The breaking news about Fort Hood made me cringe.

Like most Muslims, I hoped the shooter would be a Smith or Jones, while some smirked and gleefully waited for a Muslim name to say, I told you so.

Once again, this incident would highlight the polarized social relations in American society amid a national tragedy.

American Muslims would be uncomfortable by intense media scrutiny, while others would have a field day maligning Islam and blaming Muslims.

And both would be wrong.

If Major Nidal Malik Hasan were Robert Stewart, who committed mass killings at a nursing home in North Carolina, or Mike McLendon, who massacred his former co-workers in Alabama, it would be another tragic episode requiring a routine investigation and short-lived news coverage.

But the dynamics of this tragedy are much different and demand a full and thorough investigation for many unanswered questions: The alleged shooter did not just kill his co-workers; he killed the individuals who made a selfless commitment to defend the homeland, and thus all Americans.

The U.S. Army is no ordinary institution that would promote an individual to the rank of major without appropriate training and serious screening. Hasan was not only a trained officer, but also a trained physician -- a mental-health caregiver.

It is bad enough if he were just another ideologue who fooled the system to become an officer.

It is far more harmful and dangerous if he cracked after listening to the horror stories from combat-stressed soldiers returning from a questionable conflict in Iraq.

The suicide rate among veterans underscores the need to look into the state of mental health of all military caregivers.

Also, there is a matter of trust.

The soldiers facing the enemy trust that their backs are protected by comrades in uniform. This sacred trust is what makes our military a cohesive unit of fellow soldiers regardless of race, religion or ethnicity.

The tragedy in Fort Hood leaves many unexplained variables.

Therefore, it must be investigated thoroughly, and media must report the facts regardless of peoples' insecurity or bigotry.

As a military veteran I know there are many proud and patriotic American Muslims serving their country in uniform.

News coverage should not make American Muslims uncomfortable. They bear no responsibility for the actions of a deranged individual.

Nor should anyone say, ``I told you so,'' if for no other reason than out of respect for 13 dead victims at Fort Hood.

Mohammad S. Shakir, who served in the U.S. Army, is director of the Asian American Advisory Board, Miami-Dade County.

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