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A former UW-Whitewater student who was killed Thursday during the shooting in Fort Hood, Texas, is being remembered as having a bright smile and an even brighter personality. Amy Krueger, 29, was a sergeant with the Army Reserve's Madison-based 467th Medical Detachment and died in the shooting that left 12 other people dead and 31 injured. "Amy was the most happy-go-lucky person and she would do anything for anybody," said senior Jill Reifsnider, a good friend of Krueger. "She truly had the best group of friends and the reason she had all of these friends was because of her [personality]." The gunman identified as Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, 39, was shot four times by a Fort Hood police officer and is currently in custody. A memorial service was held Tuesday at Fort Hood for the fallen soldiers, and President Barack Obama spoke about the victims, including Krueger. "When her mother told her she couldn't take on Osama bin Laden by herself, Amy replied, 'watch me,'" he said. Krueger joined the military soon after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center. She served three months in Afghanistan in 2003. Reifsnider said Krueger was excited to go overseas and serve her country. "And even though it was going to be hard leaving her friends and family behind, that's what she wanted to do," Reifsnider said. "Amy thought the world of the military, and she would not have traded a day of it to be a civilian." Krueger was a psychology major and planned to return to UW-Whitewater to finish her final year of college after serving another tour overseas, which was set to begin next month. "Her true passion was to graduate college and to pursue a higher education," Reifsnider said. "She never quite got the opportunity because of the military." Chancellor Richard Telfer said in a campus-wide e-mail the shooting at Fort Hood was an enormous tragedy. "I think I speak for the entire UW-Whitewater community when I say that we are simply stunned by the events that took place at Fort Hood and that we keep Amy and her family, and all those affected by these events, in our thoughts," he said. A candlelight vigil was held Sunday night in Kiel, Wis., Krueger's hometown. Krueger was a 1998 graduate of Kiel High School. Hundreds of community members and friends attended to pay their respects to Krueger and her family. "Everyone kept saying [at the vigil] that her smile and eyes were what lured everybody in because they were just amazing," Reifsnider said. "She could turn a head in a heartbeat." An on-campus prayer vigil is scheduled for 9 p.m. today near the flagpole by the University Bookstore. The United States and the State of Wisconsin flags will fly at half-staff today until sundown for the victims of the Fort Hood massacre.
Krueger's funeral is scheduled for1 p.m. Saturday at Kiel High School and will be open to the public. The visitation will be held from 2 to 7 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at the school.
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