I Just Wanna Say …
How proud I am of the three American young men who stopped the train massacre in France. Two of them were military – Air Force and National Guard – and the third was their non-military friend.
They did what Americans do and have always done – save France’s butt.
In all seriousness, I also want to say that the men and women in the Air Force take a lot of ribbing from the other branches. They are called the United States Chair Force and Zoomies. So please allow me to say on behalf of Airman First Class Anthony Sadler and the entire United States Air Force, “Take THAT, Marines.”
They were unarmed and even administered first aid to others after they took him down.
I do not know what Airman Sadler’s speciality is but I hope it’s something real nerdy.
Love it! Three unarmed Americans took out a guy armed with an assault weapon, extra ammo & a knife while on a moving train.
“Stone said the attacker kept pulling out weapons from his bag”.
Take note Ammosexuals, you got nothin’ on these men.
I smell a movie coming soon.
1This is an outstanding example of military training at its best, used to protect and serve. Hats off to the brave young men who risked their own lives to save others. These guys deserve a ticker tape parade!
2I think one of them said that with an armed man shooting on a crowded train, you figure you’re dead either way, so you may as well try to stop him. I like to think I’d be that brave– more likely I’d be that p***ed off– but you never know until it happens. A cheer for these heroes!
3The Good Guys without the guns, took down the Bad Guy with multiple guns. Maybe now the NRA can figure out how that scenario plays out.
4NRA will prolly say that if the terrorist had a dependable,’murrican made AR then the whole US military would never had been able to stop him. Thusly legends are made.
5Those guys had something that the NRA doesn’t have, courage.
6Seconded.
7i’ll second that! hand salute to the air force and army national guard. bravery is not confined to the uniform you wear, but to the courage in your heart
semper fidelis
bill
usmc (retired)
8RHEA: That was said by a middle-aged British gentleman, who was also part of the effort to stop the bad guy. Let’s not leave him out of the discussion.
9Hey, there wouldn’t be a US without French assistance.Remember Lafayette and naval assistance?
10BarbinDC: Exactly! Our American boys were great and should be commended for it. But all the headlines I have seen leave out that a very middle-aged non-military Brit gentleman was very much in there, too. Even the interview video I saw of the two uninjured Americans and the Brit left him out of the headline.
11The Observer identifies the middle-aged Brit as Chris Norman, currently residing in France. He is one gutsy grandpa!
12Wan’t there also some kind of TV/movie actor who managed to get through the tangle and pull the emergency cord? All things considered, he took a damn chance, too. But, yup, the gold has to go the Yanks!
13We really got to see “Right to Lifers” the real ones, in action. Thanks Guys! you may have saved our reputation despite Donald Trump.
14Once the story of the suicide flight that ended in a field in Pennsylvania on 9/11/2001 came out, some of my cop friends and I exchanged emails to the effect that there would never be a successful hijack of an aircraft ever again with Americans on board. Americans alive on 9/11/2001 know what happens to hijacked aircraft. But I never suspected this knowledge would run so deep that Americans, where ever they find themselves would risk their own lives to thwart a hijacking.
15Maggie — Anglade apparently cut his finger to the bone, also. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/france-train-shooting-famous-actor-claims-staff-locked-passengers-out-of-car-when-gunman-opened-fire-10467105.html
16It’s actually Stone that is in the Air Force. Sadler is a college friend of his. To be fair, it was a Frenchman that spotted the guy and tried on his own first.
17These 3 deserve the accolades but I’m glad several of you have mentioned the Brit and the French guy. Not sure why they’ve been left out by most of the U.S. press coverage.
18BarbinDC, just what I was going to comment. The three young Americans who saw the weapons and said, “Let’s get him” and the middle-aged Brit businessman & Frenchman already on the train who jumped in and pounded the would-be killer–good for all of them.
19Props to all of those brave souls!
20The British gent, Chris Norman, is a French resident and is being given France’s highest honor, the Légion d’honneur.
Norman, who was pictured holding a bravery award from the town of Arras – near to which the train was passing when the incident occurred – told a press conference: “I was sitting in the coach. I heard a shot, I heard some glass breaking then I saw somebody running down the aisle to the front of the train.
“I was facing towards the back and then a stood up to see what was happening. I saw a man with what I think was an AK-47 or something like a machine gun. My first reaction was to sit down and hide. Then I heard one guy, an American, say, ‘Go get him.’ I heard another American say, ‘Don’t you do that, buddy.’
“I decided then perhaps it was really the only time or chance to act as a team and try to take the terrorist. It was rapid reasoning. He had a Kalashnikov, he had a magazine full and I didn’t know how many magazines he had.”
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/24/british-train-hero-chris-norman-receive-frances-highest-honour
21So proud of our guys. Plus I am always happy when we Americans get some good press in other countries, as I feel we are usually made to look like nutjobs (not entirely undeserved, often).
22I’m with Bill McBride — Members of my family have served in all branches of the military. I salute all the men who had the courage in their hearts to risk their lives for others. Well done!
23Lorraine: and the movie will feature a REAL hero, not someone who hides behind rocks.
24“One of the Americans who prevented a bloodbath on a high-speed European train serves in the Air Force. Another is in the Oregon National Guard. On Monday, the enlisted men became knights, along with two others who took part in the rescue, as French President François Hollande made them Chevaliers of the Legion of Honor, awarding them France’s highest decoration.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/us-servicemen-become-french-knights/2015/08/24/c4654613-f872-48ad-ba81-bb4bf414dd88_story.html
25Kudos to all of them. Military training at its best, along with brave civilians (the training in first aid and the one–I forget now which–who went along the train checking the other cars to be sure there weren’t more terrorists aboard.
Armed police on board could not have done better.
26I’m pretty sure the US Marines would be happy to make all these gentlemen honorary members, they exemplified the best of the Marine tradition.
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