Witnesses to recall Fort Hood attack at hearing

FORT HOOD, Texas — Dozens of people will take the witness stand in a military courtroom over the next few weeks to describe the pain of bullets piercing their bodies and the sight of fellow soldiers lying in pools of blood.

But this hearing is not about an attack in Iraq or Afghanistan. It's a key step in the case against an Army psychiatrist accused of gunning down more than 40 fellow service members and civilian workers last year in a rampage at Fort Hood.

An Article 32 hearing occurs only in military court and is held to determine whether there is enough evidence to proceed with a trial. Prosecutors and the defense can call witnesses and both sides are able to question them and present other evidence.

When the hearing begins Tuesday, Maj. Nidal Hasan will be sitting just a few feet from the witnesses. A military officer later will determine whether Hasan should be tried on 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted premeditated murder.

The hearing is expected to last at least three weeks and will include plenty of testimony from survivors about the graphic details of the attack, the worst shooting ever on a U.S. military base.

The shootings happened on a sunny autumn day at Fort Hood, one of the nation's largest Army posts. About 300 people were in the Soldier Readiness Processing Center, a facility where soldiers must go before they are deployed to update vaccinations, get vision and dental screenings, finalize their wills or sign up to talk to a chaplain.

As soldiers waited in various lines, a man suddenly jumped up on a desk, shouted "Allahu Akbar!" — Arabic for "God is great!" — and started firing two guns, witnesses said.

The soldiers and civilian workers were unarmed as 100 rounds came at them directly or ricocheted off the desks and tile floor. Some dove for cover. Others ran outside, bullets whizzing by their heads while they pulled wounded comrades to safety. Victims moaned in pain and screamed for help.

Outside the building, soldiers in nearby buildings heard shouts for medics and ran to a grassy area where people lay bleeding. They ripped off their shirts and used them as a tourniquets. One young soldier loaded a few of the wounded into the back of his pickup and rushed to a hospital.

The rampage lasted only about 10 minutes, until two Fort Hood police officers shot and wounded Hasan, who is now paralyzed. He remains in custody.