SHARE THIS

Friends since boyhood, Spencer Stone, Alek Skarlatos, and Anthony Sadler are now three young Americans who went from tourists in France, to France’s national heroes this past Friday. “The Arras Heroes,” the French are calling them, in reference to the train station and town where a foiled terrorist attack came to a conclusion.

In the few minutes it took them to overpower a terrorist on a train carrying 500 passengers they not only prevented a massacre, but also represented to the world our own country’s refusal to cower in the face of terrorism.

Armed with an AK-47 assault rifle, a handgun, and a knife, along with 300 rounds of ammunition for that AK-47, a 26 year-old Morrocan with ties to a radical Islamic movement had already shot a French-American who confronted him, as he exited a lavatory with his weapons.

The three heroes heard the shot and a window shatter. They then saw the terorist attempting to charge his AK-47.

Skarlatos tapped his friend, Stone, who had been awakened from a nap.

“Let’s go,” he said to Stone, but he didn’t mean “go,” as in running away. Stone ran toward the gunman, with Skarlatos and Sadler following him down the narrow aisle.

Stone, who was the first of the three to reach the terrorist, Ayoub El Khazzani, tackled him and put his hand around his throat. The guns were dislodged from the terrorist during the initial contact. Stone received multiple cuts to his neck and head, while almost losing a thumb to a knife pulled by El Khaazzani. Skarlatos and Sadler were right next to him, punching and rifle butting the terrorist unconscious.

Apparently, a bad primer pin on the AK-47 prevented it from firing, when Skarlatos tried at some point to shoot the gunman while he was cutting Stone (as can be heard in the cell phone video, below).

The bad primer pin was a two-edged sword of luck. On the one hand, the inoperable assault rifle was a lucky break for the three who reached the gunman struggling with the weapon. The bad luck was that the radical S.O.B. couldn’t be shot dead, when he was cutting Stone.

After the terrorist was securely hogtied with borrowed neckties from other passengers, the three young men checked the immediate perimeter for other possible shooters and attended to the wounded Frenchman, keeping him alive until medical services at the train station took over. They are credited with saving his life, as well.

These boys, two are 22 years old and one is 23, make me proud to be an American and they deserve to be called, “Heroes.”

Legion of Honour

French President François Hollande presented them with his country’s Legion d’Honneur medal today in recognition of their bravery.

The Legion d’Honneur, France’s highest accolade, was created by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1802 and is awarded in recognition of both civil and military achievements.

Chevalier de l’ordre national de la Legion d’Honneur, or Knight of the national Order of the Legion of Honour will be their rank within the legion.

For Spencer Stone, Airman First Class in the U.S. Air Force and Alek Skarlatos, a Specialist in The National Guard who recently returned from a tour in Afghanistan, they can proudly display this French medal on their U.S. uniforms, as it is an authorized foreign medal. Anthony Sadler, a college student is also authorized to wear the medal and sash at any formal function he may attend during his lifetime – and there is likely to be more than a few government functions he will be invited to attend.

Presidential Medal of Freedom

America also has a medal that should be awarded to all three of these young men and I’m surprised that no mention of it is being made by any elected official, or the media.

The Presidential Medal of Freedom is an award bestowed by the President of the United States and is the highest civilian award of the United States. It recognizes those individuals who have made “an especially meritorious contribution to the security or national interests of the United States, world peace, cultural or other significant public or private endeavors.

It is awarded to individuals selected by the President, or recommended to him by The Director of the Office of Personnel Management, under the authority of the Presidential Rank Award Distinguished Review Board.

The PMF has been awarded to artists, actors, writers, cabinet members, judges, dancers, musicians, members of Congress, former presidents, generals, admirals, and others with influential friends, who submit their names and push for the award.

If any three Americans proved themselves worthy of this honor, they are Spencer Stone, Alek Skarlatos, and Anthony Sadler. Along with our own compatriots are a British consultant, Chris Norman, who assisted them.

*Mark Moogalian, a French-American professor at the Paris’ famous Sorbonne University, is undergoing medical treatment for a gunshot wound from the incident. The 51 year-old Mooligan was the first person to come to the aid of “Damian A.”, a French banker who initially confronted the attacker Ayoub El-Khazzani, but wishes to remain anonymous.

As France’s President President François Hollande stated in his speech before pinning the Legion of Honour medals on four of these six, “Today the whole world admires your courage, sangfroid and responsibility.”

Contact President Obama. Tell him America should honor these heroes with the PMF.

*Updated 1:00 PM to reflect new information on identities and involvement of two individuals previously unknown)

Update 5:00 PM: The Air Force will nominate Airman First Class Spencer Stone for the Airman’s Medal, the services’ highest award for non-combat bravery, Air Force Secretary Deborah James announced today. The Airman’s Medal actually ranks higher than the Bronze Star. If the attack is ruled a terrorist attack by French authorities, he would be eligible for the Purple Heart medal.

Update 8/25: It was announced today that Alek Skarlatos  will receive the Soldier’s Medal. It is the U.S. Army’s highest award for acts of heroism that take place outside a war zone.