Ind. native recovering from TX shooting

LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WISH) - An Indiana native who was among the soldiers wounded at Fort Hood remained in the hospital late Friday afternoon.

In a text message to 24-Hour News 8 reporter Mary McDermott, Corporal Nathan Hewitt said Friday he's "doin' good."

He also said he's not in pain, and has "no clue" when he's going to be released from the hospital.

Bullets hit Hewitt in the calf and hip.

Hewitt grew up in Lafayette and graduated from Jefferson High School.

His mother, Liz Hewitt, said he told her over the phone his wounds were not life-threatening.

As to why her son was hospitalized, Hewitt said, "I don't know, I think it was probably precaution. He said he felt fine last night but I'm kind of glad they kept him overnight."

Liz Hewitt said she learned of the shootings at Fort Hood when she was watching a report on television. She called her son immediately and was grateful that he picked up the phone.

"It was like, I heard his voice...that was good news," she said. "And then it was like, there are other families who weren't so lucky, as bizarre as that sounds. They weren't as lucky as Nathan."

Nathan's uncle, Elmo Robledo, said Hewitt was in the facility where the shooting took place Thursday because he was getting ready for deployment to Afghanistan. That was scheduled to happen after the first of the year.

Robledo said Hewitt told family members that a door got thrown open, he heard yelling and then a lot of gunfire.

"He, along with whatever other soldiers that were in that facility, I don't know who yelled first, but I was told they started, Nathan started yelling and getting everybody towards the back door. And as they were, at some point in time during that is when he was shot. I understand he got a grazing injury to the hip and then the injury to his calf. I understand the bullet went completely through his calf."

Robledo said the bullets didn't seriously injure his nephew.

"I don't even think that slowed him down. He continued to try to help others and make sure everybody got out of harm's way," said Robledo.

Robledo said he's sure this incident won't keep his nephew down for long.

"He's ready. He's ready," Robledo said of Hewitt. "He's not going to let this slow him down. He's got a job to do and he's ready to do it."