Medical unit deploys after Ft. Hood losses

FORT HOOD, Texas, Dec. 5 (UPI) -- A U.S. Army Reserve medical unit that lost three members in last month's Fort Hood, Texas, base shootings has left for Afghanistan, officials say.

The 467th Medical Detachment was preparing to deploy for Afghanistan at Fort Hood last month when Maj. Nidal Hasan -- an Army psychiatrist who was slated to join the Reserve unit once it was deployed -- allegedly opened fire at the base, killing 13, including three from the unit, The Wall Street Journal reported Saturday.

Six of its members were also among the 32 wounded in the Nov. 5 shootings. Army officials told the newspaper the 467th left for Afghanistan at full strength because reservists volunteered to take the place of their dead and wounded comrades.

One of the volunteers, Sgt. Kara Hurtig, 28, of Janesville, Wis., said the departure was an emotional time.

"You have a tug at your heart," she told the Journal. "It's hard to watch people be deployed multiple times. They need mental-health support."

The newspaper said the unit, which is based in Wisconsin, had arrived at Fort Hood just one day before the shootings.