Is there anyone knowledgeable out there who could tell me why this firearm might have advantages over the Kimber model 1911 that all our generals carry in Iraq? Trying to make a decision before Christmas...
Get the Kimber.
The Generals are carrying 1911's? That's funny, none of them carried the things when they were the issue weapon.
Sigs are pretty safe to handle. You only load and carry them one way. Put the magazine in, chamber a round, and drop the hammer using the decocking lever. Their is no manual safety. To fire pull the trigger.
They are both really swell pistols. You could get into all sorts of technical debates, but the primary difference that most shooters will see is in the trigger pull. Like any D/A pistol, that double action pull is kinda heavy, and plenty of people will tend to send that first shot low. The Kimber, on the other hand, has a nice single-action trigger, but it spooks some folks to carry it "cocked and locked". The service history of Mr. Browning's design shows that this concern is unfounded, but there it is.
The other ergonomic consideration is the grip -- the Kimber has a slimmer grip, which fits most hands better and is surprisingly good for concealment.
But, again, with the quality of pistol you're talking about, you really can't go wrong. Heck, buy 'em both, and tell the spouse that there was a "his and hers" sale.
A Kimber is an excellent gun and I would prefer to have one over a Sig if I were in a gun fight. On the other hand I'd rather carry a Sig, particularly if I were carrying concealed. So to me the question would be, "how likely are you to need it?" If you're a cop, security guard, soldier or a contractor in Iraq you probably don't want to accept any compromises in your weapon. In that case go for the Kimber. On the other hand if you're just a regular citizen that sometimes ends up in rough neighborhoods, dark reststops, etc..., you probably want something smaller, lighter and easier to carry. If the gun is too cumbersome you might be tempted to leave it behind and the .25 Raven you have in your pocket is more effective than the .44 Ruger that's back home in the vault.