Four Wisconsin Soldiers Out Of Hospital After Shooting

1 Soldier Still Hospitalized

Updated: 3:31 pm CST November 10, 2009

Four of the five soldiers with Wisconsin connections who were wounded in the Fort Hood, Texas, shooting last week are out of the hospital, officials said.

Four of the soldiers were among 43 soldiers from the Madison-based 467th Medical Command Detachment who had arrived at Fort Hood for training last Wednesday, a day before the shooting that killed 13 and wounded 29.

Those who have returned to duty are Grant Moxon, 23, of Lodi; John Pagel, 28, of Denzer; and Dorothy Carskadon, of Love's Park, Ill. Pagel was shot through the left biceps. Moxon was shot in the leg.

Two injured members are still hospitalized. They include Staff Sgt. Miguel Valdivia, who is currently listed in fair condition. Officials said he's a member of the 467th. He is from Elgin, Ill.

Maj. Libardo Caraveo, of Woodbridge, Va., was also injured and remains hospitalized. He was cross-leveled into the 467th, but he has no known Madison ties.

The other soldier with Wisconsin links is Amber Bahr, of Random Lake, who isn't part of the Madison unit. She was apparently shot in the back, according to her family.

The 19-year-old Bahr was reunited with her family in Texas on Monday.

"I don't think it's actually hit me yet that I actually got shot," Bahr said. "I can see the wound, but I don't think mentally it's hit me yet."

Bahr said she was with others in her unit -- sitting, waiting for physicians and talking with others -- when she heard someone yell. She said the next thing she knew, she was in the line of fire.

"I heard rounds going off and we all hit the ground and covered our heads," she said. "I guess the majority of us thought it was a drill. I personally thought it was a drill. And so, we were doing what we were trained to do. And then the rounds stopped. I smelled the sulfur and I heard screams and I saw blood. And then, I realized it wasn't a drill."

Bahr said she didn't know the shooter and never saw him shoot. She said she didn't even realize she was shot. She helped others get outside and into a safe place. She dragged someone to safety and even carried someone into the hospital. She said that that's when she realized she was shot in the back.

Bahr said she will still be deployed and is looking forward to her mission in Afghanistan. She said she being called a hero right now, but shrugs that off, saying that she was just doing what she was trained to do. .

Reserves spokesman Scott Ferguson said three of dead were assigned to the Madison unit, including two who live in Wisconsin -- 29-year-old Staff Sgt. Amy Krueger of Kiel and 51-year-old Capt. Russell Seager of Racine.

Ferguson said the unit will be deploying to Afghanistan as planned but each soldier will be evaluated as to their readiness for duty.

"Ironically, this is a combat stress team, but they'll have specialists in their own area who they'll be talking to, to make sure they're all right. There are all kinds of counselors and folks available for them to talk to," Ferguson said.

Officials said that 15 soldiers in total remain in the hospital --eight of them in intensive care.

The suspect in the shooting, Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, continues to improve. Doctors said on Monday he's breathing on his own and able to speak.

Investigators said that they're focusing on whether Hasan has any ties to organized terrorist groups. Investigators won't say if they questioned Hasan, but they believe he acted alone. There are reports that Hasan tried to contact al Qaeda two months ago. Meanwhile, a Web site in Yemen praises Hasan as a hero.

The base is preparing for a memorial service on Tuesday that will attended by President Barack Obama.

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