MOUNT PLEASANT - Capt. Russell Seager's wife and adult son got the phone call at midnight that every military family fears. Seager, 51, is among those who died in the shooting massacre at Fort Hood in Texas.
Seager treated soldiers returning from war for combat stress at the Zablocki Veterans Affairs Hospital in Milwaukee. He was preparing to do the same work on the front lines when he was killed Thursday.
In his late 40s, Seager felt a call to duty. He signed on to serve as a mental health nurse four years ago, and at age 51, was preparing for his first deployment. Family and colleagues said he was going to Iraq.
Seager spoke about his decision in a radio interview just before leaving Wisconsin.
"I just felt it was time that I stepped up and did it," he told WUWM in August. "I mean it sounds corny and patriotic, but when you talk to people that decide to do this, the feelings are similar."
Seager was in the U.S. Army Reserve with the 467th Combat Stress Unit-Madison. He was awaiting deployment to support combat forces there as part of a special mental health unit.
Neighbors remember Seager working out in military fatigues in their Mount Pleasant neighborhood.
"This country is still the best country to live in and it takes guys like him to support that," said Gil Mann, who lives on Seager's block.
Seager was an instructor at Bryant & Stratton College. He taught in the medical assisting and nursing programs at the downtown and Wauwatosa campuses.
"He was admired for his skill as an instructor, dedication to his career and concern for the success and well being of his students and his country," Campus Director Peter Pavone said in statement. "We plan to create a memorial to honor Dr. Seager's work."
Seager's family was not ready to comment.
