Contrary to previous reports, Hasan's military personnel record
indicates that he did not apply for an early discharge from the army,
as a conscientious objector or for any other reason, according to
military officials. Hasan, who was born in the US to Palestinian
parents, was widely understood to have sought and been denied an early
separation from the army, a factor that could have helped explain why
he allegedly snapped and went on the shooting rampage.

Family
members have said that Hasan sought desperately to leave the army,
especially ahead of an expected deployment to Afghanistan. A cousin in
the West Bank has said that as recently as a week before the incident
the...

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Contrary to previous reports, Hasan's military personnel record
indicates that he did not apply for an early discharge from the army,
as a conscientious objector or for any other reason, according to
military officials. Hasan, who was born in the US to Palestinian
parents, was widely understood to have sought and been denied an early
separation from the army, a factor that could have helped explain why
he allegedly snapped and went on the shooting rampage.

Family
members have said that Hasan sought desperately to leave the army,
especially ahead of an expected deployment to Afghanistan. A cousin in
the West Bank has said that as recently as a week before the incident
the army rejected Hasan's effort to gain an early separation. The army,
short on psychiatrists and desperate to retain Arab-Americans among its
ranks, was highly unlikely to accede to such a request from Hasan,
having paid for his medical training.

But the Pentagon has found
no evidence Hasan ever formally sought to leave the military. Another
indication Hasan had not put in for a discharge: He was promoted to the
rank of major in May, after an army board endorsed his performance as
an officer, the Washington Post reported.

Meanwhile, officials
involved in Hasan's medical training have described him as belligerent,
defensive and argumentative when discussing his apparently deeply held
Muslim faith.

Officials also described him as a mediocre
student and a lazy worker, and said the combination led to a decision
to send him to Fort Hood, where other medical personnel could pick up
the slack if he continued to perform poorly and superior officers could
document behaviour problems, the Associated Press reported.