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TEMPLE — Ten injured soldiers were being treated Thursday night at Scott & White Healthcare, a level one trauma center in Temple, hospital officials said. Four of them were undergoing surgery.
Some of the soldiers had multiple gunshot wounds, said Dr. Glen Couchman, associate chief medical officer. He characterized their wounds as "very, very serious injuries" but indicated he thought they would survive. "We are expecting them to do OK," Couchman said.Confidentiality rules keep doctors from revealing anything the soldiers have said about the shootings, officials said. But, "you can imagine what your state of mind would be if you were shot," said Dr. Robert Greenberg, vice chairman of the emergency medicine department.The hospital set aside a room for patients' families and made a public plea for donated blood. By Thursday evening, the wait to donate was more than two hours long. The last time so many people volunteered to donate was in the days after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, said Regina Phinney, donor recruitment manager for the hospital.Army Staff Sgt. Donald Sistrunk was among those waiting in line. He said he was not on post when the shooting occurred and found out about it from television reports. The shock had not yet worn off."Even though you don't know everyone in the Army, they are still your family," he said. "You don't expect to lose guys stateside."Looking at the long line of blood donors, he said he was touched by the community support."We take care of our own the best we can," he said.Staff writer Alex Branch contributed to this report.
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