Gen. George Casey, the Army chief of staff, spoke for a lot of Americans Friday when he described the shooting spree that left 13 people dead at Fort Hood, Texas, as a ``kick in the gut.''

The Army is no stranger to tragedy, but this painful blow hurts deeply because the accused killer is one of the Army's own and the incident took place at a military installation, not on a faraway battlefield.

Soldiers willingly accept risk when they don the uniform to protect their country. It's part of the job. But when death strikes so suddenly and unexpectedly, in the confines of a stateside garrison at the hands of a fellow soldier, there is no way to explain or make sense of it. To make matters worse, the alleged shooter is an Army psychiatrist, a medical doctor trained to help others deal with the stress of combat.

Major Nidal Malik Hasan, the accused shooter, is a U.S.-born Muslim who was set to deploy to Afghanistan. By some accounts, Major Hasan may have been conflicted between his duty to his country and his religious beliefs.

At least one of his commanders described him as an asset, someone who provided excellent care to his patients, and Gen. Casey wisely cautioned against a ``rush to judgment'' until the investigation is complete.

It is far too early, he said, to determine what role, if any, stress played in Major Hasan's actions. He added that the Army is aware that it has a problem with this disorder among troops returning from combat -- and maybe the doctors who treat them -- and is developing more programs to help soldiers cope.

As for his religion, many U.S. Muslims cringed to learn of Major Hasan's Islamic faith, but there is no reason to see a cause and effect or to smear all Muslims for one man's killing spree.

The number of Muslims in the armed forces is relatively low, but hundreds, if not thousands, have served honorably in Iraq and Afghanistan defending their country, the United States. This mindless violence should not prompt anyone to question their loyalty.

Just one day after the rampage at Fort Hood, another gunman wreaked havoc in an office building in Orlando, killing at least one and injuring five others. This time, neither religion nor combat stress was mentioned as a factor. They don't call it mindless violence for nothing.

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