World
Anthony Sadler, Belgium Train Hero: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know
French President Francois Hollande, right, awards with the Legion of Honor Anthony Sadler, a senior at Sacramento University in California as British businessman Chris Norman, left, looks on at the Elysee Palace, Monday Aug.24, 2015 in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Michel Euler, Pool)
Stephanie Dube Dwilson, HEAVY
(Heavy.com) — They were supposed to be on a fun vacation, but the three men had no idea what was awaiting them. Anthony Sadler was one of three Americans who stopped a terrorist attack on a train in Belgium. The train was headed from Amsterdam to Paris. Sadler, a college student, Alek Skarlatos, a member of the Oregon National Guard, and Spencer Stone, who is in the Air Force, were the Americans who saved hundreds from possibly being massacred. According to French reporters, British man Chris Norman also helped stop the attack. Stone was injured, along with two other passengers on the train.
Here’s what you need to know.
1. Anthony Sadler Will Receive a Legion d’Honneur medal, France’s Highest Honor
Hommage aux #héros américains qui ont neutralisé le tireur du #Thalys dérouté à #Arras #reconnaissance #respect pic.twitter.com/WnBr2i6hrN
— Frédéric Leturque (@FLeturque) August 21, 2015
Sadler has been celebrated as a hero in French news reports. He, Skarlatos, and Norman are pictured by numerous sources receiving bravery medals from the local mayor for their roles in stopping a terrorist attack on a high-speed train in Belgium, Thalys 9364. Stone also stopped the attack, but because he was injured subduing the gunman, he’s not seen in the photos.
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