Police Sgt. Kimberly Munley told a group of Central Texas blood donors Thursday night she was “overwhelmed” at the thought that blood from one of them likely helped keep her alive.

The 34-year-old was one of two civilian police officers at Fort Hood who helped subdue Maj. Nadal Hasan, who is accused of opening fire on his fellow soldiers last November.

Thirteen people were killed in the attack, and 32 others were wounded.

Fort Hood Police Sgt. Kim Munley stands with Carter BloodCare spokeswoman Janet Gregg before the organization’s banquet Thursday in Waco.
Rod Aydelotte/Tribune-Herald

Munley and her partner, Sgt. Mark Todd, quickly responded to the scene that afternoon. Although it was Todd who disarmed Hasan, Munley fired at him and was shot three times during the exchange.

Munley’s wounds, which included a severed femoral artery, caused her to lose more than half her blood volume at the scene.

When she got the hospital, six units of blood were immediately pumped into her. She later needed an additional two units.

Without that blood, Munley said, she wouldn’t be alive. That’s why she agreed to speak at Carter BloodCare’s annual banquet in Waco, which recognized faithful donors and volunteers.

“Technically, I should not be standing here in front of you today,” Munley said. “It’s a miracle by God, but by you, too.”

Carter is the primary blood supplier for 16 hospitals in Central Texas, including Metroplex Hospital in Killeen, where Munley was treated.

It also supplies blood to Fort Hood’s Darnall Army Medical Center and Scott & White Hospital in Temple, which also cared for victims after the shooting.

Carter also is the main supplier for Waco’s two hospitals, Hillcrest Baptist Medical Center and Providence Health Center.

Janet Gregg, a spokeswoman for Carter in Central Texas, said the organization always likes having someone who has benefited from donated blood speak at its banquet. Officials were thrilled when Munley accepted the invitation, she said.

Outpouring of support

Carter officials said Central Texans turned out by the hundreds to donate blood in the wake of the attack. In the hours after the shooting, donations at the Waco center increased 600 percent above normal. The next day, they were up 700 percent, they said.

Munley, who now walks with a cane, said she became a police officer because of a desire to help people. She said she knew it would be a challenging profession, in part because she is a female and in part because of her small stature. She is 5 feet 2 inches tall and weighs 110 pounds, she said.

But when she graduated from the police academy, she knew she had made the right decision, Munley said.

“For the first time in my life, I was proud of myself,” she said.

As a police officer, Munley said, she made peace with the fact that she would get hurt sooner or later.

Training takes over

Fortunately, she received a lot of training as a member of Fort Hood’s SWAT team, Munley said. Although she never could have imagined experiencing something like the attack, her training kicked in, she said.

Hasan was taken down four minutes and 16 seconds after the first 9-1-1 call came in, Munley said. Typically, it takes 10 minutes or more to disable suspects in “active shooter” situations, she said.

Munley said she remained conscious until she was sedated for surgery. Doctors initially were worried her left leg might have to be amputated. But that didn’t happen.

After her speech, Carter officials called Munley “an American hero” and presented her with a plaque and a bouquet of roses.

cculp@wacotrib.com

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