November 7, 2009 10:05 PM
- Text
Fort Hood Eyewitness Remembers the Tragedy
(CBS)
Two days after narrowly escaping death at Fort Hood and just hours after his release from the hospital, Corporal Nathan Hewitt still can't believe what happened was real. The survivor spoke to CBS News Correspondent Don Teague about those fateful minutes.
"I can't make any sense of it. I mean, I guess they say that they happen for a reason," he said.
What Triggers Mass Shootings?
Hewitt, who's scheduled to deploy in January for a second tour in Iraq, was waiting for a flu shot Thursday in a room full of soldiers when he heard someone scream.
Special Section: Tragedy at Fort Hood
"I didn't see anything at first. All I heard was a yell and the gunshots," he said.
Hewitt said the yell sounded like "Allah Akbar," the beginning of a Muslim prayer.
The next thing he heard was gunfire that went off so fast he thought it was a string of firecrackers.
"Somebody threw a package of blackcats out there and then you started seeing the person coming around, the shots just kept coming," Hewitt remembered.
He dove for cover but was hit by two bullets.
Even after being shot, Hewitt didn't believe what was happening. He thought the gunfire was a training exercise and that he'd been hit by a rubber bullet. He says other victims thought the same thing.
"I heard the yell and then I heard the shots fired. And when the initial shots were fired, I thought they were training you know," Hewitt said. "See how quick people react and what people do to react."
After crawling and running to safety, Hewitt noticed he was bleeding. That was when he realized it was not a drill.
Fort Hood Suspect Said Methodical Goodbyes
"I actually didn't realize I had been shot until they took me to another building and lifted my pant leg and blood started coming out both sides."
Hewitt still can't believe a fellow soldier would turn on his own. Today he's praying for those lost and the others who were injured. He's also hoping his injury doesn't delay his deployment to Iraq, where he says at least he will know who the enemy is.
"I can't make any sense of it. I mean, I guess they say that they happen for a reason," he said.
What Triggers Mass Shootings?
Hewitt, who's scheduled to deploy in January for a second tour in Iraq, was waiting for a flu shot Thursday in a room full of soldiers when he heard someone scream.
Special Section: Tragedy at Fort Hood
"I didn't see anything at first. All I heard was a yell and the gunshots," he said.
Hewitt said the yell sounded like "Allah Akbar," the beginning of a Muslim prayer.
The next thing he heard was gunfire that went off so fast he thought it was a string of firecrackers.
"Somebody threw a package of blackcats out there and then you started seeing the person coming around, the shots just kept coming," Hewitt remembered.
He dove for cover but was hit by two bullets.
Even after being shot, Hewitt didn't believe what was happening. He thought the gunfire was a training exercise and that he'd been hit by a rubber bullet. He says other victims thought the same thing.
"I heard the yell and then I heard the shots fired. And when the initial shots were fired, I thought they were training you know," Hewitt said. "See how quick people react and what people do to react."
After crawling and running to safety, Hewitt noticed he was bleeding. That was when he realized it was not a drill.
Fort Hood Suspect Said Methodical Goodbyes
"I actually didn't realize I had been shot until they took me to another building and lifted my pant leg and blood started coming out both sides."
Hewitt still can't believe a fellow soldier would turn on his own. Today he's praying for those lost and the others who were injured. He's also hoping his injury doesn't delay his deployment to Iraq, where he says at least he will know who the enemy is.
Latest Now in CBS Evening News
- Evening News Online, 02.09.12
- One mortgage mess culprit: Signature mills
- Remembering Kodak cameras
- Boston College documentary may hold secret confessions
- Obama frees 10 states from "No Child Left Behind"
- Assad continues relentless attack on Homs
- Inside the job of a robo-signer
- Big banks, gov't officials strike $25B deal
- Civilians bear the brunt of Syrian assault
- Oral history of N. Ireland strife raises dilemma
- Repairman reminisces as Kodak retires its cameras
- Evening News Online, 02.08.12
- Female soldiers tell stories from the frontlines
- Behind winter's wild weather
- Gas prices continue to creep up
- GOP turns up heat on Obama contraceptive law
- Do Santorum wins signal fundamental change in GOP?
Latest CBS News Headlines
on Facebook
on CBS News
- Sinking
- Rep. Bachus faces insider-trading investigation
- Singapore DBS bank profit jumps 7.8 percent in 4Q
- Owner of Sierra mine surrenders to face charges
on Facebook
- Adele opens up about vocal cord surgery
- Tenn. father charged with murdering couple who"unfriended" daughter on Facebook
- Mo. teen gets life in prison for murder of 9-year-old girl
on CBS News






