[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 170 (Tuesday, November 17, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Pages S11425-S11426]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            FORT HOOD ATTACK

  Mr. FEINGOLD. Mr. President, it is with great sadness that I wish to 
remember victims of the horrific shootings at Fort Hood. This was a 
senseless attack on innocent people who were serving their country. To 
know that these people, 12 servicemembers and 1 civilian, were taken 
from their families in this way is very difficult to accept. I join 
with people across the country in mourning these tragic deaths. My 
thoughts are with each and every one of their families.
  As a Senator from Wisconsin, I do feel a special duty to remember the 
two Wisconsinites who were killed. Both were extraordinary members of 
our Armed Forces, and their deaths are a terrible blow to all who knew 
them, and to our State. Wisconsin takes so much pride in its long 
traditon of military service, and in the Wisconsinites who serve so 
bravely in the Armed Forces today. Wisconsin has already lost so many 
servicemembers in recent years--90 in Operation Iraqi Freedom and 12 in 
Operation Enduring Freedom. We recently honored our veterans by 
celebrating Veterans Day, and we are thinking of these men and women 
and the sacrifice they made, so to suffer these additional losses at 
this time is simply tragic.
  SSG Amy Krueger from Kiel, WI, and CPT Russell Seager from Mount 
Pleasant, WI, were both outstanding servicemembers, and their families 
and communities are heartbroken by their deaths.
  Staff Sergeant Krueger, who was just 29, joined the Army after the 
2001 terrorist attacks. She had deployed previously to Afghanistan in 
2003 and helped soldiers dealing with combat stress. Staff Sergeant 
Krueger arrived at Fort Hood on November 3 and was scheduled to be 
redeployed to Afghanistan in December. She graduated from Kiel High 
School in 1998 and was very proud to serve her country. About 500 
family and friends gathered recently at the Veterans Memorial Park in 
Kiel to remember and pay tribute to Sergeant Krueger.
  CPT Russell Seager, 47, was a registered nurse and advanced practice 
nurse prescriber who was with the primary care mental health 
integration program at Zablocki VA Medical Center in Milwaukee. He also 
taught classes at Bryant and Stratton College in Milwaukee. As part of 
the combat stress control unit, Seager was tasked with watching for 
warning signs among soldiers on the front lines that could signal long-
term mental health problems. He is survived by his wife and adult son.
  It is so tragic to think that these two people, who were trained to 
help fellow servicemembers cope with the stress of combat, were struck 
down when their help is needed the most. These servicemembers are 
really unsung heros of our military today--the men and women who help 
other servicemembers deal with post traumatic stress disorder, which 
has skyrocketed since the start of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. 
Both Staff Sergeant Krueger and Captain Seager were truly selfless 
people who helped their fellow servicemembers through some very tough 
times. Both were part of the 467th Medical Detachment, which is based 
in Madison, WI. It is an outstanding unit doing much-needed work, and 
it is terrible that the unit suffered these losses.
  I also want to say a few words about the four Wisconsinites who were 
injured at Fort Hood. At the recent memorial at Fort Hood, which was 
such a moving tribute to those who were killed, I had the privilege of 
meeting Specialist John Pagel, 28, of North Freedom, WI, who was also 
with the 467th Medical Detachment. Specialist Pagel is married and has 
two children.
  I also had the privilege of meeting SPC Grant Moxon, 23, of Lodi, WI, 
another member of the 467th, who is a mental health specialist. 
Specialist Moxon graduated from UW-La Crosse. He joined the military 
just last year and had arrived in Texas one day before the shooting 
incident.
  Both Sergeant Pagel and Specialist Moxon were shot but are now both 
doing well.
  CPT Dorothy ``Dorrie'' Carskadon, 47, of Madison, WI, is also a 
member of the 467th. Carskadon fought with the Army in Iraq during 
Operation Desert Storm and then enlisted in the Army Reserve 2 years 
ago. She is a clinical social worker with the U.S. Army Reserve. She 
was set to deploy to Iraq to counsel troops suffering from PTSD. She 
was shot twice in the hip and underwent an all-night surgery. 
Fortunately, she is expected to make a full recovery.
  Army PFC Amber Bahr, 19, of Random Lake, WI, with the 187th medical 
battalion, has been at Fort Hood for a year working as an Army 
nutritionist. She was scheduled to deploy for the first time in 
January. In the midst of the shootings, Bahr was putting a tourniquet 
onto another soldier and helping him out of harm's way before she 
discovered that she was shot herself. She was released Friday night 
from the hospital.
  I think the conduct of Private First Class Bahr, and everyone at the 
base who responded to the attack with such heroism, says volumes about 
the men and women who serve today. I am so proud of them, and so 
profoundly saddened by this attack. As the nation grieves, we offer 
heartfelt thanks to all

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the brave servicemembers who so selflessly serve our country.
  I yield the floor.

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