Two VA workers among dead at Fort Hood

[unhappycamper]

Two VA workers among dead at Fort Hood
By Karen Jowers - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday Nov 10, 2009 15:20:57 EST

Two of the 13 people slain at Fort Hood on Thursday were military reservists who worked for the Veterans Affairs Department as civilians, VA officials said. A third VA employee, a social worker, was seriously wounded.

One of the slain, Army Reserve Capt. Russell Seager, 51, was motivated to prevent mental health problems of combat soldiers from occurring in the first place, VA officials said. Seager joined the Army Reserve four years ago and was preparing for his first overseas deployment. He was to be assigned to a combat stress control unit to watch for warning signs such as anger and insubordination among soldiers.

At the VA medical center in Milwaukee, Seager led a mental health team treating a wide variety of veteran patients, from combat veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan to World War II veterans dealing with depression.

Seager was a teacher at Bryant and Stratton College in Milwaukee. He is survived by his wife and son.

Maryland National Guard Lt. Col. Juanita Warman, 55, also preparing for a deployment to Iraq, was a nurse practitioner at the VA medical center in Perry Point, Md., in civilian life. She volunteered for the “Beyond the Yellow Ribbon” program, helping members of the Maryland National Guard readjust after returning from overseas deployments. She provided mental health counseling and helped develop a program about the myths and realities of post-traumatic stress disorder.


Rest of article at: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/11/military_va_forthooddeaths_111009w/