Nearly 65,000 soldiers and their families call Fort Hood, Texas, home, including Champion native Bob Jarzynkowski.
The last time the 18-year Army veteran came back to the Valley was over the summer, when his family threw him a homecoming parade in Cortland. Jarzynkowski's family is thankful tonight that Bob is safe and sound.
"It's scary, it really is," said Jean Salcone, Jarzynkowski's mother.
Salcone spoke to her son late Thursday night as he was locked in his barracks.
"They knew something was going on, but they didn't really know right away what it was," she said.
The shooting spree ended up as the worst mass killing on a U.S. military base, with 13 people dead and 30 more wounded.
"This is a kick in the gut, not only for the Fort Hood community, but for the entire Army," said Gen. George Casey.
Questions still linger on what exactly caused Nidal Malik Hasan to carry out the act. Hasan's family said he was unhappy with a future deployment to Afghanistan.
"I understand that's a rough thing to go through, but he hadn't even been there yet. You know, if he didn't want to go, he should have just gotten out of the service," Salcone said.
And though her family is safe, it still doesn't mask the horrific nature of what happened.
"I feel relieved that my son is OK," Salcone said. "But, I really feel badly for all of those families that lost their loved ones."
