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Remembering the Fallen

Nov. 10, 2009

By Associated Press

Pvt. Francheska Velez

Pvt. Francheska Velez, 21, of Chicago, was pregnant and preparing to return to Illinois. A friend of Velez's, Sasha Ramos, described her as a fun-loving person who wrote poetry and loved dancing. Family members said Velez had recently returned from deployment in Iraq and had sought a lifelong career in the Army.

Capt. John Gaffaney

Capt. John 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. Gaffaney, after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, tried to sign up for military service and got the call about two years ago asking him to rejoin.

Pfc. Aaron Nemelka

Pfc. Aaron 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. Aaron Nemelka was proud to serve and felt the responsibility of representing his nation and his family.

Pfc. Michael Pearson

Pfc. Michael 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.

Spc. Jason Dean Hunt

Spc. Jason Dean 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 and a half years in the Army, had a stint in Iraq, and re-enlisted for six years after serving his initial two-year assignment.

Michael Grant Cahill

Michael Grant Cahill, a 62-year-old physician assistant, suffered a heart attack two weeks ago and returned to work at the base after one week off. Cahill, of Cameron, Texas, helped treat soldiers returning from tours of duty or preparing for deployment. Cahill would walk young soldiers where they needed to go, just to make sure they got the right treatment.

Staff Sgt. Justin DeCrow

Staff Sgt. Justin M. DeCrow, 32, was helping train soldiers on how to help new veterans with paperwork and had felt safe on the Army post. His wife, Marikay DeCrow, talked on what a loving man he was. The couple have a 13-year-old daughter, Kylah. The couple were high school sweethearts.

Sgt. Amy Krueger

Sgt. Amy Krueger, 29, of Kiel, Wis., joined the Army after the 2001 terrorist attacks and had vowed to take on Osama bin Laden said her mother, Jeri Krueger. 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.

Pfc. Kham Xiong

Pfc. Kham 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, fought with the CIA; and Kham's brother, Nelson, is a Marine serving in Afghanistan.

Lt. Col. Juanita Warman

Lt. Col. Juanita Warman, 55, of Havre De Grace, Md., was a military physician assistant with two daughters and six grandchildren. A half-sister, Kristina Rightweiser, said Warman was from a military family. Their father, who died in 2007, was a "career military man."

Maj. Libardo Caraveo

Maj. Libardo Eduardo 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.

Capt. Russell Seager

Capt. Russell Seager, 51, of Racine, Wis., was a psychiatrist who joined the Army because he wanted to help veterans returning to civilian life. Russell Seager's brother-in-law, Dennis Prudhomme, said Seager had worked with soldiers at the Veterans Affairs hospital. Seager was scheduled to go to Afghanistan in December.

Spc. Frederick Greene

Spc. Frederick 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.

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