Bulletin E-Edition:
Man with local ties on road to recovery
By Lauren Dake / The Bulletin
Last modified: November 10. 2009 5:21AM PSTShawn
Manning, a former Redmond resident, was among the first victims in the Fort Hood shootings.
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FORT HOOD, Texas — A former Redmond resident who was one of the first victims in a mass shooting at the U.S. Army base was removed from the Intensive Care Unit and was able to walk for a short while Monday afternoon.
Shawn Manning, 33, was one of 29 people injured when a gunman opened fire at Fort Hood on Thursday and killed 13 people. Manning was shot six times: once in the chest, three times in the abdomen, once in the leg and once in the foot, according to a statement released by his family on Monday.
All of the shots missed Manning's major organs and arteries, and all of the bullets but one have been removed.
Manning is a staff sergeant in the Combat Stress Unit in the 467th Medical Detachment, an Army Reserve unit based out of Madison, Wis.
“Shawn is very passionate about his work as a mental health professional for the Army,” his sister, Kym Lott, wrote in a statement.
“He is very proud to serve his country. He understands the need of his fellow soldiers and wanted to help them any way he could. Even in his current condition he is worried and thinking of his fellow soldiers.
“When serving in Iraq, Shawn would visit the orphanages whenever they could get to them. He liked to talk and play with the children and would often share his care packages with them. Although Shawn has no children of his own, he is a favorite uncle and is often referred to as their hero.”
The family declined to be interviewed.
Manning was preparing for a third deployment, this time to Afghanistan. He joined the Army in 2000, served in Iraq in 2003 and 2006.
He was born in Twin Falls, Idaho, and attended school in that city and in Jerome, Idaho. He also attended Idaho State University, majoring in psychology.
As a teenager, Manning also lived in Redmond and appears in Redmond High School yearbooks as a freshman and sophomore in 1991 and 1992. His father and stepmother, Larry and Sonya Manning, still live in Redmond, while his mother, Shari Taylor, is a resident of Idaho.
Manning currently lives in Lacey, Wash., with his wife, Autumn.
Members of Manning's family traveled to Texas on Friday to be with him while he recovers from his injuries at a civilian hospital.
“As a family we are trying to stay focused on getting Shawn back to Fort Lewis and to Madigan (Army Medical Center) ... in Washington State, although at this time he is not in physical condition to be transferred,” Lott wrote. “Fort Lewis and Madigan is where he has been stationed and worked for many years as a behavioral health practitioner.”
The family has received questions from those interested in sending flowers or donations and advises that donations can be made in Shawn Manning's name at any Wells Fargo Bank.
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