Across the country Saturday, many stood before flag-draped coffins during funeral services for several of the 13 victims of the Nov. 5 shootings in Fort Hood, Texas.
Staff Sgt. Justin DeCrow
In Plymouth, Ind., Sheila Ellabarger placed two foot-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,” Ellabarger said. “We owe him a debt of gratitude, him and his family and the other soldiers. We owe them our lives, our freedom.”
Spec. Jason Dean Hunt
During services in Norman, Okla., snapshots from U.S. Army Spec. 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, Okla. “The military community are all grieving here today over the loss of this dedicated soldier.”
Staff Sgt. Amy Krueger
The high school gymnasium in Kiel, Wis., was filled Saturday for Staff Sgt. Amy Krueger’s funeral. A visitation had been held there Friday, and 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.”
“Her smile would light up any room, her energy would envelope all of those around her,” her parents, Jeri Krueger and David Diem, said in a statement.
Pfc. Aaron Thomas Nemelka
In Utah, among those crowded into a Mormon chapel were Utah Gov. Gary Herbert, U.S. Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, and U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, said Lt. Col. Lisa Olsen, Utah National Guard spokesman. They joined the family and friends of Pfc. Aaron Thomas Nemelka for the funeral honoring 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. Relatives say he planned to ask his girlfriend to marry him in December during a visit home.
Other funerals on Saturday were for Capt. John Gaffaney, 56, a psychiatric nurse who worked for San Diego County, Calif., and Pfc. Michael Pearson, 22, of Bolingbrook, Ill.
