Page 21 - Sergeant Manning News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

The ground. >> i got hit in the chest. you know, i couldn't imagine that this was going on, thought that maybe, you know, for a second, i thought it might be some sort of training thing. >> the staff sergeant sitting across from me, he was crawling on the ground, his left shoulder was limp. i reached down toward him to ground him. i was kneeling and pulling him towards the door, i look up and i turn around to look behind me and there is mr. asawn. as soon as i looked at him, first magazine dropped out of his weapon, he pulled the second one out. put it in his weapon and then he looked at me an...

Texas, sergeant manning and sergeant straton were under enemy fire. >> he pointed at me, 6 feet away. he squeezed a round off, so i kind of slammed to the ground with the round that went right through my left shoulder here. >> i saw everybody screeping and the blood all over and the blood on my chest. he couldn't breathe. i tried to go to the ground to take cover and i started to get shot more. i mean -- i -- i felt some bullets. >> reporter: a fellow soldier, 39-year-old nidal hassan was armed with an fm57 handgun, intent to kill as many americans as possible. >> i started crawling, i didn't ...

Go. >> reporter: six months after joining and with the rank of private second class, straton was assigned to the 36th engineering brigade, located at fort hood. >> i was really looking forward to going to fort hood, even though i knew nothing about it -- like i know now. >> reporter: he was 18 years old and his wish was coming true. his unit was scheduled to deploy to afghanistan. >> i was right excited. couldn't wait to go. loved going to get the extra gear and everything, learn how to use it. bought a personal sling for my m-16 so it would be easier to carry. couldn't wait. >> i knew they we...

Standing only a couple feet away. >> and there was a tremendous bang and i saw it out of the corner my eye, my car just going up and back and it felt like it was traveling right over my head. it was an eerie feeling. >> the speeding van crushes manning's police cruiser, car parts and glass flying in every direction. the car is sent spinning out of control, into the middle of the road, barely missing the other cruiser recording the incident. >> i was looking around at my other fellow police officers making sure everybody was all right. >> incredibly, no officers were hurt during the impact. as ...

>> i move toward the back of my police car, as i see the suspect vehicle has crossed the center line now, aiming right for my car. i didn't want to run out to the left or to the right and get run over, so i just waited till the suspect vehicle was committed in one direction. >> the van is barreling toward the officer at a tremendous speed, showing no signs of slowing down. with the vehicle right in front of him and with almost no time to react, manning makes a split-second decision and jumps into the embankment to his right. the driver of the van slams directly into manning's cruiser. the impa...