My best friends are CW1 (Chief Warrant Officer) Rider, Matt, wife Liz & 4 children. Both Matt and Liz are Army Brats, like me. All three of our fathers are retired Army. In fact, Liz's father was
previously an RN at Darnell Hospital on Fort Hood, Texas where the shooter was currently working.

Matt has been assigned to both 4th ID and 1st Calvary at Fort Hood, Texas. They have alot of other friends and family living on Fort Hood and in Killeen. Matt has pulled 2 tours in Iraq and is awaiting his tour in Afghanistan.

I know that soldiers in and around Fort Hood, their family members and friends, as well as alot of people in the community are giving blood. The bodies of the fallen soldiers are being flown to Dover Air Force Base, in Dover, Delaware for autopsies. My heart goes out to all of them, their families, and friends...and my heart goes out to all of the wounded soldiers, their families and friends, too.

I lived at Fort Hood, too, for 3 years. Please show your support of the Rider family, other soldiers, families and friends. Hang up your yellow ribbons and American flags. I hope the post offices and the courthouse will fly theirs at half-staff. Stay vigilant. Next Wednesday, Nov. 11th is Veterans Day, so please help in showing a large outpouring of support for the soldiers, past, present and future.

This is so horrible, one of our own soldiers doing this to other soldiers. This was a Major and a Psychiatrist, not just a lower enlisted soldier, who just signed up for a disguise to do this. This one Major, the shooter, is a disgrace to the uniform! He will have to answer to God! I will never figure it out. I have been so sick on my stomach.

A large number of the 1st Calvary at Fort Hood, 3 Brigades, are currently in Iraq. God be with them. The news and pressures that they are currently dealing with. I have vollunteered with AFTB (Army Family Team Building), FRG (Family Readiness Group) and ACS (Army Community Service) in both Ft. Bragg, NC and Ft. Huachuca, AZ. I know what they deal with. I support our soldiers of every military branch.

I'm also thinking of Gary Biggs (from Pocahontas County), his family and friends during all of this. I believe he's currently in Afghanistan. We were neighbors and friends. We lived near each other at Ft. Huachuca, Arizona.

May God Bless All of Our Soldiers! Hang the yellow ribbons and American flags, please! Most of all, if you see a soldier ANYWHERE, shake his or her hand and say, "Thank You. I Support You."

Ava, that is a very good post. I am praying for all the families. God Bless America!!!

Thank you CS. God bless all of the Soldiers, their families and friends! I was just reading more news on the shooter. If he was being harassed for being Muslim, as his family says, he is a grown man. He was also a psychiatrist. You don't pull guns out on your own soldiers. All of the innocent soldiers that are just fighting for our freedom. They're under so much pressure as it is, so that we can prevent further terrorist attacks on U.S. soil. Only God knows the answer to this. I sincerely hope and pray that this doesn't end up being a vengeance, where a civil war among our U.S. military would start. I read www.army.mil and they have the article. They are providing grief counseling to the soldiers, as I thought they would be doing. I sincerely hope the whole team pulls together. May God be with the soldiers!

Please take time to remember those killed. I have one Soldier's name that I found, according to the news on www.cnn.com.

An innocent and young American Soldier, 21-year-old Pfc. Michael Pearson of Bolingbrook, Illinois

My heart goes out to Pfc. Michael Pearson's family and friends.

(Remembering "TAPS"...and the tears don't stop.)

My thoughts and prayers are of Ft. Hood, Tx. and of the soldiers, and the civilian, injured there yesterday. My family and I are so sorry for what happened. May those families that lost their loved ones find answers, peace, understanding, and closure. As for those injured soldiers, may God heal you, and restore your bodies to good health. And may the years ahead, be happy and rewarding ones for each of you. God Bless Our Soldiers, & families! And God Bless America!

Thank you Me Oh My.

Now, on the news, the Muslim community is fearing backlash. The Executive Director at American Muslim Armed Forces and Veterans Affairs Council is fearing this according to Yahoo news. The Executive Director spent 21 years in the Marines.

However the military has to work together to do it, I just hope we can stay united and not turn this into a civil war within our military. Please God be with our troops, their families and friends, because right now, they need all of the support they can get from everyone!

From Yahoo News...Soldiers Who Died

May God be with their families, friends and communities. (Remembering "TAPS" and tears flowing.)



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."



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, the youngest of four children, 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.



Pfc. Michael Pearson

Pearson, 21, 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.

"He felt he was in a rut. He wanted to travel, see the world," his mother, Sheryll Pearson, told the Chicago Tribune. "He also wanted an opportunity to serve the country."

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.



Spc. Jason Dean Hunt

Hunt, 22, of Frederick, Okla., went into the military after graduating from Tipton High School in 2005 and had gotten 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, the 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."

From CNN.com, the Wounded:

May God Heal Each and Every One of Them. May God be with their Families, Friends and Communities.

Justin Johnson of Punta Gorda, Florida
George Stratton II of Post Falls, Idaho
Kimberly Munley, the Fort Hood police officer who returned fire and halted the suspect
Nathan Hewitt of Lafayette, Indiana
Keara Bono of Independence, Missouri
Ray Saucedo, hometown unspecified
Spc. Grant Moxon, of Lodi, Wisconsin
Amber Bahr, of Random Lake, Wisconsin
Matthew Cooke, hometown unspecified
Staff Sgt. Joy Clark, of Des Moines, Iowa
Pfc. Joey Foster, of Ogden, Utah

From Yahoo News...Another Soldier Who Died

May God be with their family, friends and community. (Remembering "TAPS" and tears flowing.)



Kham Xiong, 23, of St. Paul, Minn., graduated from Community of Peace Academy in 2004.

"The sad part is that he had been taught and been trained to protect and to fight. Yet it's such a tragedy that he did not have the opportunity to protect himself and the base," his father, Chor Xiong, told KSTP-TV through an interpreter.

Xiong's 17-year-old brother, Robert, described Kham as "the family clown, just a real good outgoing guy."

Community of Peace Academy Principal Tim McGowan told the AP that Chor Xiong informed the charter school of his son's death. Family members picked up pictures of Xiong on Friday for a memorial service, McGowan said.

"He was just a well-rounded individual with a great personality. He was very fun-loving, one who brought a smile to everyone's face he came across," McGowan said.



ETATER- I LOVE YOUR AMERICAN FLAG WITH THE SOLDIER GRAPHIC! THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING OUR SOLDIERS!

From Yahoo News...More People Who Were Killed

May God be with their families, friends and communities. (Remembering "TAPS" and tears flowing.)

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.


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?"


Juanita Warman

Warman, 55, was a military physician assistant with two daughters and six grandchildren.

Her sister, Margaret Yaggie of Roaring Branch in north-central Pennsylvania, told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that her sister attended Pittsburgh Langley High School and put herself through school at the University of Pittsburgh. She said her sister spent most of her career in the military.

Another tragedy among the military:

Authorities: Lejeune pvt. killed colleague

By Trista Talton - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Nov 6, 2009 15:45:30 EST

JACKSONVILLE, N.C. — A Marine private accused of killing another Marine at Camp Lejeune, N.C., was taken into custody Friday, base officials said.

Pvt. Jonathan Law, 21, of 2nd Supply Battalion, was detained by military authorities Friday morning, according to a 2nd Marine Logistics Group news release.

The victim, whose name is being withheld pending notification of next of kin, was found in a wooded area near the French Creek area, said Capt. Timothy Patrick, 2nd MLG spokesman.

Law was taken to the Pitt County Memorial Hospital in Greenville, N.C., and is being treated for self-inflicted wounds, Patrick said.

Law, a supply administration clerk, joined the Corps in August 2006. He served a tour in Iraq from August 2007 to March 2008. He is from Clark, Nev.

No other information was immediately available.

Please pray for the military. Events like this and Fort Hood are pure torture for each of them as they truely are a "family" God Bless Each of Them and give them comfort and understanding.

That is awful! I'm so glad you posted this news!

If you ever need anything, Military Mom, I am here. Where is your son(s)/daughter(s) stationed? Are they at Camp Lejeune? I will be praying for you and your family.

All of us, the whole U.S. need to really bond together to give our Soldiers, Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and National Guard a backbone of strength and support. They need a backbone so strong after namely, a Psychiatrist, that's supposed to be helping them broke into an animal! The stress that's undescribable, that they're going through, is off the charts and more!

From Yahoo News...Another Soldier Who Died

May God be with their family, friends and community. (Remembering "TAPS" and tears flowing.)

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 at Fort Gordon, Ga., where she hoped to be reunited with her husband once he finished his work at Fort Hood. "They should be safe there. They should be safe."

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."

DeCrow's father, Daniel DeCrow, of Fulton, Ind., said his son graduated high school in Plymouth, Ind., and married his high school sweetheart that summer before joining the Army. The couple moved near Fort Gordon about five years ago, he said.

About a year ago, his son was stationed in Korea for a year. When he returned to the U.S., the Army moved him to Fort Hood while he waited for a position to open up in Fort Gordon so he could move back with his wife and daughter, Daniel DeCrow said.

DeCrow 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."

From www.army.mil, posted yesterday:


Army sends support teams to aid Fort Hood Soldiers, families
Nov 6, 2009

By Jim Garamone, American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON (Nov. 6, 2009) -- Resources to help those affected by the tragedy at Fort Hood, Texas, are flowing to the post, Army officials said today.

Army Maj. Nidal Malik Hassan killed 13 Fort Hood personnel and wounded another 30 during a shooting spree at the post's Soldier-Family Readiness Center yesterday. Hassan was wounded and is in custody.

Army Secretary John M. McHugh and Army Chief of Staff Gen. George W. Casey Jr. are at the post conferring with officials to determine the best way forward, said Maj. Gen. Kevin Bergner, chief of Army public affairs.

Lt. Gen. Robert W. Cone, the commander of 3rd Corps and Fort Hood, has requested additional capabilities to help post personnel get through this tragedy. "We are already generating capabilities to deal with the consequences of the situation at Fort Hood," Bergner told reporters this morning.

The service is sending 13 unit ministry teams to the post. Each team has chaplains and chaplain assistants who can support the spiritual needs of Soldiers, families and civilians at Fort Hood, Bergner said.

The Army also is sending 35 family life consultants to the base. "These are folks who specifically are trained and equipped to deal with the stress that military families confront - from the children to the spouses," the general explained.

The service also is sending 13 behavioral health specialists from to Fort Hood from Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio to help with grief counseling.

Four Operation Homecoming counselors, 20 more behavioral health specialists and 17 critical-incident stress-management personnel will deploy to Fort Hood soon, Bergner said, and five combat stress teams are moving to the post to augment teams already at the base.

Some of the additional teams will arrive today and tomorrow, and others will flow in later, the general said. "If more is needed, we will provide it," he added.

I'm trying to think of people on active duty serving the military that are from this area...please post more, too, if you know someone in the military. They need our backbone of strength and support because these events affect them all.

These Soldiers are currently on active duty with ties to Pocahontas County. Thank You Soldiers and Your Families! We've Got Your Back!
The Matt & Liz Rider family
Gary Biggs and family
The Mike & Laura Layton family
The Jason & Tammy (Grubb) Friel family
John Stull and family

Remember Veterans Day next Wed., Nov. 11. I was at the VA Hospital on Veterans Day last year with my Father.

I have gone to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial (My Father) alot on Veterans Day http://www.thewall-usa.com/ and also to the World War II Veterans Memorial http://www.wwiimemorial.com/ (My Grandfather).

From Yahoo News...Another Soldier Who Died

May God be with their family, friends and community. (Remembering "TAPS" and tears flowing.)

Major L. Eduardo Caraveo

Caraveo, 52, 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.

From Yahoo News...Soldiers Who Died

May God be with their families, friends and communities. (Remembering "TAPS" and tears flowing.)



Spc. Frederick Greene

Greene, 29, of Mountain City, Tenn., was assigned to the 16th Signal Company, Fort Hood, Texas.



Capt. Russell Seager

Seager, 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.

Larry Seager said Russell Seager'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."