More than 500 mourners filled a Catholic Church in Cameron Sunday for the funeral mass of Michael Cahill, the only civilian killed during the Nov. 5 attack at Fort Hood.
Services for Cahill, a retired member of the Army National Guard, carried full military honors, including a 21-gun salute. Six soldiers carried his flag-draped casket into the St Monica's Catholic Church.
"We will miss Michael terribly, but we know he's with God," said Susan Murphy, a family member who spoke to reporters on behalf of the Cahill family. "Thank you so very much everyone for all the sympathy, for all the prayers, for all the condolences, for all the support. We thank you."
Dozens of members of the military attended the service, including Brigadier General Will Grimsley.
"Mike Cahill was a soldier, and then he chose to retire from the service, he still cambe back to serve as a great provider for all of us in preparation for deploying soldiers as well as returning soldiers," he said. "He's one of us. He's part of the Army family."
Cahill served in the Army National Guard for 23 years. At the time of his death, he was a physician's assistant working for a civilian contractor.
He was the only civilian killed in the November 5th rampage at Fort Hood that took 13 lives and injured dozens of others. Major Nidal Malik Hasan is accused of opening fire in the Soldier Readiness Center about 1:30 that afternoon.
Cahill is survived by his wife, Joleen; daughters Keely and Kerry; and son James; and many other relatives.
