Military mom thankful for son's safety

Susan Bauer feels blessed this Thanksgiving, yet can’t help feeling sorrow.

The Paradise Valley woman is ever so thankful that her son, Patrick Marsh, was not among the 13 killed and 38 injured on Nov. 5 at Fort Hood by suspected shooter Nidal Hasan.

Marsh, a 36-year-old father of four, was in a nearby building on the Killeen, Texas, Army base when the massacre took place.

Bauer’s heart, however, goes out to the those who lost loved ones in the worst act of terrorism on U.S. soil since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

“He has taught me so many things about the truth of the Army and what they do,” Bauer said. “These are totally dedicated men who have given their all to this country. We don’t want to forget the great sacrifice that these people made on their homeland.”

On the day of the attack, Bauer was returning to Bonners Ferry from Eastport when she heard the news on her car radio.

“I didn’t have a cell phone,” she said. “I was trying to focus on driving and keeping safe and not driving too fast. I was trying to keep myself calm.”

Bauer got a hold of her daughter-in-law, Renee, and learned her son was okay.

As a captain, Marsh mentors soldiers.

“He spends time and after hours taking care of their families and counseling them,” Bauer said. “I feel very close to all of these people as well. MY son has been so faithful and dedicated to Army. I feel tragically sad (for the victim’s families).”

“It should’ve never happened,” she continued. “All of these men on base were not armed. These men were completely defenseless. They were complete victims of a terrible, hideous crime.”

Marsh, who is in line for being named a major, was 18 when he joined the Army. When he decided to become an officer, Marsh enrolled at the University of Montana, where he earned a degree in civil engineering.

He has done two tours in Iraq and expects to be deployed to Afghanistan.