Shock Starts To Sink In For Soldiers, Families

Still stunned by a sniper’s ambush that left one dead and 18 wounded, paratroopers of the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division tired to shake off their shock and get back to work Saturday.

Investigators, soldiers and the victims’ families wondered how it could have happened.

The suspect, who was tackled by a group of soldiers exercising nearby, is a member of the unit that was fired on early Friday - the 2nd Brigade Task Force. Late Friday night, Sgt. William J. Kreutzer, 26, was sent to the military jail at Camp Lejeune Marine Base in Jacksonville.

Kreutzer, an infantry squad leader assigned to Company A of the 4th Battalion of the 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, might not be formally charged for several days, said Maj. Rivers Johnson, the division spokesman.

No information on his military record, including disciplinary problems, has been released.

The gunman opened fire on the 1,300 paratroopers as they set out in the fog and dark on a four-mile run. The sniper hid in a stand of pine trees overlooking the flood-lit exercise field.

As the shots rang out, soldiers dashed for cover and some screamed “Incoming!” as the wounded soldiers fell.

On Saturday, soldiers returned to their routine along Ardennes Street near the site of the attack. Some got their hair cut at the division barber shop and others bought cigarettes and soft drinks at the PX.

A wedding party, including some soldiers in dress blue uniforms, gathered at a nearby chapel. A jogger in red pants ran on the outdoor track where wounded were being tended the day before.

“It still hasn’t set in yet,” said Sgt. 1st Class Robert Shively, who stopped to look at two bouquets placed on the name plaque of the field. “I can’t believe anyone would do it. It shows anybody can go off their rocker.” Shively was running on Ardennes Street and heard shots, but wasn’t in the formation on the field Friday.

The tradition of running is basic in the airborne infantry because of the physical conditioning the job requires. Exercise sessions are called PT, for physical training.

“PT is the last place you think you would be fighting for your life,” Johnson said. “Division PT time is sacred. The tempo we go at requires it.”