The location and timing of Thursday’s shooting at Fort Hood Army base  in Texas, which left 12 dead and 31 wounded, indicates it might be a retaliation against repeat combat deployments.

Texas law enforcement has identified a shooter killed in the attack as Army Maj. Malik Nadal Hasan, who was about to be sent to Iraq. Two other soldiers are in custody as suspects with no motive established yet.

While Fort Hood is the largest Army base in the United States, the perpetrators chose to attack the base’s Soldier Readiness Center, where soldiers who are about to be deployed or who are returning from war undergo medical screening.

The Obama administration indicated on Oct. 26 they would likely make an announcement to seek more troops for the war in Afghanistan sometime around Nov. 7, but might not request the 40,000 that they previously considered.

Nearly 40 percent of the approximately 1.9 million troops who have served in the War on Terror since 2001 have served more than one tour, according to Army Human Resources data. In the Vietnam War the average soldier served less time in combat with a single tour of 12 months, but changes have been made due to an all-volunteer army.

Through programs like the Individual Ready Reserve, the Army can send a soldier on a second or third tour any time within eight years of enlistment. This fulfilling troop quotas, but consequences of extended tours include the increased risk of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), according to a recent mental health released by the nonpartisan think tank RAND Corporation. The fear of redeployment after a year in the reserves can also contribute to PTSD and inability to readjust to civilian life.

The last mass shooting of Army soldiers by one of their own was a serviceman suffering from mental trauma after three tours in Iraq who allegedly murdered five soldiers on May 11 at Camp Liberty mental facility in Iraq. The shooter from that example, Sgt. John M. Russell, is currently facing five murder counts and charges of aggravated assault.

The use of repeat deployments have also led to an increase in desertion from the Army, according to a 2007 Freedom of Information Act request made by the Associated Press. It reported that 3,301 soldiers deserted from the Army in 2006, compared to 2,659 in 2005, and 2,450 in 2004.

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