Fort Hood shooting victim mourned

Cameron, TEXAS (KXAN) - Hundreds paid tribute Sunday to the only civilian, the only Texas resident to die in the Ft. Hood shootings. Michael Cahill, 62, lived in Cameron, about 90 miles northeast of Austin.

St. Monica's Catholic Church in Cameron holds 500 people. During the service, the crowd spilled out onto the lawn listening to speakers outside, as mourners delivered eulogy after eulogy.

Cahill's daughter, Kerry Cahill, spoke about her father's life's work in health care.

“I remember getting stitches at the kitchen table,” Kerry said, “because he was a medic.I didn't go to an emergency room, until I was like 12. And he would always have his black bag, and he'd say go get the black bag. We all knew where it was."

It was that same dedication to medicine that led Cahill to the Army National Guard as a physician assistant for 23 years. Even after retiring from the military, he spent the last seven years working at Ft. Hood's health care clinics and Soldier Readiness Center, where he helped treat soldiers returning from or preparing for deployment.

He died helping soldiers - the reason for this special ceremony, something usually reserved for families of the fallen.

"(It was) especially for his family,” said Brigadier General Will Grimley, “who loaned him to us for a lot of years of service."

"Michael's service continues to live on,” said St. Monica’s Deacon Charlie Garza, “especially in his family members but all those who were touched by the service, as well."

Soldiers gave the U.S. flag draped over Cahill’s casket to his wife Joleen, the organist at the church. It was a token of gratitude to this family feeling an outpouring of support from across the nation.

"We will miss Michael terribly, but we know he's with God," said sister-in-law Susan Murphy.

"Remember my dad,” said Kerry Cahill, “and you can remember each other. You can talk to each other and hold each other and love your family. That's what you can do, because that's what we should do. And that's what dad did."

Some of Michael Cahill's co-workers at Ft. Hood also spoke during the service, saying what a personal touch he had on each of the soldiers he worked with.

He leaves behind his wife, two daughters, a son and a grandson. His family said it will scatter his ashes this spring in Montana, a former home and place he always loved.

He moved to Cameron in 1997, where he practiced family and rural health care.