A woman who joined the Army right after the 9/11 attacks because she wanted to take on Osama bin Laden and another soldier who was three months pregnant were among the 13 massacre victims of the Fort Hood gunman.
Amy Krueger, 29, had just arrived at the Texas base Tuesday and was preparing to ship out for Afghanistan.
Krueger, of Kiel, Wis., was inspired by the World Trade Center attacks to enlist.
When her mother, Jeri Krueger, said Amy couldn’t singlehandedly take on al Qaeda, her daughter replied, “Watch me,” the Herald Times Reporter of Manitowoc, Wis., reported.
Among the other stories to emerge from the tragedy:
* Pfc. Francheska Velez, 21, of Chicago, had just returned from Iraq and was three months pregnant, family said.
Her father, Juan Velez, said it had always been his goal to serve in the military and it was his daughter who realized his dream.
* Spc. Jason Dean Hunt, 22, of Frederick, Okla., served in Iraq during his 3½ years in the Army and got married two months ago, said his mother, Gale Hunt.
Jason, known as J.D., “didn’t go in for hunting or sports,” she said. “He was a very quiet boy who enjoyed video games.”
He had re-enlisted for six years on his 21st birthday.
* Binghamton, NY, native Matthew Cooke, 30, was wounded in the back and abdomen, but was awake in his hospital bed yesterday. The father of two was shot as he was kneeling down trying to help another fallen soldier.
* New Jersey resident Alan Carroll, 20, of Bridgewater, wounded in the attack, underwent surgery and is expected to recover.
A volunteer firefighter, Carroll was set to be deployed to Afghanistan for his first tour of duty.