As we all know by now, carnage erupted at Fort Hood army base in central Texas on Thursday.  Allegedly, an army psychiatrist opened fire on enlisted men who had lined up for inoculations and eye tests.  When it was all over, 13 people were dead and 38 injured.  Of the 13 dead, the names of 10 are known; seven are men and three are women.

And it could have been worse.  According to eye witnesses, the alleged shooter was in the process of trying to finish off an injured soldier when he was distracted by pistol fire from civilian police Sergeant, Kimberly Munley.  He turned his fire on her hitting her at least three times in the legs and wrist.  But Munley disabled him with a shot to his torso ending the rampage.  Another officer, Senior Sgt. Mark Todd, fired at the shooter, but it's unclear whether any of his rounds struck their target.  Read about it here (Houston Chronicle, 11/7/09).

Munley is described by police colleagues as 5'2" tall,  and "very, very, very physically fit and very capable, especially with firearms."  She is still in the hospital awaiting the removal of a bullet from her thigh.  Those on the scene call Munley a hero for her actions in bringing down the shooter.  Chuck Medley, head of the police and fire departments at Fort Hood said she eliminated the threat the shooter posed to others on the base and saved "countless" lives.

So let's all raise a glass to Sgt. Kimberly Munley.  She exhibited great courage, resolve and competence.  She risked her life to save others.

That makes her yet another good argument for women in military combat.  Is there any doubt that a woman like Sgt. Munley could serve effectively in military combat?  Not in my mind and not, I suspect, in the minds of anyone who knows her.  There are many women serving in the armed forces who understand that they'll never receive the equal respect of male service personnel until they take the same risks the men take.  Sgt. Munley's example makes it clear that women's equality in the armed forces is not only a matter of right and duty, it's a matter of common sense. 

This entry was posted on Saturday, November 7th, 2009 at 1:51 pm and is filed under Crime/Criminal Justice System/Police. You can trackback from your own site.