At Va.‘s Fort Lee, shock and sympathy

FORT LEE -- A day after the worst mass shooting ever to occur on a U.S. military base, the Fort Lee community carried on and in silence honored the victims at Fort Hood, Texas.

"We are shocked, horrified by something very sad that has happened to members of our family," said Lt. Col. Joseph Gibilisco, the family life chaplain at Fort Lee. "We are grieving. I think that everyone of us needs to pray for the families of those who have lost a soldier."

The shooting felt close to home at Fort Lee, the Prince George County installation where many trainees have ties to the Texas base.

Because the shooting is believed to be an isolated incident, Fort Lee remained open yesterday, said installation spokesman Matthew Montgomery.

The installation observed a moment of silence at 2:34 p.m.

Fort Lee regularly conducts emergency training to prepare its law enforcement -- including civilian and military police -- for scenarios including a shooting. At a recent emergency training exercise, Fort Lee Police Chief Joseph Metzger said protecting the soldiers, their families and other workers at the base is a priority, and authorities remain vigilant to threats.

An official statement yesterday from Fort Lee said: "We take our force protection very seriously, and as always we remain vigilant in order to protect the soldiers, families and civilians working and living on our installation. Our thoughts and prayers go out to our fellow soldiers and their families at Fort Hood."

The installation's Office of the Chaplain, which serves the Fort Lee community and offers support in different faiths, yesterday received several calls related to concerns about the Fort Hood incidents, said Gibilisco.

"These are wounds that may take time to heal," he said. "We have made ourselves available to soldiers and their families . . . especially soldiers in training, some of them who may know someone at Fort Hood."

Contact Luz Lazo at (804) 649-6058 or .