I read a encouraging story in the Washington Post about three Americans who averted a huge disaster by tackling and tieing up a gunman on a French high speed train.
Really!
According to the story, "A gunman opened fire on a packed high-speed train running from Amsterdam to Paris on Friday before being tackled and tied up by three Americans, according to family members and French officials, who said their quick work had foiled a major tragedy."
I like reading stories about Americans doing great things while they are traveling around the world. Too often, I hear about the "ugly" Americans who do not represent the best reflection of our country or society.
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Americans — Anthony Sadler (left) of Pittsburg, Calif., and Alek Skarlatos from Roseburg, Ore., helped to overpower the gunman along with Spencer Stone, who is hospitalized. British national Chris Norman of France help to tie him up. (AFP/Getty Images) |
"French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve praised the quick work of the Americans, whom he said had helped avert a far bloodier situation." He later used a word that I have never heard to describe their actions: sangfroid, which means coolness under extremely trying situations.
That two of the men are in the military, one is a National Guardsman and the other in the Air Force, just makes the story that much better because the other hero is a student and they are three friends from middle school.
We should always be prepared to lend a hand and avert disaster when we can and these three proved that they we more than ready to meet the task they faced.
-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD