Blog reader CM Smith noted in the comments section of my earlier entry on the Fort Hood horror, below, “Amazing timing to have latest American Handgunner Ayoob File cover the similar ‘Andy Brown’ case on a USAF base in 1994.” Amazing, indeed. From my perspective, the coincidence was almost creepy.
But, it shouldn’t have been. As we all know, “the past is prologue.”
This time, it was Sergeants Mark Todd and Kimberly Munley who “rode to the sound of the guns.” Fifteen years ago at the air base, it was USAF Security Police Officer Andy Brown. Both times, the Good faced the Evil in horrific situations. Both times, it was the Good people – armed with simple Beretta 9mm pistols – who faced direct gunfire, outshot the Evil people, and put them on the ground…and decisively stopped the carnage.
Andy Brown is a helluva man. I had known his story since shortly after it happened, and got to meet him earlier this year when he attended one of my classes. He was kind enough to share his experience with the class, which unanimously found it both moving and inspirational. He allowed us to record his account of the incident at Fairchild AFB for the Pro-Arms Podcast. You can download it and listen to it at no charge through iTunes or Zune, or at http://proarms.podbean.com. You’ll be looking for podcast number 033. Or, you can read it in the current issue of American Handgunner magazine, in the continuing feature Ayoob Files, available now on the newsstands or readable at no cost at www.americanhandgunner.com.
There is much to learn from it. Just today, we authorized a trainer in South Africa, where the ordinary citizens are presently embattled in a level of violent crime and terrorism alike that goes far beyond anything seen in this country, to use Andy’s podcast in training there. Yes, it’s that important.
Sergeants Munley and Todd have already spoken to the press about their experiences. I hope that they can both do what Andy did, and share the specifics of what they went through with their peers, some of whom will inevitably have to do in the future what they did a week ago. And I salute Andy Brown for having had the courage to do that already. The knowledge born in their hard-won experience will certainly save lives in the future.
For Andy, the most painful part of the experience was arriving too late to save those who had already been shot. The military fifteen years ago did not handle that sort of thing well, and Brown suffered in the aftermath. I sincerely hope THAT past does not become prologue for our two current heroes.
Question: Why did Ft. Hood need CIVILIAN police as semipermanent security guards anyhow? Don’t military bases still have MPs for this kind of role?
Answer: No, not in wartime. Those MP’s are active on base, but also deployed, just returned or getting ready to deploy to Iraq and Afghanistan. They also count against the overall force ceiling limit numbers for the Army. As a result, there are not enough law enforcement folks in Army uniforms to do it all. So, Army and DoD authorized both DoD and contract security. Have those guys here at Ft. Lewis too.
Contract security works the little Fort Harrison base here in Helena, Mont., too. I even interviewed with the company, which is based in Colorado, and was told the issued sidearm is a Sigma. For long gun support, the contractors called on M14-equipped MPs.
Awesome, totally awesome. What a bad ass human being. He’s got tons of courage and that shot was just pure excellence. Too bad there aren’t more like him in this mean world. My respect for people like him is absolutely limitless.
Mas, Along the same lines, how credible are the news reports of the recently arrested “terrorists” who were planning on openning fire in shopping malls.Would you say there is a reason to be hyper aware in public, more so than usual that is? Or do you feel that such reports are politically motivated?
Not “hyper aware,” Mike.
Just “aware.”
And, of course, prepared.
best,
Mas
I really enjoyed the article on Brown in this month’s American Handgunner – just read it this morning on the bus in to work. I was impressed with Brown’s dedication in securing a clone pistol to use for off-duty practice to really gain proficiency – not to mention his shooting. (Made me think a few things about long-distance handgun shots, but that’s for another time and place.) Anyhow, I certainly hope that he has fully gotten past any issues that would have haunted him after the event, and I applaud your bringing awareness to the psychological issues that afflict survivors of such. I do understand that the military is working very hard to cope with these issues, and that part of their new methods involve prophylactic psychological training _before_ any such event occurs.
In any event, a big salute here to those brave individuals who train to go in harm’s way – not many folks will run toward gunfire, even in the line of duty. God bless and keep them.
Besides being a “Helluva man”. I am also a long time subscriber to Backwoods Home Magazine, and follower of the Forums here, as well as Mas’s Blog.
Thank you Mas for the most comprehensive write up yet. I certainly hope the Military and DOD will learn how to help Law Enforcement officers cope with the aftermath of deadly force encounters.
There are several eerie similarities between the Fairchild and Ft. Hood incidents. Most notable, I am glad to see that the responding officers followed their training and instincts and moved to the sound of the guns, stopping the murderous gunfire.
Thank you all for the praise, I humbly accept it. Thank you Mas for putting my account of the Fairchild shooting out there for people to learn from it.
Andy Brown
Thank you for your service Andy. We can all learn, not only from your example, but from what you experienced in the aftermath.
Let me explain how this works people
DOD police are FEDERAL UNIFORMED CIVILIAN POLICE OFFCIERS WHO WORK FOR THE US GOVERNMENT PERIOD
NEXT DOD SECURITY GUARDS FEDERAL UNIFORMED ARMED SECURITY
NEXT MILITARY POLICE ACTIVE DUTY AND RESERVE PERSONNEL OF THE US ARMED FORCES IE MP’S MARINES AND ARMY SECURITY FORCES AIR FORCE AND MAA’S MASTER AT ARMS NAVY
AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST YOU HAVE CONTRACT SECURITY PERSONNEL SECURITY GUARDS IE AKAI , WACKENHUT AN SO FORTH
LET ME REMIND PEOPLE THOSE OF US WHO ARE POLICE OFFCIERS ARE EXCATLY THAT… AN NOT SECURITY WE SERVE A SECURITY FUNCITION AT HIGHER FPCONS BUT WE ARE LAW ENFORCEMENT
AN AS FOR THE MILITARY POLICE THEY HAVE A NEW PURPOSE IS WHY YOU SEE AN INFLUX OF HIRING ON THE BASES