It now seems that both a name officer who survived the Chattanooga terrorist attack and one of the Marines who died both engaged the Islamist with their personal handguns, despite an out-dated Department of Defense directive banning personal weapons:

A Navy officer and a Marine fired their sidearms hoping to kill or subdue the gunman who murdered five service members last week in Chattanooga, Tennessee, according to multiple military officials familiar with internal reporting on the tragedy.

It remains unclear whether either hit M_______ A_________*, who was shot and killed Thursday after he gunned down four Marines and a sailor at the Navy Operational Support Center in Chattanooga. It’s also unclear why they were armed, as it is against Defense Department policy for anyone other than military police or law enforcement to carry weapons on federal property.

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

It is going to be very interesting to watch the investigation of this domestic Muslim terrorist attack to see if Lt. Cmdr. White and the deceased Marine returning fire affected the outcome of the attack.

We simply don’t know at this time if either man hit the terrorist, but its important to note that you don’t have to make hits to lay down effective suppressive fire. It could very well be that they were able to keep this attack from costing more lives.

Once upon a time, not so very long ago, the United States military celebrated and revered troops who disobeyed orders to save lives.

We should do so again, and commend Lt. Cmdr. White and the as-yet unnamed Marine who took on bureaucrats in order to protect their men, not punish them for violating a directive that has cost us 34 lives and another 54 casualties under feckless leadership since 2009.

* Bearing Arms does not publish the names of mass shooters.