Heroes at Fort Hood

It's not easy to report on "good news" when gut-wrenching tragedy strikes.

Thursday's massacre at Fort Hood left 13 people dead and 30 injured, but as the dust settles we are learning about two amazing heroes — women no less — who literally put their lives on the line to help others.

Fort Hood Sgt. Kimberly Munley and her partner arrived at the scene three minutes after hearing a report of gun shots fired at the base. Almost immediately, she found herself in a surreal situation: face-to-face with the gunman. Precisely what happened is still unclear, but the shooter, Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, fired a shot that hit Munley. She fired back, and managed to shoot Hasan four times, thus ending the sickening bloodbath.

"It was an amazing and an aggressive performance by this police officer," Lt. Gen. Bob Cone, the top commander at Ft. Hood, told NBC's TODAY show.

Munley is in stable condition and will no doubt be honored for her heroic deed once she is back on her feet. Not many details are known about Munley yet, but her Twitter page seems to sum up her attitude: "I live a good life ... a hard one, but I go to sleep peacefully @ night knowing that I may have made a difference in someone's life."

Amber Bahr, an Army nutritionist who is all of 19 years old, is another hero who has emerged in this tragedy. Cone told TODAY that she secured a tourniquet on a wounded soldier and carried him out to medical care. She then went back inside to help others. The really unusual part of this story? She had been shot herself, but was so busy assisting the wounded she initially didn't realize it. She is now being treated at an area hospital and her mother told the Sheboygan Press she is "in and out of pain" but in good spirits.

In a tragedy such as this, the actions of these women provide a silver lining to some very dark clouds.

Photo courtesy of Maliniakxx via stock.xchang.