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CALEDONIA - It is disbelief for the family of Capt. Russell Seager. The Mount Pleasant soldier arrived in Texas just one day before last Thursday's shooting massacre.

"He had just gotten to Fort Hood on Wednesday," said Russell's brother-in-law Dennis Prudhomme. "It doesn't seem real. We're numb."

Seager is one of 13 people killed by accused gunman Maj. Nadil Malik Hasan. Seager's death came just before he was to fulfill a lifelong dream of serving his country overseas.

Russell signed up for the military at the age 47 as an Army Reserve combat stress specialist. At age 51, he was on the verge of his first deployment.

Seager treated returning soldiers suffering from war's psychological wounds at the VA Medical Center in Milwaukee.

"Helping all the soldiers, he said it is the most fulfilling work he's ever done," Prudhomme told TODAY'S TMJ4 reporter Tom Murray. "He wanted to be over there, doing what he knows, in his element."

Seager had a thirst for knowledge. He earned a PhD in alternative medicine. He also taught in the medical assisting and nursing programs at Bryant & Stratton College.

"Seager had a passion for education and was pursuing a doctorate of education," Campus Director Peter Pavone said in a statement.

In August, Seager told his students he would be back after serving in Iraq. Then just recently, the Army changed the assignment to meet a growing need in Afghanistan.

Seager was preparing to deploy with his 467th Medical Detachment-Madison along and two other combat stress units. Maj. Hasan, a psychiatrist, was supposed to join the units as a "filler" psychiatrist, an Army spokesperson told TODAY'S TMJ4.

The family says Seager had a strong Christian faith. He leaves behind a wife and 20-year-old son.

Two other members of Seager's unit died in the shooting rampage, according to the list of victims released Friday. Maj. Libardo Caraveo, 52, of Woodbridge, VA and Sgt. Amy Krueger, 29, of Kiel, WI also belonged the 467th.

Seager's wife, son, father, sister and brother-in-law planned to leave for Fort Hood on Monday. Prudhomme said Seager will be laid to rest a cemetery in Elroy, next to his late mother.