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Never take a Nat Guard, Airman, College Student and IT guy to a gun fight

Discussion in 'Fred's House of Pancakes' started by bwilson4web, Aug 22, 2015.

  1. bwilson4web

    bwilson4web BMW i3 and Model 3

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    Source: The men who averted a massacre aboard a French train - CNN.com

    Anthony Sadler, Spencer Stone and Alek Skarlatos were aboard a high-speed train en route to Paris from Amsterdam on Friday when a gunman opened fire.


    [​IMG]

    Americans Alek Skarlatos (from left), Spencer Stone and Anthony Sadler helped tackle a gunman aboard a high-speed train.

    Along with two others -- A French national and a Briton -- they charged, tackled and subdued him, officials said.
    . . .

    Skarlatos heard gunfire and breaking glass, and sensed something was wrong. When the suspect appeared with a gun on their car, he mobilized others, witnesses said.

    "My friend Alek Skarlatos yells, 'Get him!'" said Anthony Sadler, who was among the three. They ambushed the gunman and beat him even as he slashed one of them in the neck with a sharp object.

    Skarlatos seized the suspect's rifle and hit him in the head with the muzzle.
    . . .

    Sadler, a college senior at Sacramento State University, was on his first trip to Europe when terror struck.

    When his friends jumped the gunman and took him down, he and another passenger helped restrain him and ensure he stayed down.

    "The three of us beat up the guy," Sadler said. "In the process, Spencer gets slashed multiple times by the box cutter, and Alek takes the AK away. ..."
    . . .

    "I looked up, I saw a guy carrying an AK-47, or at least I assumed it was some kind of machine gun anyway," he said. "I ducked down in my seat."

    When Skarlatos and his friends tackled the gunman, Norman said he helped subdue him.

    "Rapid reasoning" prompted him to jump in and help the three Americans, he said.

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

    Bob Wilson
     
  2. Stevevee

    Stevevee Active Member

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    The French are a bit nervous the last several years, and for very good reasons. These guys probably saved a lot of people from being shot.
     
  3. bwilson4web

    bwilson4web BMW i3 and Model 3

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    Perhaps the French, if not all EU countries, should at least treat USA service men and women on leave with a little more respect. <GRINS>

    Personally, the Congressional Medal of Honor is for those who demonstrate exceptional initiative in the face of danger. It should not be limited to combat zones. The Nat Guard and Airman certainly meet that requirement and the civilian deserves recognition too.

    Bob Wilson
     
    #3 bwilson4web, Aug 22, 2015
    Last edited: Aug 23, 2015
  4. fuzzy1

    fuzzy1 Senior Member

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    Bob, I hope you noticed that none of them is actually a Marine. The Marine element was just a erroneous early report.

    Of the Americans, Skarlatos is a National Guard specialist, Stone is Air Force, Sadler is a college student. The Brit, Norman, is an IT consultant.
     
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  5. bwilson4web

    bwilson4web BMW i3 and Model 3

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    Good news: it was a National Guard, Airman, student along with an IT civilian.

    Title is fixed.

    Bob Wilson
     
    #5 bwilson4web, Aug 23, 2015
    Last edited: Aug 23, 2015
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  6. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    true hero's. thanks to all who stand up to the face of terrorism.
     
  7. fuzzy1

    fuzzy1 Senior Member

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    I know that you are quite partial towards the Marines, and for very good reason. But I'm quite glad that a more ordinary mixed group still mustered the courage, initiative, and ability to take him down.

    I do figure that a group of Marines could have done it faster, with less innocent casualty. But they may also have been more likely to martyr him in the initial seconds. While that would normally be a desirable outcome for ordinary homeland crime and terrorism, this faction of extremists take honor in such outcomes. I'm now getting the idea that it is ideologically better that they suffer the dishonor and shame of rotting away the rest of their lives in prison. Such shame doesn't help their recruiting the way martyrdom does.

    I am a volunteer support car driver for multiple bicycle events. The support coordinator for the largest event (10,000 riders) is a retired Marine, and it shows. He is a very effective leader and teacher, and shows us how to deal with the subset of riders and unpaid cheaters who are troublemakers. He doesn't work the smaller events, but most of us who do, learned the ropes from him.
     
  8. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    my former partner was a marine, and i couldn't agree with you more.
     
  9. Trollbait

    Trollbait It's a D&D thing

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  10. GrumpyCabbie

    GrumpyCabbie Senior Member

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    And it wasn't just Americans ;)

    Strange how the American press have it as 3 saving the day, the British press have it as 4, and the World press have it as 5.
     
  11. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    saw the 3 on the telly last night. one took a beating and was lucky not to lose an eye. they should get a ticker tape parade when they come home.
     
  12. frodoz737

    frodoz737 Top Wrench

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    If it had happened over here they would call it profiling and sue the 3 "attackers". Thank you to everyone who helped stop this guy!
     
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  13. bwilson4web

    bwilson4web BMW i3 and Model 3

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    D*mn, I'll have to sew that Canadian patch back on my back pack. <GRINS>

    Actually I give some credit to "Flight 93" and ISIS with their abysmal treatment of civilians. One of the reasons why you take prisoners and treat them decently is you want the enemy to not fight to the death. The "Malmedy massacre" and Japanese tactics pretty well made WW-II into a battle to the death. In American eyes, the atomic bomb was the natural result. The irony is letting the emperor off showed that the tactic of mercy to the enemy can end a conflict.

    Bob Wilson
     
  14. GrumpyCabbie

    GrumpyCabbie Senior Member

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    I think he's trying that in France;

    French train gunman denies terrorism and says he found his guns in children's playground | Daily Mail Online

    He was just planning to rob the passengers and happened to find the sub machine gun, pistol and 8 magazines of ammunition earlier in the day.

    I don't think anyone is buying that though.
     
  15. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    he actually saved the children. who knows what might have happened?
     
  16. bwilson4web

    bwilson4web BMW i3 and Model 3

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    NRA probably left the guns and ammo so the kids could protect themselves from a Sandhook.

    Bob Wilson
     
  17. frodoz737

    frodoz737 Top Wrench

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    Yep that's it. Profiling, aggravated assault and the NRA. :rolleyes: The Lawyers here would be scrambling to get to this guy.
     
    #17 frodoz737, Aug 24, 2015
    Last edited: Aug 24, 2015
  18. hkmb

    hkmb Senior Member

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    It's Belgium. The kids probably had the stash of guns to protect themselves from all the paedophiles.
     
  19. hkmb

    hkmb Senior Member

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    I do not know. From watching the BBC, I'm kind of getting the impression that the British guy turned up at the end and said "yes". It seems to me that the Americans - and the initial anonymous French guy - were the ones who did all the work.

    I could be wrong, of course, but something about the British guy just doesn't seem quite right.
     
  20. hkmb

    hkmb Senior Member

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    The Americans (and yes, the French guy and maybe the British guy) did an amazing job. And fuzzy1 says, it's good that they didn't kill him, but left him open to arrest and humiliation. The whole thing reminds me a bit of the Glasgow Airport incident.

    [​IMG]
     
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