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A Thomasville man wound-ed in Afghanistan during some of the most brutal fighting in the war can expect a full recovery, his father said Friday.

Army Sgt. Matthew Gobble , who was injured in the same battle that claimed the life of Cpl. Pruitt Rainey of Haw River, is recuperating in Germany after undergoing surgery, Mike Gobble said.

“He’s doing great,” the elder Gobble said. “It’s going to be a full and complete recovery.”

Gobble, 24 , was hit by shrapnel from a rocket-propelled grenade during an attack by Taliban insurgents against a U.S.-led outpost near Pakistan.

The shrapnel sprayed across much of Gobble’s body, his father said.

“It was basically his entire left side from his head all the way down to his feet,” he said.

Gobble was flown to Germany, where he underwent surgery to remove the shrapnel and repair cartilage and ligaments.

He likely will remain there until next week, when he might go to Italy for more rehabilitation.

Mike Gobble said his son hasn’t talked to him much about Sunday’s fighting, described as one of the fiercest battles in Afghanistan since the fall of the Taliban in 2001.

The firefight began before dawn when nearly 200 insurgents attacked the base from two directions, Western officials said, while 45 U.S. and 25 Afghan troops mounted a desperate fight to hold them off.

During fighting that lasted hours, the insurgents breached the compound before being driven back.

Nine American soldiers were killed and at least 15 more were injured. Four of the Afghans defending the base were injured .

“He really doesn’t talk a whole lot about anything that happened,” Mike Gobble said. “That’s got to be a bad thing to play on your mind.”

Mike Gobble said his son also hasn’t talked much about his fallen comrades.

“The only thing he says is, 'Remember the ones who were hurt worse than me, and remember the families of those who didn’t make it.’”

Mike Gobble said he received news of the injury Sunday in a call from the Army.

“He said, 'Your son’s going to be OK.’ I was thinking, 'I hope your version of OK and mine are the same.’”

He briefly talked to his son that day.

“I could tell that he was in great pain,” Mike Gobble said.

Gobble is scheduled for leave next month, his father said.

After that, he’ll likely go to Italy, as his tour in Afghanistan was nearly up.

More troops could be headed to Afghanistan within weeks, a development Mike Gobble approves.

“I think ... that we need more troops over there,” he said. “It’s starting to heat up.”

Mike Gobble said his son is a believer in the mission in Afghanistan.

“He will tell you that what we are doing over there is doing good,” he said.

Despite the injury, Gobble has no plans to leave the Army when his commitment is over.

In fact, he plans to make a career of it, something he re-emphasized to his father this week.

“I’m behind him 100 percent,” Mike Gobble said. “I’m proud of him. I’m proud of both my boys.”

The Associated Press and New York Times News Service contributed to this report.

Contact Jason Hardin at 373-7021 or at jason.hardin@news-record.com