Celebrated Fort Hood officers losing jobs

FORT HOD, Texas, Aug. 8 (UPI) -- The first two law enforcement officers to respond to the Fort Hood, Texas, massacre have left the base after being told they'd lose their jobs, officials said.

Mark Todd and Kimberly Munley have been told they would lose their jobs as part of broader military spending cuts, the Austin American-Statesman reported.

Todd's shots paralyzed suspected shooter Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, an Army psychiatrist, from the waist down, ending the rampage that killed 13 people and wounded more than 30. Munley was shot three times after her gun malfunctioned, testimony at a hearing for Hasan indicated.

Both had received widespread praise after the November 2009 shooting, attending a State of the Union address as invited guests of President Barack Obama and being honored as National Law Enforcement Officers of the Year by the American Police Hall of Fame.

"We all hold Fort Hood in our hearts and never thought we would be facing cutbacks," said Munley, who has taken an unpaid leave of absence.

Todd left the Fort Hood police force for an overseas contractor job in July, officials at the base said. He could not be reached for comment but in a Facebook post said: "Thanks for coming out, God bless, goodnight.... I wish everyone good luck and quiet shifts. PS please keep me updated on (Hasan's) court-martial."

Military police soldiers will replace civilian officers, Fort Hood officials said.

Fort Hood turned to hiring more civilian officers in 2003 as military police officers were being sent to Iraq and Afghanistan, the Statesman said.

"(Now) as more MP soldiers are available at Fort Hood, we return to the use of MPs for law enforcement," Christopher Zimmer, deputy director for the Directorate of Emergency Services at Fort Hood, said in a statement.