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Associated Press The 13 people killed when an Army psychia trist allegedly opened fire on fellow soldiers at Fort Hood, Texas, included a pregnant woman who was preparing to return home, a man who quit a furniture company job to join the military about a year ago, a newlywed who had served in Iraq and a woman who had vowed to take on Osama bin Laden after the Sept. 11 terrorist at tacks. Here is a look at some of the victims. Francheska Velez Velez, 21, of Chicago, was pregnant and preparing to re turn home. A friend of Velez’s, Sasha Ramos, described her as a fun-loving person who wrote po etry 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 any thing wrong to anybody.” Family members said Velez had recently re turned 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 in stead 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 rib bon 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 Pear son’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 Ira. Gale Hunt said two uni formed soldiers came to her door late Thursday night to no tify her of her son’s death. Hunt, known as J.D., was “just kind of a qui et 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 en joyed 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 gradu ated 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 go ing 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.” Associated Press writers Amy Forliti in St. Paul, Minn., Jennifer Dobner in Salt Lake City, Richard Green in Oklahoma City and Sophia Tareen, Michael Tarm and Amy Shafer in Chica go contributed to this report. Rousseau con tributed from Bolingbrook, Ill., and Imrie from Wausau, Wis.
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Lodi News Sentinel
Lodi, California, US
Sat, Nov 07, 2009
Page 65
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Monica S.
USA 27 May 2026
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