St. Paul soldier killed in Fort Hood massacre

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- A Minnesota soldier is among those killed in the shooting rampage at Fort Hood.

Kham Xiong, 23, of St. Paul, died in the attack Thursday, said Tim McGowan, principal of Community of Peace Academy, a school attended by Xiong.

McGowan said Xiong's father, Chor Xiong, informed the school of his son's death. Family members picked up pictures of Xiong on Friday for a memorial service, McGowan said.

Kham Xiong's sister, Mee Xiong, speaking to KARE 11 at her parents home on Saint Paul's East Side, said that her brother was to deploy to Afghanistan in January, his first overseas assignment since joining the Army last year.

"He was getting ready to get deployed...and he was getting ready for his checkup. He was getting (vaccination) shots done at that time."

Mee Xiong is one of the slain soldier's 10 siblings. Their brother, Nelson Xiong, 18, is a U.S. Marine currently on duty in Afghanistan.  She says having two sons in harm's way in military is "hard on the family."  She describes Kham as "just a loving person, a person that has no enemies, none at all. So, it is hard to let him go 'cause he was such a good person and had not done anything bad at all."

Xiong graduated from Community of Peace in 2004, McGowan said.

Minnesota Congresswoman Betty McCollum released a statement on Xiong's death late Friday afternoon.

"I wish to extend my deepest sympathies to the family of Private First Class Kham Xiong," McCollum wrote. "This senseless act of violence has resulted in a tremendous loss for the Xiong family, but also for residents of Saint Paul, and indeed our entire nation. Private First Class Xiong was among the brave men and women in uniform who volunteer to serve and sacrifice in order to protect our nation's freedom. Congress and the entire country join the Xiong family in mourning this loss and we hold the memory of PFC Kham Xiong in our hearts."

Funeral arrangements for Specialist Xiong are expected to be delayed by Hmong tradition and facility availability until December. No final arrangements have been made.

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