Fairchild: One Year Later One Year Later, The Pain Persists

The wounded

Delwyn Baker, 43, Spokane: Baker, who was shot in the chest and arm, returned to work as an internal medicine doctor at the base hospital in July. He says he has resumed a “normal life” with his wife and two children.

Pauline Brown, 62, Spokane: The wife of an Air Force member continues physical therapy and retained an attorney to file a claim against the federal government.

Patrick Deaton, 39, Spokane: The technical sergeant has full motion, about 80 percent of strength in his right shoulder and arm that a bullet passed through. Returned to work in September at the Fairchild civil engineering unit, scheduled to make master sergeant this fall. A strong Christian, he believes the Lord guided the bullet out his arm, rather than into his chest where it could have been fatal.

Ruth Gerken, 72, Tarpon Springs, Fla.: She’s homesick for Spokane after moving because she could no longer care for herself. She lived with her son’s family in Florida until her leg wounds healed enough that she could get her own condominium. She takes a cab to physical therapy sessions three times a week and began seeing a counselor last week.

Mark Hess, 38, Dixon, Ill.: The retired Air Force sergeant said he is mostly recovered from the wound to his right leg and recently participated in a six-mile fun run. He has recurring nightmares, but “the more I talk about them, the less they bother me.” He has an aversion to hospitals. He was looking for a sign whether to return to his hometown and figures the shooting was it. He works as a painter for a construction company.

Omer Karns, 70, Rathdrum, Idaho: The Disabled American Veterans van driver lost part of his colon and spent 20 days in intensive care. His colostomy was reversed in December. He still has pain and tightness in his lower abdomen. Told at one point he would not walk again, he now walks with a cane and returned to driving the van in September.

Deena Kelley, 38, Grandville, Mich.: After she was shot, she and husband, Shawn, moved from Spokane with their 1-year-old daughter, Rebecca. Kelley’s colostomy was reversed in November. She was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress syndrome and suffers anxiety attacks.

Joseph Noone, 31, Spokane: The military medic turned down the Air Force’s offer to move his family to another base after the shooting. He finished physical therapy for his arm and leg in August, but the limbs still ache when he’s tired.

Orson Lee, 65, Boise: The retired soldier’s shrapnel wounds have healed, although a couple of pieces are permanently lodged beneath his skin. He expects he’ll be edgy when he returns to the Fairchild hospital for an upcoming eye exam.

Hazel “Joy” Roberts, 62, Spokane: The stomach wound doctors thought would kill her finally healed in late April. She didn’t leave the rehabilitation center until July 29, but has since gone from wheelchair to walker to cane.

Michelle Sigman, 26, Seattle area: She moved from Spokane in August with her husband, Mike, and 6-year-old son, James, as soon as she was medically able. The family still grieves the loss of Taylor McKenzie, the unborn daughter who died because of Michelle’s chest wounds. She is frightened by loud noises, strange people and crowds, and is in therapy as she tries to deal with “being in the wrong place at the wrong time.” The family has filed claims totaling $15 million against the Air Force.

Sam Spencer, 13, Priest River, Idaho: His leg still hurts when he plays hard or wrestles with friends. He played on his junior high school basketball team last season, sitting out when he began limping. The nightmares have stopped, but he still sleeps with his hunting knife within reach.

John Urick, 70, Ephrata: The retired Navy veteran recently underwent surgery for a blood clot in his brain, a result of other surgeries to repair damage from the bullet that destroyed much of his leg above the knee. He still has no feeling below that knee and is resuming twice-a-week physical therapy to learn to walk.

Eva Payton Walch, 58, Spokane: After losing her right foot to a bullet, she learned to get around her tri-level house with a prosthesis. She goes to physical therapy five days a week and started driving again a month ago.

Lorraine Murray, also a shooting victim, could not be located.

Laura Rogers, 27, Oklahoma City: She and her husband, Mark, both Air Force master sergeants, transferred from Fairchild in mid-August. Laura, who was shot in the right arm, still has trouble raising her hand above her head. She tries to put memories of the shooting behind her, but the recent bombing of the federal building in Oklahoma City brought it all back.

Anthony, Janessa Zucchetto, Spokane: Anthony, 5, faces several more operations to repair damage from the bullet that tore through his abdomen and groin. Janessa, 6, is recovered from her physical injuries but still jumps sometimes at loud noises. Relatives say they are doing everything possible to return the children to the anonymity they enjoyed before the shootings.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: 7 Photos

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: The relatives of the dead Susan Brigham, wife of Maj. Tom Brigham, the psychiatrist who recommended Mellberg’s discharge: She moved to the Midwest with their two children and continues to fight for changes to the military’s mental health system. She recently convinced members of Congress to demand an investigation into that system. Greg and Echo McCarron, the parents of 8-year-old Christin McCarron, who was killed while in the hospital waiting room: They still live in Spokane with their son Ryan. A relative said they continue to “take things one day at a time.” Rande Lindner, husband of Anita Lindner, who was killed in the hospital parking lot: Lindner and his three children live near Cheney. He is trying to refinance a $59,000 balloon payment to keep the camp they operated for the Civil Air Patrol, Scouts and Camp Fire groups. Kathy London, wife of Capt. Alan London, the psychologist who recommended Mellberg’s discharge: An Air Force nurse, she was transferred to Wilford Hall Medical Center, near San Antonio, Texas, the hospital that treated Mellberg, then returned him to active duty.