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Adel soldier recovers from Ft. Hood shooting

By Jade Bulecza - bio | email

ADEL, GA (WALB) –A south Georgia soldier who was seriously wounded in the Fort Hood shooting will undergo more surgery Wednesday.

Sgt. Paul Martin is recovering and he's looking forward to coming home to Adel.  His family there can hardly wait to see him.

U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Paul Martin recalls being shot four times during the mass shooting at Ft. Hood on November 5.

"I was shot in my knee on the left side of my left leg, in both arms by the biceps, and once in my left side of the middle part of my back," said Sgt. Martin.

He just found out he has a fifth bullet still lodged in his lower back.  The surgeon will take out tomorrow. He's now staying in the Warrior Transition units at Fort Hood.

"I've met President Obama and his wife, President Bush and his wife," said Sgt. Martin.

He's also met several well-known army generals he says his commanders haven't even had a chance to meet.

Sgt. Martin won't make it back to Adel for Thanksgiving but plans to get there in three to four weeks. Family members are anxiously awaiting his return."

His relatives want to see for themselves that he's all right. His first cousin can't wait for his return so she can help take care of him.

"It's sort of like in the bible where they wanted to touch Jesus, so that's what we want to do, we just want to touch Paul," said Carolyn Walton, Sgt. Martin's first cousin.  

Before Sgt. Martin was shot multiple times, he was at the Ft. Hood processing center preparing for a deployment to Iraq. His crew had already been deployed and he was the last to go because he had to go back to Adel for his dad's funeral on November 1st.

"I'm thankful to be alive," said Sgt. Martin. "I'm thankful that I can see my family again and I'm here to be with them again."

"He should be home in a few weeks and I can't wait," said Vanessa Turner, Sgt. Martin's sister.

He's been undergoing occupational and physical therapy to regain his strength.

Sergeant Martin is married to Velda and they have three sons in their twenties. Sgt. Martin hopes to serve several more years before retiring.

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