Idaho soldier wounded in Fort Hood shootings

Summary

His father, George Stratton, told reporters that he received a phone call from his 18-year-old son immediately after the shootings. He said his son is expected to recover.

Story Created: Nov 6, 2009 at 11:04 AM MDT

Story Updated: Nov 6, 2009 at 5:24 PM MDT

Idaho soldier wounded in Fort Hood shootings

George Stratton - courtesy KHQ

POST FALLS, Idaho (AP) — A soldier from Post Falls is among those wounded in a mass shooting at Fort Hood in Texas.

George Stratton III, 18, was shot in the shoulder during Thursday's attack, his father told KREM-TV of Spokane on Friday. Stratton is expected to recover.

The father, George Stratton, said he received a phone call from his son while the soldier was in an ambulance being transported to a hospital.

"He said 'I heard like 15 shots go off really quickly,'" the elder Stratton said. "It was deafening, so he dropped to the floor."

The soldier saw the gunman about 5 feet away, the elder Stratton said.

"He shot him in the left shoulder," Stratton told the station. The bullet apparently passed through his shoulder and did not strike bone or nerves, the father said.

After the gunman turned away, the soldier ran out of the building and sought help in an adjacent building, his father said.

An Army psychiatrist is suspected of opening fire on his fellow soldiers, killing 13 and wounding 29.

"He saw a lot of people get shot," the elder Stratton said. "It was pretty traumatizing for him."

George Stratton III joined the Army at 17 and was training at Fort Hood.

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