After the attack, I fully expected the liberal media to spin the story with a headline that read, "Thank Allah, President Obama Rejected the Term, 'War on Terror' or the Massacre Would Have Been Worse."  Despite the media's "political correctness," the facts prove it was not a random act of violence but a premeditated terrorist attack against American soldiers inside one of the largest military installations in the world. Regardless of, or more accurately because of, President Barack Obama's conciliatory and self-deprecating attitude to Islamic leaders worldwide, we are still in a "War on Terror." And our heroic soldiers paid the price for our political cowardice. On November 5, they became cannon fodder for a president who bows to Saudi King Abdullah, hosts Ramadan dinners at the White House, and broadcasts Ramadan messages to Muslims of the world.
 
Reports reveal Army Maj. Nidal Malik Hasanyelled, "Allahu Akbar" before the shooting rampage. A radical American imam, Anwar al Awlaki, who was a religious leader at two mosques where three 9/11 hijackers worshipped, praised Nidal Malik Hasan's actions on his personal website. Awlaki claimed Muslims in America who condemned Hasan's actions are hypocrites and have committed treason against their faith. Perhaps this is why the young man Hasan "mentored" at his mosque, the Islamic Community Center of Greater Killeen, was unwilling to denounce his actions or the massacre at Fort Hood.
 
Fox News reports 18 year old Duane Reasoner said, "I don't know his intentions. I don't know what he was thinking. I won't condemn another Muslim." According to a BBC interview by Galvin Lee, in reference to the victims at Fort Hood, Reasoner said, "They were troops who were going to Afghanistan and Iraq to kill Muslims. I honestly have no pity for them." To listen to the interview, click here The Jawa Report: BBC: Ft Hood mosque member defends shootings: "they were troops who were going to Afghanistan and Iraq to kill Muslims. I honestly have no pity for them." 
 
Hasan's family attended the mosque Awlaki was preaching at in 2001, the Dar al Hijar Center at Fall Church, Virginia. According to the Associated Press, "Hasan's mother's funeral was held at the Falls Church mosque on May 31, 2001, according to her obituary in the Roanoke Times newspaper, around the same time two 9/11 hijackers worshipped at the mosque and while Awlaki was preaching." To read the full article, Associated Press click here, The Associated Press: Radical imam praises alleged Fort Hood shooter.
 
Today, the Associated Press reported, "On Dec. 23, 2008, Awlaki, on his Web site, encouraged Muslims across the world to kill U.S. troops in Iraq." After the attack, Awlaki wrote that the only Muslims who should serve in the army are those who intend to "follow in the footsteps of men like Nidal." Awalki is thought to have ties to Osama bin Laden. To read the full New York Post article, click here, Nidal Malik Hasan attended same Virginia mosque as two 9/11 hijackers.
 
As the New York Post reported, there is a definite connection between the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the slaughter at Fort Hood. If it speaks like a terrorist ("Allahu Akbar," blogs justifying suicide bombings, and conversations with co-workers calling American soldiers the "aggressors") acts like a terrorist (Islamic provoked mass murder), and associates with terrorists (link between the Dar al Hijar Center mosque that breeds radicals and Anwar al Awlaki, a suspected al-Qaida militant) the act is called terrorism.
 

With the sobering reality of domestic terrorism as a backdrop, we discussed what we could do as a Christian family to support the troops who protect us everyday. We prayed with broken hearts. Given the enormity and gravity of the situation, what could we ever say or do? We put aside our feelings of helplessness and decided to remind the troops of the love of God. The children painted signs reading, "Pray for our Troops," and "We Love Our Troops," and a large banner that said, "God Bless Our Troops: Jesus Loves You." 
 
Rusty was in Oklahoma but blessed our efforts. We packed up our signs and some small American flags and the 10 children and I drove to the military base on Saturday, just two days after the attack. We did not know where we could stand, only that we wanted to be a visible reminder to the soldiers of God's love. In faith, we decided on the main gate at Fort Hood, uncertain if we would be allowed to hold signs that near a military installation in the throes of a tragedy. 
 
God is so good. He prepared the way. When we go to the main gate, it was heavily guarded. The soldiers were evidently touched by the children's desire to honor them but they could not grant us permission without following the chain of command. After making various phone calls to different military officials for permission to stand at the gate, we were finally told to call back as they looked in to the matter. It seemed to us the military wanted us to be able to stand at the gate and show our support but they were hesitant to do so because, as one soldier put it, they may have to allow others to hold different signs there too. Meanwhile, a kind police officer working in tandem with the military gave us permission to stand on the grassy area beside the media tents. In that way, the traffic could see us as they entered the base and the military could say they never gave us official permission.
 
The children held their signs and waved their American flags. They shouted, "Thank you" and waved to each car as it entered the base. Killeen was a town in deep mourning but the response was phenomenal. Every car that drove by honked or waved. And when a uniformed soldier drove in, the kids erupted in to shouts of praise. At a certain point we were humbled by a visit from a man in uniform. I am unsure of his rank but he was very commanding and was attended to by another soldier. He stopped to thank us for our sacrifice! Each day this man puts his life on the line for our protection, and he stopped to thank us for our sacrifice. That humble comment alone, speaks to the caliber of men that serve in our armed forces.
 

 

We stayed for a few hours and, as God designed it, during that time many from the media interviewed the children. The Associated Press took pictures of the children and one picture in particular (of Jeremiah rubbing his eyes while holding a sign that read "We Love our Troops") was picked up by news outlets from around the nation. In addition, a number of television stations interviewed us. Some of these stations were even from other countries, including Canada, Turkey, and Australia. Relatives from New Mexico and New Hampshire called our home the next day to tell us they saw the "Thomas Nation" on their local news. Here locally, the Sunday Waco Tribune quoted Charity ("We just felt helpless Thursday. We knew this was something we could do. We can't go to Iraq, but we could come here.") and placed a picture of Micah on the front page (he was holding a sign that read, "Pray for our Soldiers").The message of God's love was delivered nationally to our troops!
 
The name of Jesus was lifted high, as the children made mention of their faith being the primary reason they came out. They wanted to show the love of Christ to a hurting nation. The danger of Islam was also articulated. At one point, a reporter asked Charity how she felt that one of our soldiers turned on his fellow soldiers. At that, Charity aptly replied, "He was not one of our soldiers. He was a Muslim." Rusty requested we hold one particular sign, in addition to the many we held in honor of the troops. The sign Rusty asked the boys to hold said, "We are Not at War with Terror...We are at War with Islam." At one point, the media asked me why we were there. I explained the primary reason was to remind the troops they are loved and supported. I also said I hoped the show of support for our troops would inspire a frank, open discussion about the dangers Islam. At Rusty's suggestion, I reminded the news media that Islam is more then a religious ideology; it is a militaristic, totalitarian idealogy. I asked the question, has America become another Israel?

 

As exciting as the media attention was, it paled in comparison to a sweet, simple gesture made by three military wives. As we packed up our van to leave, a car pulled up beside us and asked if the people with the signs had left. I explained we had a long ride home and offered to give them our banner, if they wanted to hold it in support of the troops. One of the women began to cry. In between her tears, she explained they saw us earlier and had returned to give us food and bottled water. Once again, these selfless military families thanked us for our sacrifice.  I spoke strongly, and replied, "No. Thank YOU. You are not alone. We are just a visible reminder that people all across America support you and are praying for you. Tell your loved ones, they are not standing alone. YOU are not alone." At that, all three women broke into tears. They were crying so hard they could not speak. They left their car, and through sobs, each woman embraced me. There were no words spoken. It was a moment I will never forget. It spoke to the fragility of the human condition.
 

 

After we left Fort Hood, we stopped at Scott and White hospital where many of the wounded were taken. We pulled into a parking space next to a soldier. He told us his best friend was one of the wounded. He asked us to pray for Matthew Cooke.
 
Again, the Lord directed our steps. We were not sure if we would be allowed to stand on hospital grounds. We saw a CNN crew and a local reported on a grassy area in front of the hospital so we decided to unfurl the banner and hold our signs there. At a certain point, we noticed a lot of commotion from the windows in a building to our right. People were waving and calling other people over to the windows. They were holding up signs for us to read and writing things on the glass. The people were trying to get our attention, which galvanized the children into frenzied flag waving. We moved the banner so those in the building could read it better. Shortly after, a uniformed man left the building and walked over to where we were on the grass. He was an army chaplain, carrying his Bible. He said he had been with the soldiers and had come outside to thank us and to let us know we were at the right location for the soldiers to see us. The building on the right housed the wounded soldiers. He told us that the families saw us. He thanked us for being there.
 
The military leader who stopped to thank us, the military wives who cried on our shoulders, the army chaplain who encouraged us and thanked us for ministering to the hurting, the families of the wounded who waved at us from the hospital windows„Ÿtheir humility and sacrifice reminds us all what it means to be an American. My prayer is that our family's modest show of support for the soldiers on the streets at Fort Hood, reminds our nation what it means to be Christian.