FORT HOOD, Texas—In Fort Hood, residents clearly hold freedom close to their hearts. But now, hearts in the town that’s home to some of the country’s bravest are broken. Many in the community met at Lifeway Church Friday to heal. "It was that so many were hurt where it happened, that’s where they go to prepare to take care of us, just so sad," Kathy Shepherd said. For 27 years, Shepherd has witnessed the strength of the 40,000 servicemen and women at Fort Hood, sacrificing themselves for the sake of freedom. "I worked at Fort Hood up until a year and a half ago, so I would have been in the middle of all this, had it not been for that," she said. The pain is deep, but it was also clear that the bond of residents is deeper, and the search for hope is alive. "It’s just one of those things, you sit there, something happens, and you have to praise God you are here, you are all right, you’ve got your family and your friends," Katherine Maddron said. Maddron knows the fear of losing someone firsthand. Her husband is currently serving in Iraq. As she tried Friday to comprehend how the Fort Hood massacre could happen, she said she recognized how a town built on bravery will not crumble. "The Army family is very, very strong. We will bounce back from this," she said.
