Army Major Patrick Miller, who lives in the Austin area, is among the victims recovering from wounds suffered in Wednesday’s mass shooting at Fort Hood.
Miller, who grew up in western New York, was identified Thursday by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo as one of the Fort Hood shooting victims. Miller joined the Army after graduating from western New York’s St. Bonaventure University in 2003. Six years later, he earned an MBA and a master’s degree in public administration from Syracuse University in western New York.
Miller, 32, underwent surgery Wednesday and again Thursday at Fort Hood’s hospital, according to relatives and friends. As of Thursday evening, he reportedly was in stable condition. The major was shot in the abdomen, according to media reports.
Carole Miller, the wounded soldier’s mother, said Thursday that her son “is already asking to get out of bed and walk around. He’s doing OK,” The Bradford Era newspaper reported.
“He’s getting better, and he’s getting strong now,” said Tim Miller, Patrick Miller’s younger brother.
The wounded soldier lives near Austin with his wife, Ashley, according to media reports. “We will keep Major Miller in our thoughts and prayers in the days ahead and hope for his full and speedy recovery,” Syracuse Chancellor Kent Syverud said in a statement.
According to Miller’s LinkedIn profile, he has been comptroller for a Fort Hood brigade since last August. In 2007 and 2008, Miller was a battalion personnel officer at Fort Hood. In a 2005-06 assignment at Fort Hood, he was an assistant battalion operations officer. Miller also has been stationed at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio and Fort Drum in New York, according to his LinkedIn profile. In addition, he was deployed twice to Iraq.
In a March 17 message on Facebook, Miller reminisced about his first deployment to Iraq back in 2003. A photo of him with several other soldiers dressed in Army fatigues accompanied the Facebook post.
On Facebook, Miller wrote that 2003 “turned out to be the most difficult and challenging year of my life. Witnessing countless acts of bravery, heroism and selfless service, despite all the death and destruction … we became a family. We became brothers ...”
