A sniper's bullet won't keep an Oklahoman from returning to the Middle East

A real-life survivor. Oklahoma native Anthony Shadid was shot down in the streets of Israel in March, by a sniper's bullet. <br><br>The newspaper reporter is back in the Sooner State with quite a

Monday, May 20th 2002, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

A real-life survivor. Oklahoma native Anthony Shadid was shot down in the streets of Israel in March, by a sniper's bullet.

The newspaper reporter is back in the Sooner State with quite a story to tell. â€œI felt the bullet before I heard it, then the cloudiness, I heard a deafening crack, it was just one shot. It must have been very close.â€ Anthony Shadid was reporting for the Boston Globe, and wearing a clearly marked TV jacket.

That's when a bullet ripped through his upper body. Shadid's colleague rushed to his side used a cell phone to try to get help, but to no avail. The two had to limp to an Israeli checkpoint, to finally get the medical attention that would save his life. â€œI knew if I sat there I was going to die, there was no way help was going to arrive, the city was under military occupation.â€

Anthony may not regain full strength in his right arm, and he narrowly escaped paralysis. He feels blessed to enjoy his wife and daughter and thinks about returning to the Middle East. The Nichols Hills native returns to Washington DC this week to begin rehab for his shoulder.

Shadid is working again, and says his goal is to one day be bureau chief in Jerusalem.