MILWAUKEE, Wis. -- More than five years after he was killed in an attack at Fort Hood, Texas, Capt. Russell Seager's family has received his Purple Heart.
First Army Commanding General Lt. Gen. Michael Tucker presented the Purple Heart medal to Seager's Family during a May 22 ceremony at the Clement Zablocki Veterans Affairs Medical Center, where Seager, an Army Reserve Soldier, was employed as a civilian.
"This ceremony has taken place far longer than it should have, but it's never too late to do the right thing," said Tucker, who presented the medal to Seager's wife, Cindy, and son, Joseph.
Seager was a nurse practitioner who specialized in primary care and mental health treatment in the Milwaukee's VA's Red Clinic.
He was killed Nov. 5, 2009, at Fort Hood while preparing with his unit to deploy to Afghanistan. Another Soldier, Maj. Nidal Hasan, opened fire, killing 13 and wounding 31 others.
Seager, and the other Fort Hood shooting victims became eligible for the Purple Heart because of a rider in the 2015 National Defense Authorization Act that expanded eligibility for those killed or injured as the result of an attack inspired by a terrorist group.
Seager, who served in the U.S. Army Reserves as part of the Army nurse corps, joined the military later in life.
"He volunteered to join the Army Reserve at the rather mature age of 47 and while others were counting down to retirement, he raised his right hand to serve country by becoming an Army nurse corps officer," Tucker said.
Seager, whether in or out of uniform, loved helping his fellow Service members, Tucker said.
"Rusty was a deeply spiritual man who felt his calling was to help veterans and Soldiers," Tucker said. "We honor the life and service of Capt. Rusty Seager and trust that his precious memory and inspiring legacy will be carried forward in the lives of his family, his friends, his patients, and his brothers -- and sisters-in-arms."
With standing room only inside the Matousek Auditorium, Tucker said Seager's Family can feel a sense of pride that he touched so many lives.
Representatives of Wisconsin Sens. Tammy Baldwin and Ron Johnson also spoke at the ceremony, and a letter from Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan was read.
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