Americans who stopped train attack are heroes

Hero is a word that gets used a lot, but it should not be used lightly. Hyperbole is a tool of the lazy linguist.

Hero is a word that gets used a lot. Not the sandwich — we’re talking about those people Webster defined as someone “admired for courage or nobility.”

It should not be used lightly.

Hyperbole is a tool of the lazy linguist, dropping the title of hero and describing actions as “heroic” on fairly run-of-the-mill folks and activities.

Given that heightened threshold, we do not hesitate for a moment describing Spencer Stone, Alek Skarlatos and Anthony Sadler as heroes.

The names don’t ring a bell? That would be a shame. Every American – and in fact everyone who has ever wondered how they would react when coming face-to-face with the terror that looms precariously in the background of our everyday activities — owes this trio a debt of gratitude.

Stone is a U.S. Airman; Skarlatos a member of the National Guard; Sadler a close friend. The three of them were doing what many Americans do, vacationing in Europe, when they were confronted with a classic fight-or-flight circumstance.

By now you can guess how Stone and Skarlatos, with their extensive military training, reacted.

The three young men were on a train in France when a man armed to the teeth started attacking passengers. Ayoub El-Khazzani had an assault rifle strapped to his bare chest, a pistol in his hand. He had several additional clips in his bag, along with knives, enough firepower to write an ugly new chapter in our seemingly growing-by-theday list of terror attacks.

He was not thwarted by any counter-terrorism experts, or train security, not even police. He was subdued by three Americans who, along with another person, decided to take action.

Stone and Skarlatos, who had just completed a tour in Afghanistan, are childhood friends. Along with Sudler, there was nothing in their outward appearance that suggested such a heroic mantle. They were not in military uniform. They were wearing that most familiar garb of American tourists – khakis and polo shirts. Their appearance belied their steely resolve.

Witnessing what was unfolding in front of them, the trio had a decision to make. Skarlatos tapped Stone on the shoulder and mouthed just two words: “Let’s go.”

It is reminiscent of another group of heroes, the passengers aboard hijacked United Airlines Flight 93 over the skies of Shanksville, Pa., on Sept. 11, 2001. That time it was “Let’s roll,” as passengers stormed the cockpit, eventually causing the plane to go down in a Pennsylvania field in stead of its intended target in Washington, D.C.

Stone charged the gunman and got him in a headlock. Skarlatos grabbed the suspect’s pistol and tossed it away. He managed to wrestle away the man’s rifle and started beating him with it. Joined in the fray by Sadler and British businessman Chris Sumner, they hog-tied the suspect and held him until police arrived. Stone did not escape unscathed. The suspect slashed him several times with a boxcutter, inflicting cuts on his neck and hands.

El-Khazzani’s attorney denies his client is a terrorist. He says he merely wanted to rob passengers.

What is not questioned is that the actions of these four men undoubtedly saved untold numbers of innocent passengers.

Too often, we are reminded of some our more uncouth citizens as they travel the world. Ugly Americans, they are often labeled.

Not this group. Faced with a deadly serious threat, they called on their experience and rose to the occasion. As heroes.

What is not questioned is that the actions of these four men undoubtedly saved untold numbers of innocent passengers.