provide effective notes drawn from an extensive bibliography; in fact, the endnotes comprise nearly one-third of the work.

Thoroughly investigated, Death on Base begins by exploring Hasan’s past and how his radical upbringing might have played a role in the shooting. Next, this book explores how his radical belief in Islam fueled his rage towards the United States government. The authors utilize current research in psychology and criminal justice to explain how Hasan became a “Ticking Timebomb” waiting to explode. Furthermore, the Porterfields examine Hasan’s past and use it to predict terrorist attacks in the future. The authors then compare Hasan’s history to other radical terrorists that have emerged—some who could easily be a threat to the United States. This book provides excellent illustrations that walk the reader through his life and the day of the shooting. Most impressively, the authors integrate the story and first-hand accounts of the shooting with detailed drawings of the location so the reader can place himself at the scene of the crime.

Death on Base: The Fort Hood Massacre is a well-written and comprehensive book that builds on reliable research findings and support from primary sources. For those who are unfamiliar with this massacre and with mass killings in general, the authors simultaneously provide a very broad description and cover significant details that will allow any reader to obtain a thorough understanding of the Fort Hood shooting and how it affected the lives of the people there. The Porterfields also explain how the radical Islamic movement played a key role in the murder of these soldiers and civilians. Death on Base can be used by historians and criminal justice academics alike. It could easily be used as a textbook for a class on terrorism or the psychology of criminal behavior. The Porterfields succeed in providing the academic and the practitioner a reference for reliable information related to radical Islam and mass killings.