Pvt. Quinton Ezeagwula was shot in the back and the backside and grazed in the head during the apparent jihadist attack last week in Little Rock, Arkansas that took the life of Pvt. William Long. He spoke to the press yesterday, with certain restrictions on what he could talk about due in part to security concerns and due to the pending prosecution of Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad.

Ezeagwula’s mother also spoke to reporters. From CNN:

“I feel very good about him staying in the Army and wanting to represent the United States,” she said. “I think that’s a wonderful thing, because most people would feel bitter or angry, but he’s not. He doesn’t feel that way, and I’m glad.”

“He said, ‘Mama, they say I’m a hero. You believe that?’ ” Sonja Ezeagwula said. “I said, yeah. … He was a hero before he got shot. He was our family hero.”

She said her son stayed away from gangs and drugs as a youth and was doing something positive. “He was supposed to have been a statistic from a dysfunctional family. Look what happened.”

[...]

Ezeagwula said he joined the Army because “I just want to help my family out. I thought it was a good way, and then when I got in it, I actually learned to love the Army.”

He said he is a construction machinery operator but hopes to eventually become a sergeant and then a drill sergeant.

He said he was participating in the recruitment program because he wanted to show his peers that there is more out there beyond Arkansas and that the Army is a good way to see it.

He said Long’s family “welcomed me with open arms” and has been supportive. And he expressed thanks to well-wishers and those who have offered prayers: “I really appreciate what they have done for my family and Pvt. Long’s family.”

“The Long family, those are some superb people. Extra-special people,” Sonja Ezeagwula said. “I just thank God. Every day, I thank God.”

She said she was amazed by the outpouring of support after the shooting. “I’m just overwhelmed with how much love Americans have for this country. I really am. And I’m glad I got a chance to see it.”

She said her family is Christian, “and we believe when something happens, God will turn it around,” and good will come of it.

Asked her feelings about Muhammad, Sonja Ezeagwula said she had no ill feelings toward him but said that she hopes justice is served and that the outcome for him, whatever it may be, is fair.

Ezeagwula laughed when asked what runs through his head before he goes to sleep at night. “I really don’t know, sir,” he said. “A lot of things run through my mind at night. I’m still me. I really can’t pay attention to that kind of stuff.”

Ezeagwula said he had known Long for “almost two weeks. He was a very nice person.”

I said it before but I’ll say it again: Those who make up the volunteer military in the U.S. today constitute a truly great generation.

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