(Spencer Stone)
(Anthony Sadler, Alek Skarlatos, Chris Norman)The pictures above are from NBC News. They show the newest heroes in France (and much of the rest of the world, including the United States) -- Airman First Class Spencer Stone, college senior Anthony Sadler, Oregon National Guardsman Alek Skarlatos, and British citizen Chris Norman. These four men prevented a massacre on a French train by a terrorist carrying an AK-47, a handgun, and a boxcutter.
Upon seeing the gunman, these four men showed extraordinary courage. Stone was the first to rush the gunman, quickly followed by Sadler, Skarlatos, and Norman. They took him down and tied him up with a necktie, and then held him down until French authorities could take him away. Stone was injured by being cut with the boxcutter.
The men are now heroes in France (and elsewhere), and are justifiably being treated like the heroes that they are. French crowds are applauding them everywhere they go, and they have been invited to meet the French president and other high government officials. They also received a call from President Obama praising them for their heroism.
The Bush administration damaged the reputation of the United States in other countries, including France, and President Obama has only been able to partially fix that damage. Personally, I think these three Americans have probably done more to rehabilitate America's image abroad than all of the U.S. politicians combined.
NOTE -- It should be mentioned that a French citizen was the first to notice the gunman, and try to stop him. The gunman fought him off, and was able to wound at least one passenger before the three Americans and one Brit were able to subdue him. That means this story actually has five heroes (but I was unable to find a picture of the French hero).
