NOSC Commander and Marine used sidearms to engage Chattanooga Jihadi

The Navy Times reports that the installation commander and a Marine engaged the Chattanooga Jihadi with sidearms during the attack.  From the navytimes.com:

A report distributed among senior Navy leaders during the shooting’s aftermath said Lt. Cmdr. Timothy White, the support center’s commanding officer, used his personal firearm to engage Abdulazeez, Navy Times confirmed with four separate sources. A Navy official also confirmed a Washington Post report indicating one of the slain Marines may have been carrying a 9mm Glock and possibly returned fire on the gunman.

From the comments, Mark Keith states that :

gunnery sergeant sullivan eel to his POV and returned armed and engaged the shooter. It’s going to come out one way or another. At least they went down fighting for there men.

It seems a plausible scenario, but I have not seen any validation of it.  I put it in the category of rumor at the moment.

It seems likely that the  Lt. Cmdr. Timothy White, the support center’s commanding officer, and the unnamed Marine engaging the Jihadi, significantly reduced the number of casualties.  That is the pattern that has emerged at other mass shootings. 

My compilation of mass shootings stopped by armed Americans shows that of the 22 cases found so far, 18 of them were stopped by people inside of the situation, while only four were stopped by people from outside who recognized the situation and had time to intervene.

Certainly Lt. Cmdr White and the unnamed Marine exhibited valor in the face of enemy attack.  They should be recognized and held up as an example of the best that our service members can be.   It says much of how this administration is viewed by many, that a significant number of comments expect White to be disciplined, rather than rewarded.  From the comments:

 It will be a damn shame if the military slap them with a UCMJ actions. It won’t surprise me though.

and

 And I bet they will be punished for having weapons…

UCMJ is the Uniform Code of Military Justice.  It is the manual for punishing people in the military.  I do not see punishment as likely.  The political costs are too high.

I can see the calls for commendations rising.  They are already in the comments section.  It will not be long before a political candidate will recognize that the desire to recognize the bravery of these men will resonate with the electorate.  It will not be President Obama who firsts suggests it.  My bet is that it will be Donald Trump.

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