• Font Size    

Most Popular Videos Featured On KDKA.com

Pittsburgh Festivities Kickoff Holidays
E-mail

Close Window E-mail This Page

Local Military Families React To Ft. Hood Tragedy

Required fields are marked with an asterisk(*)

The information you provide will be used only to send the requested e-mail and will not be used to send any other e-mail communications. Read more in our Privacy Policy

Send E-mail

   Print     Share +   
Nov 6, 2009 12:22 am US/Eastern

Local Military Families React To Ft. Hood Tragedy

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) ― Many western Pennsylvanians either volunteer to serve in the military or they're in the reserves or the National Guard.

More often than not, when there's a major crisis involving the armed forces, the men and women in our area who wear the uniform are often affected.

That was the case Thursday as many people in our area anxiously awaited a call from Fort Hood.

For Ken and Alana Weintraub of Grove City, it's hard to believe their son Jason was in harm's way again.

"He survived 15 months in Iraq and now you hear that there's a shooting where he's at," Alana Weintraub said.

"You figure, 'Oh he's home, Fort Hood, he's getting out soon. He's safe,' and then something like this happens, " Frank Weintraub, Jason's father, said. "You don't expect to be on a base – you'd think that'd be a safe place to be."

It was the same reaction in Braddock. Ashley Williams' brother, Cecil, has been stationed at Fort Hood for two years.

"It's sickening for someone, these guys – to go and do that to fallen soldiers that's trying to protect the United States," Williams said.

And in Westmoreland County, Alan Harrf anxiously awaited word on the safety of his brother, Sgt. Major Duane Detweiler and his family.

"My first inkling was that, 'My brother is stationed down there,' and I hoped everything was OK with him and his family because his wife and daughter live down there also," he said.

All of those local soldiers are OK, but their families are shaken. For Alana Weintraub, it feels like the day her son left for combat.

"When you say goodbye to your soldier, you don't know if they're going to come home," she said. "And it's the most gut-wrenching feeling that a mom or a spouse could ever have."

(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

Featured Slideshows On KDKA.com

You need the latest Flash player to view video content.
Click here to download.

Click here to bypass this detection if you already have the latest Flash Player.

Local News

Top News Stories

© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.