Brother of base commander confident order will return
The brother of the New Hampshire native commanding Fort Hood, Texas, said yesterday he is confident that Lieutenant General Robert W. Cone will be able to restore sense of peace at the base where 13 people were killed and 30 wounded by a gunman on Thursday.
“It’s horrifying,’’ Brad Cone said of the attack allegedly carried out by Army Major Nidal Malik Hasan. “But I also know [Cone] is the man for the job. He will restore order and get the morale to where it should be by working with the families of the victims, both deceased and injured.’’
Brad Cone adde, “He always does the next right thing.’’
Cone, a salesman, said he was driving in the White Mountains on Thursday when his boss alerted him to the tragedy unfolding in Texas. “I was kind of fearing the worse, to be honest with you,’’ Cone said, adding he listened to the radio as he continued driving home to Salem, N.H.
Once home, Cone was relieved to see his brother appear on the television screen.
“I’m used to hearing his voice,’’ said Brad Cone, who added that the brothers speak by telephone at least once a week. “To know that my television is one of many around the world that was watching him, it was surreal to me.’’
Brad Cone said it wasn’t until late Thursday night that he got a text from his brother assuring him that both he and his sister-in-law, Jill, were safe.
The Cones grew up in Manchester, N.H., where the elder Cone played football and then pursued his lifelong goal of becoming a soldier when he entered West Point in 1975 as the Vietnam War was winding down and anyone choosing to make a career out of the military was viewed with some disdain, Brad Cone said.
“You really had to be devoted back in those days,’’ said Brad Cone, who added that their father has remained in Manchester. “When we were kids, some people wanted to be a firefighter. Myself, I wanted to be a professional basketball player. My brother wanted to be a soldier. He always wanted to be a soldier. . . . He’s a very driven individual.’’
Cone said his brother took command of Fort Hood only in September and is expected to command the base for the next two years.
Brad Cone said that prior to the attack, his family was planning to visit with the general over the Christmas holidays, a plan that could change because of the tragedy.
“I never thought something like this would happen on our soil,’’ Cone said.