Nicole Baptiste thought her worries were over when her husband returned from Iraq. Like so many military families, she never expected violence to erupt on a U.S. base.
"My husband just got back from Iraq so that was a year of not knowing whether he was dead or alive," said Baptiste.
Darian is a staff sergeant in the Army. He transferred from the Marine Corps in 2006.
His wife asked that we not disclose his last name since he works with military intelligence. He returned from Iraq just three days before the shooting. Since all communication was shutdown, more than 12 hours passed before she knew he was alive.
"I honestly thought he was dead. I mean, I know that he survived Iraq twice - two different tours. Being that I didn't hear from him, I thought the worse and hoped for the best," said Baptiste.
Baptiste believes her husband is hiding his true feelings, trying to protect her and their son. So we talked to a clinical psychologist at Ft. Meade for suggestions on how military families can cope.
Capt. Ada Rodriguez can relate on a personal level. She just returned from a year-long deployment.
"Just being supportive and giving them time is the most important thing. Because all of this readjustment takes time, just getting back into the rhythm of things," said Capt. Rodriguez.
Capt. Rodriguez says 30 percent of soldiers will experience behavioral health issues. For now, the news from Ft. Hood is kept from the couple's 8-year-old son, Cole.
Baptiste says the shooting at Ft. Hood is a reminder of the sacrifices military families endure.
"You sacrifice sometimes lives, your mental health, your well-being, your families. It's very difficult on a marriage," she said.
Over the past five years, the couple has lived together just 13 months. The tragedy at Ft. Hood has Baptiste even more thankful for every moment.
