Norfolk grad: 'Like end of world'

NORFOLK, Neb. -- It felt as if it were the end of the world.

That's how Tamara Brethouwer -- a 1995 Norfolk High graduate -- described the scene at Fort Hood, Texas, in the wake of the shooting at the base that left 13 people dead.

"Helicopters were flying over. Sirens were sounding. Loudspeakers were shouting at warnings. SWAT teams were all over. It was like what you imagine the last day on Earth might be like," she told the Norfolk Daily News in a telephone interview Friday.

Later, after the fear, the uncertainty and the chaos subsided, the reality of what happened began to sink in.

"Our post is somber. We just ask for everyone's prayers," Brethouwer said.

Brethouwer -- the daughter of Joseph and Maxine Smith of Norfolk -- works as career counselor for the Army Career and Alumni Program (ACAP). The program helps soldiers, their families, retirees and veterans transition from military to civilian life.

Her husband, Landon, is a captain in the U.S. Army and currently deployed to Iraq as part of a medical unit. They have a 2-year-old son, Zein.

The ACAP program provides services to soldiers at the Soldier Readiness Processing Site, which is where the shootings took place, on a daily basis. Brethouwer said she spent time at the processing site just last week. A colleague was there Thursday afternoon.

The husband of the colleague got a frantic phone call Thursday afternoon as she was hiding under a table after the violence broke out. But then the cell phone connection died, leaving the husband, Brethouwer and others in the dark about the situation.

"Everyone was on pins and needles," she said. "My dad was watching what was being reported on CNN and texted me, but I couldn't text him back to let him know I was OK. My husband was trying to get hold of me and couldn't get through. Usually, as spouses, we're the ones who worry about them being overseas. This time, it was him worrying about me."

It wasn't until about 8 p.m. Thursday that she was allowed to leave the base and pick up her son at his child care center. "I just wanted to hug and kiss him," she said.

On Friday, base operations got a late start and Brethower was expecting it to be a chaotic day.

"You'll have all these people and vehicles trying to get onto the base at about the same time. There will be vehicle checks and things like that," she said Friday morning. "I didn't sleep at all last night. But I hope it will be better day."

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