By Matthew Schofield, Kansas City Star editorial board columnist

Thank God for Sgt. Kimberly Munley.

The civilian officer at Fort Hood brought down Maj. Nidal M. Hasan with "an amazing and an aggressive performance."

She put four bullets into Hasan, an Army psychiatrist who'd clearly snapped minutes earlier, going on a rampage with two guns, one semi-automatic, killing 13 and wounding at least 30. He's alive, on a ventillator, but she's given credit for stopping him.

Muley also took three bullets, one in each thigh and one in a wrist. By all accounts, she was swift, decisive, and probably saved lives. It was a lucky thing she happened to be nearby when the emergency call came in. She found Hasan four minutes after the first 911 call.

The fact that she did emerge from this tragedy is heartening. It gives us reason to push away thoughts that the world has gone completely crazy. True, lunatics roam the planet _ we had to wait less than 24 hours for a second mass shooting, another one took place in Orlando.

But there is good in this world. That good it can be seen, clearly and cleanly, in heroic actions, such as those taken by Munley. Her actions make the kind of news that make it a bit easier to breathe, to move on, after tragedy.

Here's wishing her a speedy recovery, and deep felt thanks.