Army: Hasan didn't seek to leave military

FORT HOOD, Texas, Nov. 11 (UPI) -- The Army major and accused Fort Hood, Texas, gunman didn't formally ask to leave the military for any reason, an Army official said.

Unclear, however, was whether Maj. Nidal M. Hasan, a psychiatrist, made informal inquiries to leave by contacting his immediate superiors, and if so how his chain of command at lower levels may have responded to the effort, The Washington Post reported Wednesday.

Any formal request by Hasan to separate early -- as a conscientious objector or for another reason -- would have been submitted to the Department of the Army, said the military official, who saw Hasan's file before Army investigators sealed it.

Investigators allege that Hasan opened fire in Fort Hood's Soldier Readiness Center, killing 13 people Thursday.

As a senior-year psychiatric resident at Walter Reed Army Medical Center 18 months ago, Hasan urged senior Army physicians to avoid "adverse events" by allowing Muslim soldiers to be released as conscientious objectors rather than fight in wars against other Muslims, a copy of his presentation obtained by The Washington Post indicated.

His aunt maintains that Hasan sought to leave the Army over his opposition to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Even if he had made such a request, it likely would have been denied, a senior Army officer said.

Maj. Gen. Gina Farrisee, the Army's personnel chief, told the Post an extraordinary situation -- such as debilitating illness or the death of a spouse -- would be necessary for an officer of Hasan's rank and medical training to be allowed to resign before completing his service obligation.

It would be "very very unusual" said Paul Aswell, an Army personnel official. "I can't think of any in recent years," he said.