Under Attack, Soldiers' Instincts Kick In

Portrait of Victims Emerges; Fort Hood Soldiers Brave Hail of Bullets to Help Their Fallen Comrades

(CBS)  Updated at 2:41 p.m. EST

Amid the chaos and bloodshed of Thursday's mass shooting at Fort Hood, unarmed soldiers under fire, some of them wounded, reacted just as they might have in a combat zone in Iraq or Afghanistan - they helped their fallen comrades to safety.

In an interview with CBS' "The Early Show", Lt. Gen. Robert Cone said soldiers caught in the hail of bullets at an on-base medical facility were "really remarkable in terms of their reaction."

Witnesses told Cone that the suspected gunman, military psychiatrist Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, walked into the Soldier Readiness Center and opened fire in a "very calm, measured approach." Thirteen people - 12 of them military personnel - were killed and at least 30 were injured.

Special Section: Tragedy at Fort Hood

One soldier, who was wounded four times, told Cone that when he was on the ground, he "made the mistake of moving," and was shot again.

But the carnage could have been worse if not for soldiers' reactions.

"As the shooter would change directions, the soldiers would scramble on the ground and try to help each other to carry each other outside the building," Cone told "Early Show" co-anchor Harry Smith.

Cone also relayed the story of female soldier who used her blouse as a tourniquet for a fellow GI, carried him to safety and then realized that she herself had also been shot.

"We put a great investment in soldiers' first aid and taking care of each other. I'm sure this could have been much worse," Cone said.

More Coverage of the Tragedy at Fort Hood:

Hasan Likely "Lone Wolf," Officials Say
Hasan Reportedly Felt U.S. Attacked Islam
List of Fort Hood Dead, Wounded
Neighbor: Ft. Hood Suspect Packed Up Home
"Allahu Akbar": Hasan's Words as He Fired?
Mosques Up Security in Wake of Ft. Hood
Obama: Don't Jump to Conclusions
Hasan's Actions "Despicable," Family Says
Female Cop Hailed as Ft. Hood Hero
Store's Video May Show Ft. Hood Suspect
U.S. Army Base Violence Has Bloody History
Tragedy at Fort Hood

After realizing some of the soldiers were escaping, Cone said the gunman followed them outside where he continued to fire at them. He was eventually brought down by civilian police officer Kimberly Munley, who was the first responder on the scene. She shot the suspect four times while sustaining a gunshot wound herself, though she was in stable condition.

Meanwhile, the wounded were dispersed among several central Texas hospitals as distraught relatives tried to find out exactly what happened, reports CBS News correspondent Kelly Cobiella.

"It's just a really scary deal, nerves on end," Steve Bono, who's daughter Keara was shot in the shoulder while talking on the phone to her fiancé, told CBS News. "He could hear shots, he could hear her screaming, and then the phone went dead."

Lisa Pfund said she never imagined her daughter, Amber Bahr, who was shot in the stomach, could be wounded while on a military base in American.

"She says she did what a soldier is supposed to do and helped the other people," Pfund said after talking to her daughter.

However, Cobiella reports there are some relatives of victims who have complained that they haven't been getting as much information as to how their loved ones are doing as they would like.

[futuristic1-2009]

To all You civilian with your Hands in your pocket,you my be the same one that did'nt want to listen to the warning in 1990 that 9/11 was coming.
A civilian police officer Thank God for that she had a gun. P.S. there more but I got better thing to do then argue those that still don't want to Listen.

[whosaid1]

The FACT that she was ARMED and "they" WERE NOT....doesn't matter to you...

[tramplers]

I served 6 years in the US Navy but was never in combat. From what I read though, most of these people had combat training and some had even been in actual combat in Iraq and Afganistan. What puzzles me is how one gunman with 2 pistols could shoot 40 or so people. I would think that their "combat training" would have said let's rush the guy and take him down instead of just trying to escape. I could expect that from civilians but I thought US combat soldiers would react differently. Instead of trying to get the wounded out when his attention was elseware, rush him from behind with multiple people.

I am not bashing them since I was not in their shoes, just wondering what kind of training they get that would allow this to happen.

[missme4]

"Under Attack, Soldiers' Instincts Kick In"

But, it was a civilian cop who stopped the assault. Yeah, those soldiers have great instincts alright. Geeez! No wonder america has lost all it's wars since WW2.