Army Capt Gaffaney was a psychiatric nurse who worked for San Diego County, California for more than 20 years. He had arrived at Fort Hood the day before the shooting to prepare for a deployment to Iraq. He was one of 300 soldiers who were lined up to get shots and eye-testing at the Soldier Readiness Center at Fort Hood when shots rang out. The soldiers were processing to either return from or about to be sent overseas. A disgruntled U.S. Army psychiatrist killed 13 people and injured more than 30 others before he was brought down. John had served in the Navy and later the California National Guard as a younger man. After the September 11 terrorist attacks, he tried to sign up again for military service. Although the Army Reserves at first declined, he got the call about two years ago asking him to rejoin. "He wanted to help the boys in Iraq and Afghanistan deal with the trauma of what they were seeing," said Stephanie Powell, a close friend and co-worker. "He was an honorable man. He just wanted to serve in any way he can." His family described him as an avid baseball card collector and fan of the San Diego Padres. He liked to read military novels and ride his Harley-Davidson motorcycle. John was a strong leader who supervised a team of six social workers at the county's Adult Protective Services department. When his wife, Christine, heard of her husband's actions she wasn't surprised – it wasn't like John to duck or stay out of harm's way. He would have been trying to protect everyone else.
Army Capt Gaffaney was a psychiatric nurse who worked for San Diego County, California for more than 20 years. He had arrived at Fort Hood the day before the shooting to prepare for a deployment to Iraq. He was one of 300 soldiers who were lined up to get shots and eye-testing at the Soldier Readiness Center at Fort Hood when shots rang out. The soldiers were processing to either return from or about to be sent overseas. A disgruntled U.S. Army psychiatrist killed 13 people and injured more than 30 others before he was brought down. John had served in the Navy and later the California National Guard as a younger man. After the September 11 terrorist attacks, he tried to sign up again for military service. Although the Army Reserves at first declined, he got the call about two years ago asking him to rejoin. "He wanted to help the boys in Iraq and Afghanistan deal with the trauma of what they were seeing," said Stephanie Powell, a close friend and co-worker. "He was an honorable man. He just wanted to serve in any way he can." His family described him as an avid baseball card collector and fan of the San Diego Padres. He liked to read military novels and ride his Harley-Davidson motorcycle. John was a strong leader who supervised a team of six social workers at the county's Adult Protective Services department. When his wife, Christine, heard of her husband's actions she wasn't surprised – it wasn't like John to duck or stay out of harm's way. He would have been trying to protect everyone else.
