FORT HOOD, Texas (BP)--About a dozen Southern Baptist chaplains stationed at Fort Hood in central Texas began ministering in the aftermath of a shooting on post Nov. 5 that has left 13 people dead and 30 wounded.

Also in the area, Southern Baptist churches rallied to pray for the victims and offer assistance.

"I was told that the chaplains at Fort Hood -- about a dozen of whom are Southern Baptist -- were involved on the ground yesterday, and started ministering during and right after the incident," Keith Travis, team leader of the chaplaincy evangelism team at the North American Mission Board, told Baptist Press Nov. 6.

"The Army is a big family, and the chaplains are a very prominent part of that family. And they are there right now providing pastoral care to the Fort Hood community," Travis said. "We ask Southern Baptists to pray for our chaplains as they continue to minister."

Gen. Douglas Carver, a Southern Baptist who serves as chief of chaplains for the U.S. Army, was at Fort Hood on Nov. 6 accompanying Secretary of the Army John McHugh, Carver's office told Baptist Press. About 30 grief counselors were available to soldiers at Fort Hood's Spiritual Fitness Center (the chapel), according to the post's public affairs office.

Gunfire broke out early in the afternoon Thursday on the world's largest military base as about 300 soldiers were lined up to receive shots and have their eyes checked in preparation for deployment.

The alleged gunman, Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, a 39-year-old Army psychiatrist, was shot four times by a civilian police officer and remained hospitalized on a ventilator, the Associated Press reported.

Soldiers who witnessed the shooting said Hasan, a Muslim, shouted "Allahu Akbar," an Arabic phrase for "God is great," before opening fire, Lt. Gen. Robert Cone, the base commander, said, adding that the comment had not been confirmed.

Officials said the motive for the shooting was unclear, but various reports indicated that Hasan had expressed apprehension over deployment orders as well as disapproval of the war on terror.

Experts attributed the high number of casualties at the Soldier Readiness Center to the close quarters and ricochet fire. Some soldiers rushed to treat others by ripping their uniforms into makeshift bandages, AP said, adding that all but two of the injured were still hospitalized, and all were in stable condition.

President Obama ordered that flags be flown at half-staff in what he called a "modest tribute" to those who died and the military personnel who serve the United States, and the Department of Defense observed a moment of silence throughout the world at 1:34 p.m. EST Friday, marking 24 hours after the shooting.