Body of Kiel soldier returns home

KIEL - The city of Kiel was wrapped in red, white and blue and lined with sorrow.

"It hits everybody really hard," said Kiel firefighter Don Mitchell as he dressed a ladder truck in an American flag. "When you loose one of your own. Especially the way it happened."

The procession carrying Army Staff Sgt. Amy Krueger’s body left General Mitchell International Airport in Milwaukee around noon. Following a highway journey north, the procession ended after traveling six more blocks through the city of Kiel.

Krueger, 29, was one of 13 people killed last week in a shooting at Fort Hood, Texas. She enlisted in the service following the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. Krueger was receiving final training at Fort Hood before her deployment to Afghanistan in December.

The Patriot Guard Riders and the Kiel Police Department were among those that participated in the procession. Hundreds lined the street as Krueger came home for the last time.

"A couple of years ago she spoke at our Veterans Day party," said Ray Krutzik of Kiel, who served in World War II. "That's how I met her."

Visitation for Krueger  will be held at the Kiel High School gym on Friday between 2 and 7 p.m. There will also be a visitation on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The funeral service will take place Saturday at 1 p.m. at the gym.