The 13 people killed when an Army psychiatrist allegedly opened
fire on fellow soldiers at Fort Hood, Texas, included several
people who shared the same profession as the alleged shooter, a
father of three with ties to Laos whose family had a history of
military service, a civilian who had returned to work a week after
suffering a heart attack, and a psychiatric nurse who arrived at
Fort Hood a day before the shooting. Here is a look at the victims.
Michael Grant Cahill
Cahill, a 62-year-old physician assistant, suffered a heart
attack two weeks ago and returned to work at the base as a civilian
employee after taking just one week off for recovery, said his
daughter Keely Vanacker.
''He survived that. He was getting back on track, and he gets
killed by a gunman,'' Vanacker said, her words bare with shock and
disbelief.
Cahill, of Cameron, Texas, helped treat soldiers returning from
tours of duty or preparing for deployment. Often, Vanacker said,
Cahill would walk young soldiers where they needed to go, just to
make sure they got the right treatment.
''He loved his patients, and his patients loved him,'' said
Vanacker, 33, the oldest of Cahill's three adult children. ''He
just felt his job was important.''
Cahill, who was born in Spokane, Wash., had worked as a civilian
contractor at Fort Hood for about four years, after jobs in rural
health clinics and at Veterans Affairs hospitals. He and his wife,
Joleen, had been married 37 years.
Vanacker described her father as a gregarious man and a
voracious reader who could talk for hours about any subject.
The family's typical Thanksgiving dinners ended with board games
and long conversations over the table, said Vanacker, whose voice
often cracked with emotion as she remembered her father. ''Now, who
I am going to talk to?''
Maj. Libardo Eduardo Caraveo
Caraveo, 52, of Woodbridge, Va., arrived in the United States in
his teens from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, knowing very little English
said his son, also named Eduardo Caraveo.
He earned his doctorate in psychology from the University of
Arizona and worked with bilingual special-needs students at
Tucson-area schools before entering private practice.
His son told the Arizona Daily Star in Tucson that Caraveo had
arrived at Fort Hood on Wednesday and was preparing to deploy to
Afghanistan. Eduardo Caraveo spoke to the newspaper from his
mother's Tucson home.
His father's Web site says he offered marriage seminars with a
company based in Woodbridge, Va.
Staff Sgt. Justin M. DeCrow
DeCrow, 32, was helping train soldiers on how to help new
veterans with paperwork and had felt safe on the Army post.
''He was on a base,'' his wife, Marikay DeCrow, said in a
telephone interview from the couple's home in Evans, Ga. ''They
should be safe there. They should be safe.''
In a statement Saturday, she said her husband's ''infectious
charm and wit always put others at ease.''
His wife said she wanted everyone to know what a loving man he
was. The couple have a 13-year-old daughter, Kylah.
''He was well loved by everyone,'' she said through sobs. ''He
was a loving father and husband and he will be missed by all.''
The couple were high school sweethearts who married in 1996.
Marikay DeCrow said her husband was first stationed at Fort Gordon
in 2000, and she had hoped they would reunite at their home in
nearby Evans when another post there opened up.
DeCrow was stationed in Korea from September 2008 to August. He
left in September to go to Fort Hood.
His father, Daniel DeCrow, of Fulton, Ind., said he talked to
his son last week to ask him how things were going at Fort Hood.
''As usual, the last words out of my mouth to him were that I
was proud of him,'' he said. ''That's what I said to him every time
that I loved him and I was proud of what he was doing. I can
carry that around in my heart.''
Capt. John Gaffaney
Gaffaney, 56, was a psychiatric nurse who worked for San Diego
County, Calif., for more than 20 years and had arrived at Fort Hood
the day before the shooting to prepare for a deployment to Iraq.
Gaffaney, who was born in Williston, N.D., had served in the
Navy and later the California National Guard as a younger man, his
family said. After the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, he tried to sign
up again for military service. Although the Army Reserves at first
declined, he got the call about two years ago asking him to rejoin,
said his close friend and co-worker Stephanie Powell.
''He wanted to help the boys in Iraq and Afghanistan deal with
the trauma of what they were seeing,'' Powell said. ''He was an
honorable man. He just wanted to serve in any way he can.''
His family described him as an avid baseball card collector and
fan of the San Diego Padres who liked to read military novels and
ride his Harley-Davidson motorcycle.
Gaffaney supervised a team of six social workers, including
Powell, at the county's Adult Protective Services department. Ellen
Schmeding, assistant deputy director for the county's Health and
Human Services Agency, said Gaffaney was a strong leader.
He is survived by a wife and a son.
Spc. Frederick Greene
Greene, 29, of Mountain City, Tenn., went by ''Freddie'' and was
active at Baker's Gap Baptist Church while he was growing up, said
Glenn Arney, the church's former superintendent and a former
co-worker of Greene's.
''I went to church with him, knew him all of his life. He was
one of the finest boys you ever saw,'' Arney said.
Arney worked with Greene for several years at A.C. Lumber and
Truss in Mountain City. The company designs and builds trusses,
which are structures that support the roofs and floors of houses
and other buildings.
''He was a hard worker. He was a computer whiz. He could design
a truss. He could do about anything,'' Arney said.
His family released a statement Sunday calling him a loving son,
husband and father, who often acted as the family's protector.
''Even before joining the Army, he exemplified the Army values
of loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity and
personal courage,'' the family said.
Spc. Jason Dean Hunt
Hunt, 22, of Frederick, Okla., went into the military after
graduating from Tipton High School in 2005 and had got married just
two months ago, his mother, Gale Hunt, said. He had served 3 1/2
years in the Army, including a stint in Iraq.
Gale Hunt said two uniformed soldiers came to her door late
Thursday night to notify her of her son's death.
Hunt, known as J.D., was ''just kind of a quiet boy and a good
kid, very kind,'' said Kathy Gray, an administrative assistant at
Tipton Schools.
His mother said he was family oriented.
''He didn't go in for hunting or sports,'' Gale Hunt said. ''He
was a very quiet boy who enjoyed video games.''
He had re-enlisted for six years after serving his initial
two-year assignment, she said. Jason Hunt was previously stationed
at Fort Stewart in Georgia.
Sgt. Amy Krueger
Krueger, 29, of Kiel, Wis., joined the Army after the 2001
terrorist attacks and had vowed to take on Osama bin Laden, her
mother, Jeri Krueger said.
Amy Krueger arrived at Fort Hood on Tuesday and was scheduled to
be sent to Afghanistan in December, her mother told the Herald
Times Reporter of Manitowoc.
Jeri Krueger recalled telling her daughter that she could not
take on bin Laden by herself.
''Watch me,'' her daughter replied.
Kiel High School Principal Dario Talerico told The Associated
Press that Krueger graduated from the school in 1998 and had spoken
at least once to local elementary school students about her career.
''I just remember that Amy was a very good kid, who like most
kids in a small town are just looking for what their next step in
life was going to be and she chose the military,'' Talerico said.
''Once she got into the military, she really connected with that
kind of lifestyle and was really proud to serve her country.''
Pfc. Aaron Thomas Nemelka
Nemelka, 19, of the Salt Lake City suburb of West Jordan, Utah,
chose to join the Army instead of going on a mission for The Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, his uncle Christopher Nemelka
said.
''As a person, Aaron was as soft and kind and as gentle as they
come, a sweetheart,'' his uncle said. ''What I loved about the kid
was his independence of thought.''
Aaron Nemelka was proud to serve and felt keenly the
responsibility of representing his nation and his family, said
another uncle, Michael Blades. Blades said several of Nemelka's
relatives were in the military, including a grandfather who served
in the Korean War and received a Purple Heart.
''He felt it was his duty to stand with them in defense of our
country,'' Blades said.
Nemelka enjoyed soccer, bowling and snowboarding, and was an
avid fan of the Utah Utes, he said.
The youngest of four children, Nemelka was scheduled to be
deployed to Afghanistan in January, his family said in a statement.
Nemelka had enlisted in the Army in October 2008, Utah National
Guard Lt. Col. Lisa Olsen said.
Blades said Nemelka had a tremendous love for his family and a
deep sense of duty.
''His mission is completed,'' Blades said, his voice breaking.
''He now serves a higher calling in heaven.''
Pfc. Michael Pearson
Pearson, 22, of the Chicago suburb of Bolingbrook, Ill., quit
what he figured was a dead-end furniture company job to join the
military about a year ago.
Pearson's mother, Sheryll Pearson, said the 2006 Bolingbrook
High School graduate joined the military because he was eager to
serve his country and broaden his horizons.
''He was the best son in the whole world,'' she said. ''He was
my best friend and I miss him.''
His cousin, Mike Dostalek, showed reporters a poem Pearson
wrote. ''I look only to the future for wisdom. To rock back and
forth in my wooden chair,'' the poem says.
At Pearson's family home Friday, a yellow ribbon was tied to a
porch light and a sticker stamped with American flags on the front
door read, ''United we stand.''
Neighbor Jessica Koerber, who was with Pearson's parents when
they received word Thursday their son had died, described him as a
man who clearly loved his family someone who enjoyed horsing
around with his nieces and nephews, and other times playing his
guitar.
''That family lost their gem,'' she told the AP. ''He was a
great kid, a great guy. ... Mikey was one of a kind.''
Sheryll Pearson said she hadn't seen her son for a year because
he had been training. She told the Tribune that when she last
talked to him on the phone two days ago, they had discussed how he
would come home for Christmas.
Capt. Russell Seager
Seager, 51, of Racine, Wis., was a psychiatrist who joined the
Army a few years ago because he wanted to help veterans returning
to civilian life, said his uncle, Larry Seager of Mauston.
Russell Seager's brother-in-law, Dennis Prudhomme, said Seager
had worked with soldiers at the Veterans Affairs hospital in
Milwaukee who were suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.
He also taught classes at Bryant & Stratton College in Milwaukee,
said Prudhomme, who is married to Seager's sister.
Larry Seager said his nephew's death left the family stunned,
especially because the psychiatrist only wanted to help soldiers
improve their mental health.
''It's unbelievable. He goes down there to help out soldiers and
then he ... ,'' Seager said, his voice trailing off. ''I still
can't believe it.''
Russell Seager is survived by a wife and 20-year-old son.
Prudhomme said Seager was scheduled to go to Afghanistan in
December and had gone to Fort Hood for training.
''Our family has suffered a great loss and we are all
devastated,'' Seager's sister, Barbara Prudhomme, said in a
statement read by her husband. ''We are very proud of the way
Russell lived his life, both personally and professionally, and our
hearts go out to all the victims and their families.''
Pvt. Francheska Velez
Velez, 21, of Chicago, was pregnant and preparing to return
home. A friend of Velez's, Sasha Ramos, described her as a
fun-loving person who wrote poetry and loved dancing.
''She was like my sister,'' Ramos, 21, said. ''She was the most
fun and happy person you could know. She never did anything wrong
to anybody.''
Family members said Velez had recently returned from deployment
in Iraq and had sought a lifelong career in the Army.
''She was a very happy girl and sweet,'' said her father, Juan
Guillermo Velez, his eyes red from crying. ''She had the spirit of
a child.''
Ramos, who also served briefly in the military, couldn't
reconcile that her friend was killed in this country just after
leaving a war zone.
''It makes it a lot harder,'' she said. ''This is not something
a soldier expects to have someone in our uniform go start
shooting at us.''
Lt. Col. Juanita Warman
Warman, 55, of Havre De Grace, Md., was a military physician
assistant with two daughters and six grandchildren.
She came from a military family, said her half-sister, Kristina
Rightweiser. Their father, who died in 2007, was a ''career
military man,'' Rightweiser served in the Air Force, and
Rightweiser's brother is in the Coast Guard. The two women didn't
grow up together, but reconnected after their father's death,
Rightweiser said.
Warman ''loved the Army and loved her family very much,''
Rightweiser said in a message sent through Facebook.
Warman volunteered with Beyond the Yellow Ribbon, a
reintegration program for Maryland National Guard soldiers
returning from deployment overseas, according to Guard officials.
She provided mental health counseling and helped develop a program
about the myths and realities of post-traumatic stress disorder.
''She was an all-around nice person as well as a very competent
professional,'' said Col. Sean Lee, a Maryland National Guard
chaplain who worked with Warman. ''We're all going to miss her
quite a lot.''
Lt. Col. Charles Kohler, a spokesman for the Maryland Guard,
said Warman was at Fort Hood preparing for deployment to Iraq.
Warman had worked at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
and Perry Point Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Maryland.
Pfc. Kham Xiong
Xiong, 23, of St. Paul, Minn., was a father of three whose
family had a history of military service.
Xiong's father, Chor Xiong, is a native of Laos who fought the
Viet Cong alongside the CIA in 1972; Chor's father, Kham's
grandfather, also fought with the CIA; and Kham's brother, Nelson,
is a Marine serving in Afghanistan.
Xiong's father said he was ''very mad.'' Through sniffles and
tears, he said his son died for ''no reason'' and he has a hard
time believing Kham is gone.
Kham Xiong was preparing to deploy to Afghanistan, and his
sister Mee Xiong said the family would be able to understand if he
would have died in battle.
''He didn't get to go overseas and do what he's supposed to do,
and he's dead ... killed by our own people,'' Mee Xiong said.
Xiong was one of 11 siblings and came to the U.S. when he was
just a toddler. He grew up in California, then moved to Minnesota
with the family about 10 years ago, Chor Xiong said.
He was married and had three children ages 4, 2 and 10 months.
His wife, Shoua, said they started dating in eighth grade, and the
last time she saw her husband was Thursday morning at their Texas
home.
She said he gave everyone a kiss and went to work. ''It was an
ordinary day,'' she said. After she heard about the shooting, she
tried to call him, but never got an answer.
At 3 a.m. Friday, the doorbell rang.
''My heart dropped,'' she said. ''I knew the reason they were
here, but I asked them to tell me he was OK.''
Associated Press writers Ben Nuckols in Baltimore, Jessica
Gresko in Washington, Angela K. Brown at Fort Hood, Texas, Kate
Brumback in Atlanta, Deanna Martin in Indianapolis, Desiree Hunter
in Montgomery, Ala., Elliot Spagat in San Diego, Thomas Watkins in
Los Angeles, Monica Rohr in Houston, Jennifer Dobner in Salt Lake
City, Richard Green in Oklahoma City, Caryn Rousseau in
Bolingbrook, Ill., and Robert Imrie in Wausau, Wis., and Sophia
Tareen, Michael Tarm and Amy Shafer in Chicago contributed to this
report. Forliti contributed from St. Paul, Minn.
(Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
