NORWOOD, N.C. -- A mother in Stanly County is waiting by the phone for updates as her son -- one of the most critically injured at Fort Hood -- fights for his life.
Spc. Matthew Cooke was shot three times while trying to help a friend.
"I can still hear the echo of, 'He's been shot,' in my ear," Diane Frappier said.
She moved to her home in the small town of Norwood just three years ago with her second husband. Her three children are all grown and on their own.
She was stunned to get the call Friday afternoon that her youngest child and only son, 30-year-old Matthew Cooke, was being rushed to the hospital.
"The doctor in the ambulance called and said Matthew had been shot and that he was bleeding. They were trying to control the bleeding," she said.
A father of two, Cooke has completed two tours in Iraq as a truck driver. He even had a near miss.
"Somebody shot at him. The bullet wedged in the frame of the window. He said if the guy had been just a little bit better shot it would have killed him," Frappier said. "He was shot at in Iraq, but not here -- never thought, never dreamed for a moment ... (that this could happen) at a secure Army base."
And not like this.
"His buddy was shot in the head and Matthew dropped to the floor to minister to his buddy and this Major came up behind Matt and shot him in the back three times," Frappier said.
Cooke spent more than 10 hours in surgery and slipped into a brief coma. He was put on a respirator and doctors had to remove his bladder, colon and most of his intestines.
"They're keeping him alive right now. That's the main goal," Frappier said.
Then, on Friday afternoon, there was a sign of hope. Cooke woke and his mother got another phone call.
"I got to hear him say, 'Ma.' It was great. I can't tell you how great that was when he said, 'Ma.' Because last night I didn't think I was going to hear anything," she said.
Frappier says in the middle of the night when word came that one of the two most critically injured people had died, she was sure it was Cooke. The Army wouldn't tell her anything over the phone and she couldn't reach anyone.
Cooke's wife and sister are at his bedside and now making sure to call as often as possible, but security at the hospital is tight.
Frappier says her son's two boys -- 14-month-old Gabriel and 5-year-old Zachary -- just think Dad's away again.
"This shouldn't have happened to him. This is going to be a life changing event for him," Frappier said. "I don't think his life's ever going to be the same."
Cooke is expected to be in intensive care for at least the next week. His mom says it's really important to let Matthew know people care about him -- she's hoping people will send him messages of support. If you'd like to send a card, here's the address:
Scott and White Hospital
Intensive Care
c/o Matt Cooke
2401 S 31st St
Temple, TX 76508
