Soldiers killed in Fort Hood shooting are mourned

The Associated Press Comments 1
Published: November 14, 2009

KIEL, Wisconsin (AP) — The hundreds of people who lined the main street of a small Indiana city Saturday fell solemnly silent as a white hearse passed by on its way to the church. Mourners streamed into a Wisconsin gymnasium to remember a soldier who once promised to take down Osama bin Laden.

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Across the country, many stood before several flag-draped coffins during funeral services for several of the 13 victims of the Nov. 5 shootings in Fort Hood, Texas.

Army psychiatrist Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, 39, was charged on Thursday with the shooting spree at a processing center on the Army post. Army investigators have said Hasan is the only suspect and could face additional charges.

In Plymouth, Indiana, Sheila Ellabarger had placed two foot (60 centimeter)-high American flags in the grass where she watched the procession for Army Staff Sgt. Justin DeCrow. She said her children went to school with DeCrow and his wife — his high school sweetheart — and she knew other members of his family.

"He was killed by a terrorist in my mind but he was still killed in the line of duty. We owe him a debt of gratitude, him and his family and the other soldiers. We owe them our lives, our freedom," Ellabarger said.

During services in Norman, Oklahoma, snapshots from U.S. Army Spc. Jason Dean Hunt's recent wedding were projected near his casket. The 22-year-old was described as a loving husband and family man as well as a soldier who left a legacy of selflessness and service.

"We may never find out the reason for what occurred on that fateful day at Fort Hood, Texas," said Ross Ridge, the deputy commanding general at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. "The military community are all grieving here today over the loss of this dedicated soldier."

The high school gymnasium in Kiel, Wisconsin, was filled Saturday for Staff Sgt. Amy Krueger's funeral. A visitation had been held there Friday where the 29-year-old was remembered as a determined, energetic young woman.

She joined the U.S. Army Reserves after the 2001 terrorist attacks and vowed to hunt down bin Laden. When her mother said she couldn't do it alone, the soldier defiantly told her, "Watch me."

Krueger was to deploy to Afghanistan for a second time in December and had recently been sent for training at Fort Hood.

Krueger had been studying psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and was a mental health specialist who wanted to help soldiers cope with combat stress.

"Her smile would light up any room, her energy would envelope all of those around her," her parents, Jeri and David Krueger, said in a statement. "It is that smile and that energy that keeps us going throughout this difficult time."

Other funerals on Saturday were for Capt. John Gaffaney, 56, a psychiatric nurse who worked for San Diego County, California, and Pfc. Michael Pearson, 22, of Bolingbrook, Illinois.

Among the mourners at Pfc. Aaron Thomas Nemelka's service were Utah Gov. Gary Herbert and U.S. Rep. Jason Chaffetz.

The 19-year-old Nemelka, of West Jordan, Utah joined the Army a little more than a year ago and was preparing to deploy to Iraq.

"Aaron was a man of few words but deep feelings and a gentle disposition," according to an obituary in Salt Lake City newspapers. "His beautiful smile and cheerful, fun-loving personality endeared him to his many friends and family members."

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Associated Press writers Rochelle Hines in Norman, Oklahoma, Rick Callahan in Plymouth, Indiana; Dinesh Ramde in Milwaukee and Jennifer Dobner in West Jordan, Utah contributed to this report.