The 34-year-old mother of six is a different kind of Army veteran, one who stays home and nurtures the children while her husband deploys, serves and protects, whatever the cost.
While the sacrifices she has made for her family and country have given her experience and strength, they did little to prepare her for what happened a half mile from her home on post Thursday when a shooter killed 13 and injured 30 others.
"I can't believe it happened here by somebody who was supposed to make soldiers better," Mrs. Ruesch, said about the shooting the military attributes to Nidal Malik Hasan, a 39-year-old Army psychiatrist who was charged with helping soldiers suffering from the aftereffects of the ravages of combat.
