MOUNT PLEASANT - Russell Seager of Mount Pleasant was ready to serve his country and was proud to be a member of the military.

Tragically, Seager's days of service have ended. The Mount Pleasant resident was among the 13 people killed in Thursday's shooting at Fort Hood in Texas.

After Seager, 51, joined the Army Reserve a few years ago, neighbor Tom Casper said he recalls seeing Seager walking outside to get the mail in his camouflage Army fatigues, complete with hat and boots.

"He was proud," Casper said.

The first time Casper saw his neighbor walk in his fatigues about a year and a half ago, he asked him what was going on.

"I enlisted," Casper said Seager told him. He was excited and looked forward to military service, Casper said.

He said he wondered why Seager was joining the military so late in his career. Seager gave the answer in an August interview with WUWM radio in Milwaukee.

Seager was a nurse practitioner in the primary care area at the Clement J. Zablocki VA Medical Center and a teacher at Bryant & Stratton College, both in Milwaukee. He was also a husband and a father of one son, neighbors said.

Staff at the VA described Seager as "a kind and caring person" with a reputation of being thorough and detail-oriented, according to a press release from the center Friday night. Seager worked at the center since 2008, specializing in helping veterans with mental health issues reintegrate into society, until he left for his deployment.

According to the WUWM profile, Seager treated veterans suffering from mental health problems related to their war experience. In Iraq, he was to work to address those kinds of problems when they first appear.

At the VA, Seager led a mental health team. His patients ranged from those in their twenties just back from Iraq and Afghanistan, to veterans in their 80s and 90s, the station reported.

Bryant & Stratton College will create a memorial to honor Seager's work, said campus director Peter Pavone in a statement. "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," Pavone said.

Seager began teaching at the college in May 2005 in the medical assisting and nursing programs. Seager was pursuing a doctorate of education, Pavone said. Seager was expected to return to teaching after his tour of duty. The college said that Seager was a captain in the Army Reserve.

On Friday, Seager's immediate family declined to talk to the media. Three Mount Pleasant police officers stopped at the house while media stood outside because they were called by officials at Fort McCoy, officers said.

Seager's uncle, Larry Seager of Mauston, confirmed that Russell Seager was killed at Fort Hood.

Larry Seager said he received a phone call at about 6 a.m. Friday from his sister informing him of Russell Seager's death.

Russell Seager left Milwaukee in August to begin preparations for deployment to Iraq. It was not immediately known how long he had been at Fort Hood. Russell Seager joined the Army Reserve about four years ago and had pushed officials for deployment.

"He wanted to get in there and help the soldiers coming home and leaving," Larry Seager said from his home in Mauston.

"I still can't believe it. Such a foolish thing," Larry Seager said of the shooting.

Journal Times reporters Lindsay Fiori, Stephanie Jones, Mike Moore and Christine Won and the Wisconsin State Journal contributed to this report.

Video courtesy Channel 12.