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Unquestionable Heroism
The word "hero" is sickeningly misused, often bandied about by politicians to describe anyone who happens to serve in the military, or dies in a fire, or otherwise gets killed either through misfortune or, sometimes, their own stupidity. Since it's used so often to pander to an audience, it has been diluted to near meaninglessness.
As I read the New York Times this morning, however, it's evident this trio of fellows can be adorned with the word "hero" without hesitation:
As the Times describes it, in part:
The man with the gun kept going down the carriage, holding his AK-47 and a Luger pistol. In a pocket was a sharp blade capable of inflicting grievous harm. He had at least nine cartridges of ammunition, enough for serious carnage.
Alek Skarlatos, a specialist in the National Guard from Oregon vacationing in Europe with a friend in the Air Force, Airman First Class Spencer Stone and another American, Anthony Sadler, looked up and saw the gunman. Mr. Skarlatos, who was returning from a deployment in Afghanistan, looked over at the powerfully built Mr. Stone, a martial arts enthusiast. “Let’s go, go!” he shouted.
Mr. Stone went after the heavily armed gunman and, with his friends, pounded him to the floor of the train carriage. “I mean, adrenaline mostly just takes over,” Mr. Skarlatos said in a Skype interview on Saturday that appeared on television, barely 12 hours after it was over. “I didn’t realize, or fully comprehend, what was going on.”
Their actions saved many lives on the train, which was packed with over 500 passengers, according to French officials.
With Mr. Skarlatos close behind, Mr. Stone grabbed the gunman’s neck, stunning him. But the gunman fought back furiously, slashing with his blade, slicing Mr. Stone in the neck and hand and nearly severing his thumb. Mr. Stone did not let go.
The gunman “pulled out a cutter, started cutting Spencer,” Mr. Norman, the British consultant, told television interviewers. “He cut Spencer behind the neck. He nearly cut his thumb off.”
Mr. Skarlatos grabbed the gunman’s Luger pistol and threw it to the side. Incongruously, the gunman yelled at the men to return it, even as Mr. Stone was choking him. A train conductor rushed up and grabbed the gunman’s left arm, Mr. Norman recalled.
The AK-47 had fallen to the gunman’s feet. Mr. Skarlatos picked it up and “started muzzle-thumping him in the head with it,” he said.
It is truly heartwarming to read how these three Americans took swift action without regard to their own safety and demonstrated true strength and courage. There are still guys out there like this, it's good to know. I'm sure if Caitlyn Jenner had been there instead, she would have tried something, but it's tough what with the ball gown's hemline and all.
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I'm surprised mostly everyone is going with the official story. Ok for national pride, sure. Receiving "la légion d'honneur", well...
Next thing we know, French folks will be reminded how America was there for them, and how ungrateful they are not to engage in yet another war in Irak/on terror/for freedom/whatever.
French fries will change name into " liberty fries" again, and media bashing will ensue. "Cowards/etc"...
So cliché
Not to diminish what these guys did one iota, but I do think it is that "fight or flight" thing that makes instinct drive action. Most people would be frightened of a gun nowadays, but anyone familiar with them has no initial fear of the device and sets out to disable its use.
Belgium is known to be a supply store for illegal weapons. There is so much kit from Warsaw Pact stores or Ukraine filtering through places like Belgium - that is one of the places the IRA used to source. Last time I left the UK the idiots asked me if I was carrying weapons !!!!! I mean it is hard enough to get them in the UK, why would you export them from a country that puts a premium on unregistered imported weapons ?
It was a great reading expereince to go through the article. I really appreciate the great effort and dedication.
custom service
This is why obama doesn't want vets to have guns. Vets are men of action.
Sounds like just another episode of "Charlies Angels"...
'cept w/dudes... bummer
Sounds like just another episode of "Charlies Angels"...
'cept w/dudes... bummer
wtf?
No heroes in Mexico, they don't live long.
I had some questions about some contradictions in the half a dozen official versions of this stroy, but since you said it was unquestionable... How dare I.
"Unquestionable Heroism"
Bullshit. 9/11 was also sanctified before any investigation and found woefully wanting after independent investigation. These days everything learned via the media is questionable.
This story may be as told and God bless these men for that, but what's the full backstory?
Those guy are true heroes, they saved hundreds of peoples lives.
The Musloid Dickwad was loading his second magazine.....on a packed train...and no one was hit? W T F?
This would have been a much better story if it involved 3 American women, or some transgenders. Maybe we'll luck out and one or more of the heroes will turn out to be transgender or, at least, gay. Wow--if it had only been American female soldiers who had been trained in special ops. As it is, it turns out to just be a three males. Don't count on the feminazi's to give any credit to testosterone.
Well done. And without a SWAT team and a bunch of innocent people caught up in the shooting. Even the thug was captured without a shot. No law enforcement training. Just doing what was called for.
This story sounds vaugely familiar...
Only this time there wasn't an American attorney present to tell the truth only 3 "U.S. marines" and a pretty young "something" hiding under her tray stand to tell the "story"!
Langley's getting desperate and this is just one more "feel good America to the rescue" stories that make you want to fucking vomit!
Let me guess.. Will they be rewarded with the Legion of Merit and Francois Hollande kissing them on both cheeks?!!!
P.S.
If those 3 are actual U.S. marine corps somebody needs to educate them on a dose of reality.
Obviously Mr. Skarlatos your father isn't career military as he would have told you about the horrors of the Vietnam war and why we needed to learn from it so that we wouldn't fight another one like it again -like my Daddy did!!!
Hoping you're just the run-of-the-mill paid for shills from McLean Virginia as I am getting very depressed at the idea that anyone could be that stupid enlisting after being spoon fed 14 years of the most rotten foulest of smelling "shit" of a lie!
I suggest you work very hard on your out-of-control cynicism. These are good guys and did what you would never have attempted, you loudmouthed wimp.
Lets not get carried away:
Taking down some guy who's likely to blow your brains out if you don't, seems to be the OBVIOUS thing to do.
It's called the "self-preservation" instsinct.
Well of course.
But somehow many (including yours truly) were roundly condemned for suggesting such a thing is the end result of the jihadist tactic being used when I said on a GW thread and I paraphrase but you'll get the gist..."They will be a grease spot in the center aisle if they ever try that again."
And I'll rub that in every motherfuckers face who downvoted it...forever.
Its Fight or Flight instinct because if you ALREADY KNOW the intent is to kill you and everyone around you and there is no way out...there is only one instinctive option.
Personally, I would have killed him.
Knowing what to do and actually doing it are two very different things, especially if it involves looking down a gun barrel containing 30 combat rounds.
Some people freeze up.
Yep . . . most people freeze up. And some of the biggest loudmouths freeze up and crap their pants.
Way to go
.
start to finish
Heros indeed, we salute you.
Message to civilized humans:
The only way to stop the rampage is to eradicate the islamic cult.
It is not just feasible, but also relatively simple because the islamic cultists, with the exception of the pakistanis, do not have weapons of any significance.
Imagine a world with NO islamic cultists we CAN do it !
Imagine a world with no Jewish Supremacists fomenting chaos, discord, war profiteering, and open ended mass third world immigration.
How about a two-fer?
Not to worry. Some lawyers will show up to sue the three guys for interfering with the "rights" of yet another minority. Will the hate never end?
This story is sturdy enough without the gratuitous Jenner reference.
Why bring that tortured soul to what should be a celebration?
These brave soldiers should stand alone on this stage.
Jenner reference relates to trivialization of "hero/heroism." I am proud of my three countrymen; Jenner makes me cringe. Hvaing an auditorium and part of a nation appluade Jenner as a hero is an insult to men/women like the 3 Merikens in France. So much for cowering in-place.
I kind of agree..
Who got the biggest applause; Jenner or Bibi ?
I feel brave every time I step into a french train. Don't sit by the door. The kids will come on the train and grab your things and bolt. And trust me no one will stop them.
Titanium ballz. Not sure I'd have the gonads to go up against some toad with an AK when I am unarmed.
Hat's off to you guys. Hero's in the best sense of the word.
Once again, Americans save the French from being killed by fascists.
America is a textbook fascist state and hundreds of people are being killed every year by it's police force.
How do you explain that?
They aren't French?
The number of people killed by the police is a fraction of those killed by blacks and hispanics. Get a clue or shut up.
"Once again, Americans save the French from being killed by fascists"
They wouldn't even be an independent Nation today without the French. They should be thanking them on the 4th of July meat head, as the French do on D day.
Word is the French train staff ran to a secure cabin/room and locked themselves inside and wouldn't open the door even when panicked passengers saw them and were beating on the door to get in.
For the record, one French guy climbed on the dog pile and helped hog tie Joey Jihad.
In fact this French guy was the first to jump on the terrorist - before the 3 brave Americans and the Britiish - but he asked to remain anonymous.
Now that I have my interwebs connection back...you have a link of course.
Merci
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Awww. And I was being so polite, now maybe not so much ;-)
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Well here it is...Mr Stone: "The French guy deserves a lot of credit."
So whats the problem?
Here it is...
09.59The 554 passengers on board the train included French actor Jean-Hugues Anglade of Betty Blue and Nikita fame, who criticised train staff on the train, alleging they entered a private cabin and locked themselves in when they heard gunfire, leaving the passengers alone. Thalys denies this.
The president of the French railway company, SNCF, Guillaume Pepy, has said he will meet Mr Anglade in coming days to discuss the matter. Robert Mendick has provided a timeline of the action:"
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/11818934/France-...
Now what?
@nmewn
"Word is the French train staff ran to a secure cabin/room and locked themselves"
Sorry, but this is false:
The SNCF said that the two hostesses the actor Jean-Luc Anglade saw running to a secure cabin/room and locking themselves inside with a few passengers are not members of Thalys train staff but only employees of a subcontractor responsible for distributing meals and drinks and managing the space bar.
http://www.leparisien.fr/faits-divers/tirs-dans-un-thalys-le-controleur-du-train-temoigne-23-08-2015-5029283.php
@nmewn
The Telegraph is not exhaustive, nor accurate: there was 6 heroes in the train ...
http://www.leparisien.fr/faits-divers/thalys-qui-sont-les-six-hommes-a-avoir-affronte-ayoub-el-khazzani-23-08-2015-5029551.php
lucky for the terrorist (was that politically incorrect?) that french actor jean claude van damme was not on that train.
Belgian.
I think the thing to do is fight each other over national pride, now that the hard & important stuff is done ;-)
According to 'official' MSM reports they heard the guy loading his gun in the toilet, then when he came out Mr. Stone ran 10 meters (30 foot) and tackled him to the ground....
Ears of a bat those U.S. servicemen that just so happened to be on the train, in the same carriage, eh?
It's just a shame no-one on either of the flights (11 / 93 / 175) had that much balls about them, still, those bad boys had box-cutters and they're way more dangerous than an AK47 (That the Moroccan found in a park) aren't they?
Excuse me, I'm off to pick up Jessica Alba in my Yacht, and show her my original Mona Lisa painting, while feeding my Dragon bits of Osama Bin Ladens body that I've had on ice for the last few years...
"It's just a shame no-one on either of the flights (11 / 93 / 175) had that much balls about them"
They certainly did on 93, but after their assault, the terrorist flying the plane probably put it into a dive and/or maneuvers that would have made walking around on the plane impossible. Via cell phone conversations some occupants on 93 had found out that the planes hijacked that day were being flown into buildings whereas the occupants of 11 and 175 were following the proper script for the days when hijacked planes were used just for the hostages, not as weapons, and probably didn't know what was to happen until it was too late to do anything about it.
Change your handle. You don't deserve to be carrying that name.
And fer crissakes, turn off the TV and pick up a book. You are one brainwashed motherfucker.
You didn't happen to be on the streets of New York during 9/11 wearing a Harley Davidson tee-shirt, were you?
Somebody has kool aid stained lips
Well Stone almost lost his thumb from this assholes "box cutter" or knife or whatever the fuck he had. The AK did in fact jam and yes, Skarlatos beat him in the fucking face with it.
The better question for this jihadist-warrior wannabe is, how is he going to explain getting his ass kicked by an Air Force medic (Stone) and a National Guardsman (Skarlatos)?
Advice to the cretin, shave real close and get used to taking it up the ass like the pussy he is.
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Scroll down for some video inside the train at the time, just after...from Skarlatos...
http://heavy.com/news/2015/08/spencer-stone-us-military-belgium-train-te...