"My first reaction was to sit down and hide. Then I heard an American say 'go get him'."

That was once typical of Americans, and, who knows, maybe will be one day once more.

Jazz Shaw digests the more vetted version of the story -- none of the US personnel on the train were Marines. The three who first acted were an Air Force man, a National Guardsman, and a civilian.'

At this point we seem to have settled on the fact that the Americans involved in taking down and hog tying the presumed terrorist were Alek Skarlatos, Spencer Stone and Anthony Sadler. Sadler is a civilian, Stone is in the Air Force and Skarlatos is either a National Guard member or an inactive National Guard reservist, depending who you ask.

But a civilian American, maybe traveling with the servicemen, so maybe not entirely ordinary.

In addition, a 62 British businessman jumped on the dogpile -- he is the one who said he was stirred to action by hearing an American voice say "Go get him."

One Frenchman jumped on too, a train conductor who was off-duty and just on the train as a passenger. He held down the guy's left arm.

The Brit, businessman Chris Norman, said:

"My thought was I'm probably going to die anyway so let's go. I'd rather die active trying to get him down than simply sit in the corner and be shot."

Bravo.

He says the most important hero here was Spencer Stone, the Air Force man, who was actually a medic. Stone got badly slashed by the terrorists' knife or boxcutter, and his thumb was nearly cut off entirely. (Hopefully that has been reattached and will heal with no complications.)

Despite bleeding profusely, and despite being down a thumb, Stone administered emergency aid to a passenger badly slashed through the throat immediately after subduing and hogtying the terrorist. Hopefully that passenger will live, and Stone will have another contact/informant in his Shadow-like war on crime.

Here are your Big Damn Heroes, America:



via ABC News, Spencer Stone, Alek Skarlatos, and Anthony Sadler





From the Telegraph. Assuming these are the same three men (can't tell with the one white guy, actually; you people all look alike to me), they were traveling together, I guess.

From KCRA, Sadler, Skarlatos, and the British businessman who jumped into the fray, Chris Norman... Comrade Arthur says those are medals issued by a local town; the major national French medals will come later. And I assume Stone is missing from the picture because he's still in the hospital.

Amazing. Just amazing. Despite my pessimism, even knowing there are men like these in the world makes me happy, and gives me some small amount of hope for the future.

AMERICA

Our medics will kick your "Holy Warriors'" asses up and down the block