A few weeks ago a ten foot Christmas tree was set up on the front porch of a Laurel residence in an effort to remember the 13 American heroes who were killed on Nov. 5, 2009 in Fort Hood, Texas at the United States military base.
Kent Miller of 754 N. Eighth Ave. Laurel, and his niece, Hannah, and nephew, Ernest Miller, both of Vicksburg, Ms. decorated the tree completely with patriotic memorabilia. They made thirteen large ball ornaments with the names and hometowns of these awesome heroes.
Letters were sent to each of the families along with a photo offering condolences and assuring the families that he along with the residents of Laurel, Mississippi would remember them especially this Christmas season with our thoughts and prayers.
According to Miller, “My niece and nephew didn’t know much about what had happened at Fort Hood. They do now. I want them to remember that day and the heroes who died. I researched each hero and told them specifics about family and dreams. We cried together on that porch and prayed for the families.”
Miller also stated, “I feel that the 13 who died at Fort Hood did not die in vain. Though there is no way to understand why this travesty happened...I and my family believe that they are all our heroes. They were standing in the gap for us as Americans. They lived and died protecting this great land.”
There were 12 soldiers and 1 civilian killed along with 30 others wounded on that cold November day. Listed below are our American Heroes:
1. Lt. Col. Juanita Warman, 55, Havre de Grace, Md.
2. Maj. Libardo Caraveo, 52, Woodbridge, Va.
3. Cpt. John P. Gaffaney, 54, San Diego, Calif.
4. Cpt. Russell Seager, 41, Racine, Wis.
5. Staff Sgt. Justin Decrow, 32, Plymouth, Ind.
6. Sgt. Amy Krueger, 29, Kiel, Wis.
7. Spc. Jason Hunt, 22, Tillman, Okla.
8. Spc. Frederick Greene, 29, Mountain City, Tenn.
9. PFC Aaron Nemelka, 19, West Jordan, Utah
10. PFC Michael Pearson, 22, Bolingbrook, Ill.
11. PFC Kham Xiong, 23, St. Paul, Minn.
12. Pvt. Francheska Velez, 21, Chicago, Ill.
13. Michael G. Cahill, Cameron, Texas [civilian]
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