CLEAR LAKE, Texas -- The family of a soldier injured during the shooting rampage at Fort Hood has an unusual message for the suspected gunman: "Thank you."
“I kind of look at this as a blessing in disguise,” said Army Specialist Dayna Ferguson Roscoe at her home in Clear Lake.
The 21-year-old took three bullets on Nov. 5.
At the time of the shooting, her name was Dayna Ferguson. She added Roscoe to the end of it in January when she married fellow Army Spc. Randy Roscoe.
The name change is why she says getting shot in the arm, shoulder and leg was worth it.
"Looking at the bad of it isn’t going to change what’s going on,” she said.
Had it not been for the shooting, the two soldiers would not be married today.
Dayna Roscoe was set to be deployed to Iraq two days after the Nov. 5 tragedy at Fort Hood. The shooting left her too injured to go. She is now living with her parents in Clear Lake, where she was able to get married and spend the holidays with friends and family.
“I would like to personally thank, what’s the man’s name? Nidal, or whoever the shooter is,” said the injured soldier’s father, Jim Ferguson. "I would like to thank him for bringing all of this positivity into our life."
But there have been some bumps along the way. Dayna Roscoe has gone through four surgeries. She has two more to go.
“I thought I was going to make a full recovery. Hopefully, I will. I just don’t know how long it’s going to take," she said.
Dayna Roscoe knows a few things are certain. Wednesday, she goes in for a surgery that stems from an infection in her side. Eventually, her arm will have to be shortened.
She said she wants to get out of the U.S. Army and become a school teacher.
“I wasn’t meant to deploy, so something stopped it,” she said.
Dayna Roscoe and her family said they know they are lucky. While they are able to share their stories of joy and recovery, there are many families who are not.
Thirteen people died in the rampage at Fort Hood. Dozens more were injured.
Investigators say Maj. Nidal Hasan, a fellow soldier, was the gunman.
A hearing set for March 1 will determine whether there is enough evidence to court martial Hasan.
Hasan’s lawyer is trying to get that hearing postponed. John Galligan says the process is rushed, unreasonable and in violation of his client’s pre-trial rights. He has not had time to assemble his defense team.
“I believe senior members of the U.S. Army are anxious for him to be tried as soon as possible and anxious for him to be killed,” said attorney John P. Galligan in a telephone interview with 11 News.
Galligan said his client is at the Brook Army Medical Center in San Antonio. He is paralyzed from the chest down. He expects that Hasan will be released from the hospital at the end of the month.
