Wis. community mourns Fort Hood victim

KIEL, Wis. (AP) - American flags hanging from downtown streetlights waved in a brisk fall wind Friday as a small Wisconsin town remembered a soldier killed in the shooting rampage at Fort Hood, Texas, as a caring professional and beautiful friend.

Hundreds packed into the Kiel High School gymnasium for a visitation for Staff Sgt. Amy Krueger, many sobbing and wiping their tears as they filed past her flag-draped casket.

Friends recalled how Krueger, 29, signed up for the U.S. Army Reserves after the 2001 terrorist attacks and told her mother to "watch me" take on Osama Bin Laden. She was killed at Fort Hood as she prepared to deploy to Afghanistan for a second time.

"I'm a true believer that she will see Osama in, in the end," Geneva Isely, 57, said as she left the visitation.

"We know what happened, but we don't know why it happened," Isely added. "To give her all the way she did - and on United States soil. Just unbelievable."

Krueger was remembered as a mental health specialist who wanted to help fellow soldiers cope with combat stress and had a bright career in social work ahead of her; an athlete who loved playing sports and shooting pool; a partier who sang karaoke and belted out songs by rapper Eminem.

"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."

Krueger was to be buried in a private service Saturday.

Her death shocked, saddened and united the residents of Kiel, an eastern Wisconsin town of 3,500 and self-proclaimed "little city that does big things." The town is so tightly knit, Krueger knew Mayor Robert Werdeo Jr. simply as "Uncle Bob."

Makeshift tributes to Krueger dotted town windows Friday, from the flower shop and furniture store to the Catholic church and McDonald's. A memorial also was created at the elementary school, where Krueger's niece is a first-grader.

A five-foot poster of Krueger in her Army uniform was affixed to the window of the furniture store alongside an American flag and vase of flowers - illuminating downtown with a smile people here say they won't forget.

"At night when we have the lights on, it's even more impressive," said co-owner Michael Curry, whose family has had the store for four generations.

Krueger, who was studying psychology at University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, was a member of the U.S. Army Reserves' 467th Medical Command Detachment, a Madison-based unit that helps treat soldiers for combat stress. The unit was preparing to deploy to Afghanistan and had just arrived at Fort Hood for two months of training, which started the day of last week's shooting.

Authorities allege a troubled Army psychiatrist, Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, opened fire at a processing center, killing 13 and injuring dozens of others.

Gov. Jim Doyle said the 467th was among the hardest hit of all units affected by the rampage, with four wounded and three casualties, also including Army Reserve Capt. Russell Seager of Racine, 51. Seager was a psychiatrist who family said joined the Army because he wanted to help veterans returning to civilian life. The Thompson Funeral Home in Wonewoc announced Friday evening that Seager's funeral will be Monday at the Wonewoc Center School.

Krueger was a noncommissioned officer who would have been in charge of other specialists assessing the mental health of soldiers in the field, said Maj. Corey Schultz, a unit spokeswoman. Krueger previously had served in Afghanistan in 2003.

Werdeo said his nieces and nephews grew up with Krueger, and he became friends with her as an adult. They would compete against each other in pool tournaments at local bars, go camping every year at a country music festival in Oshkosh, tease each other over a few beers.

"She had that constant, ever-loving smile - except when she was playing pool. Then she was there to win," Werdeo said. "Just a very strong-willed, determined, beautiful young lady."

Werdeo said Krueger was so proud of her military service, she always wore an Army hat or shirt around town and was proud of the tattoo she received shortly before she left for Fort Hood.

With a tattered flag in the background, the tattoo read: "All gave some. Some gave all. Sacrifice."