Women answer the call of duty at Fort Hood

November 6, 5:07 PMLouisville Independent ExaminerGreg Skilling

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This undated photo provided by her family shows Amber Bahr, who was shot during an attack that left 12 people dead and 31 wounded at the Fort Hood Army base, Texas on Thursday Nov. 5, 2009. Her mother Lisa Pfund says her daughter was shot in the stomach but was in stable condition.

(AP Photo/Family Photo)

Update: Recent reports have identified Senior Sergeant Mark Todd, a civilian police officer at Fort Hood, Texas, as the person who fired the shots that brought down the alleged shooter, Major Nidal Hassan. An eyewitness stated that Sgt. Todd courageously came to the aid of his fallen partner, Sgt. Munley and ended the killing spree.  Given this new information, Sgt. Todd deserves to recognized for his valor alongside with the two women in the original story.

Yesterday, amid the carnage of the shooting rampage at Fort Hood, Texas, two intrepid women displayed tremendous courage under fire. Police officer Kimberly Munley and Army nutritionist Amber Bahr selflessly placed the needs of others above their own lives in the midst of a desparate situation.

Sgt. Munley took down the shooter, Major Nidal Hassan, while Pfc. Amber Bahr tended to the wounded. Both women ignored their own wounds while performing their duty. Lt. Gen. Robert Cone called Bahr an "amazing young lady." Munley described as a "tough woman", singularly put an end to the killing spree saving the lives of the trapped and wounded soldiers and civilians at Fort Hood.

While the Army and the rest of America try to make sense of the senseless killings at Fort Hood, one thing is clear; women are an indispensable asset in the defense of our nation. The core values of honor, courage and commitment are clearly not limited to any group or classification of individuals. On November 5, 2009, the struggle for gender equality bore invaluable fruit in the form of these two courageous women.

Sources: MSNBC.com & CNN.com