# US Servicemen prevent Moroccan terrorist's train massacre in France



## George Wallace (21 Aug 2015)

Reproduced under the Fair Dealings provisions of the Copyright Act.



> Hero US marine who prevented Moroccan terrorist's train massacre in France is 'in critical condition' after being shot in the neck - as he and his colleague are praised for 'extreme bravery'
> Mail Online
> By DARREN BOYLE FOR MAILONLINE
> PUBLISHED: 18:34 GMT, 21 August 2015 | UPDATED: 23:48 GMT, 21 August 2015
> ...



Photos, Video and more on LINK.

[Edited Title to reflect Media correcting their facts on the Identities of the US pers involved.]


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## cupper (21 Aug 2015)

Semper Fi Marine, thoughts are with you.


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## Oldgateboatdriver (21 Aug 2015)

Well done, Marines.  

Now, get well soon.

Semper Fi.


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## George Wallace (21 Aug 2015)

Fox News report on incident.


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## tomahawk6 (21 Aug 2015)

BZ for situational awareness and a speedy recovery,fortunately his wound is not life threatening.


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## Scoobie Newbie (22 Aug 2015)

Article stated he was fighting for his life. 

I wonder what it was exactly that tipped them off.


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## X Royal (22 Aug 2015)

CNN reporting it was not Marines.
Their report states "a member of the Air Force, an inactive National Guard member and a civilian -- responded quickly".
Either way good for them. 
http://www.cnn.com/2015/08/21/europe/france-train-shooting/


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## The Bread Guy (22 Aug 2015)

I look forward to hearing more details, but well done for saving lives, whoever did it and whatever uniforms they wear (or don't, in the case of the civilian).


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## jollyjacktar (22 Aug 2015)

Well done, that takes some balls.  Hopefully there won't be a spate of more dikheads with AKs running amok.


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## tomahawk6 (22 Aug 2015)

The dust has settled and the facts are emerging.Three Americans a college student,an airman and a member of the Oregon National Guard who had just returned from a tour in Afghanistan,rushed the tango who had begun shooting on entering their rail car.His AK jammed and the three subdued him with the aid of a British passenger.The airman is in hospital which is why he isnt in the photos.The three americans were childhood friends.Talk about being in the irght place at the right time.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34023361

A French-American passenger was injured by the bullet, and the American passengers intervened shortly afterward, he said.

"Spencer got to the guy first and grabbed the guy by the neck," Mr Skarlatos told Sky News.

"I grabbed the handgun, got that away from the guy and threw it. Then I grabbed the AK-47, which was at his feet, and started muzzle-bumping him in the head with it.

"Everybody just started beating the guy while Spencer held the chokehold until he went unconscious."



> "The guy pulled out a cutter and started cutting Spencer - he cut behind his neck and nearly cut his thumb off."
> 
> The second seriously injured man, who has not been identified, suffered severe cuts to his neck. Spencer Stone went to help him despite his own injuries. Mr Stone remains in hospital.
> 
> ...


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## tomahawk6 (22 Aug 2015)

Col Tim Collins had an opinion piece in the Daily Mail.Quite complimentary.


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/11818121/France-train-attack-Would-you-take-on-a-terrorist.html


It was a particularly unlucky would-be murderer, no doubt driven by the tenets of the Islamist death cult, that he chose to do his mischief on Friday in a railway carriage where three Americans, two of them off-duty US servicemen, just happened to be sitting. It was very lucky for the many other tourists and commuters that Spencer Stone of the US Air Force, Alek Skarlatos of the National Guard and their friend Anthony Sadler were there.

Had the traditional European reserve been in play it is likely that there would have been wholesale murder. As it was the strong tradition of US servicemen to be "always on duty", they no doubt saved lives.

In my experience, the US serviceman does not experience the excruciating levels of self-consciousness that dogs the European armies. Despite a low during the Vietnam era, US service personnel are proud of their country’s uniform and service and the nation is proud right back.

Listen carefully in any US airport for the frequent announcements inviting US service personnel to special lounges. When they fly in uniform they will always be offered an upgrade and they will always refuse, regarding sitting with the other citizens their duty. Is it any wonder that they respond by serving their country so well?

Contrast the indifference to the servicemen and women of our own country. It was recently reported that a hotel in Scotland asked a veteran of the Iraq War to take off his services charity shirt as it featured a Union flag. That would never happen in the US.

It is true to say, that while brash and likely to complain in restaurants and shops, the US are among the most polite folk you could meet. On the many occasions I have served with US Forces I am always struck at their patience and sense of fair play.

It is the cornerstone of their huge nation that the common good is symbolised by the country’s flag, where our military motivation here in the UK is more tribal – hence the (now threatened) regimental system. I would like to think that any British serviceman would have done the same on the train at Arras.

But it is not just servicemen in the US who would come forward in a crisis, as illustrated by the heroes of Flight 93 on 9/11 who died in their attempt to tackle the hijackers. It is an American thing. I salute it.

Col Tim Collins OBE is a former SAS officer who commanded the 1st Battalion, Royal Irish Regiment during the invasion of Iraq. He is a specialist in the field of counterinsurgency and security.


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## jollyjacktar (22 Aug 2015)

Col Collins can rest easy about UK servicemen.  My wife was flying from Halifax to London to meet me for a reverse HLTA in 09.  Midway across the pond a nutjob three rows in front of my wife stood up, brandishing a device in his hand, told everyone to get to the front of the plane as he had a "bomb" onboard.  Fortunately, there was no bomb (and his trigger was a tv remote) and also there was a mix of Canadian and UK servicemen on the flight.  He was taken out swiftly (less than 30 seconds) by these men and the plane was safely diverted back to St John's.  The cabin crew divided the servicemen amongst the other passengers to assist them on the way back to NFLD.  My wife had a very nice young Royal Marine as her companion.


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## Leeworthy (23 Aug 2015)

Bravo Zulu Marines.


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## Good2Golf (23 Aug 2015)

Col Collins hits the nail on the head!  Well done to the three men representing a cross section of American society: active duty serviceman, citizen soldier and civilian.

Americans receive grief and criticism around the rest of the world, but they wear their hearts on their sleeves and while there is no doubt a "We're #1" sentiment out there, they won't pause a fraction of a second to give the shirt of their back to #2 on down... :nod:   

BZ Airman Stone, Guardsman Skarlatos, and Mr. Sadler!


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## tomahawk6 (23 Aug 2015)

A1C Stone is assigned to Lajes Field in the Azores.USAF press release with a couple of images of Stone providing first aid in a class setting.He assigned to base 65th medical  operations squadron.

http://www.usafe.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123456624


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## jollyjacktar (23 Aug 2015)

The POS now claims he didn't intend to kill anyone, just rob them, with guns he "found" in a children's playground.  They didn't beat him nearly enough or long enough to suite me.  And Daddy claims "he's a good boy", of course...

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3207822/Train-gunman-laughs-accusations-planning-terror-attack-says-wanted-rob-passengers.html


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## tomahawk6 (23 Aug 2015)

According to a French poster on Lightfighter the penalty is far less for a common thief than a terrorist.He says that every captured tango plays that card.He has been caught red handed so to speak.He has a military grade weapon and 9 magazines which is a serious offense in itself.No question that he is going to prison for many years.


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## daftandbarmy (23 Aug 2015)

tomahawk6 said:
			
		

> According to a French poster on Lightfighter the penalty is far less for a common thief than a terrorist.He says that every captured tango plays that card.He has been caught red handed so to speak.He has a military grade weapon and 9 magazines which is a serious offense in itself.No question that he is going to prison for many years.



Hopefully after a bit of 'intensive questioning'.  :nod:


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## cupper (23 Aug 2015)

Damn kids, just leaving their toys around for any one to pick up.  :


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## tomahawk6 (23 Aug 2015)

A1C Stone,Specialist Skarlatos,Anthony Sadler and Brit Chris Norman will be awarded the Legion d'Honneur Monday,by President Hollande.Two French citizens will also receive the  Legion d'Honneur at a later date.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34034840

The awards ceremony.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34037580


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## cupper (24 Aug 2015)

Hear on NPR news tonight that the US Military is considering issuing the two service members with an appropriate US award.

T-6, what is the US policy on wearing foreign decorations?


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## dangerboy (24 Aug 2015)

While there is a lot of international politics probably involved with the issuing of honours and awards to the servicemen and French citizens, I can't help but be impressed how fast it came about.  Wish our system was able to work that quickly.


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## tomahawk6 (24 Aug 2015)

The Legion of Honor has been authorized for wear in the past.


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## tomahawk6 (25 Aug 2015)

The captured bad guy must be singing quite a song to French CT agents.Morocco and Spain began a security sweep rounding up 14 people so far.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34049586

Spain and Morocco have arrested 14 people in a joint operation targeting suspected recruiters for the so-called Islamic State (IS) group.
One arrest was made close to Madrid, the others in various Moroccan cities.
Those arrested are suspected of involvement in a network to send fighters to areas of Syria and Iraq under IS control.
On Friday a Moroccan who had lived in Spain was arrested following a foiled attack on a high-speed French train.
Ayoub El-Khazzani, 25, originally from Tetouan in northern Morocco, arrived in Spain in 2007 and lived there for seven years, in Madrid and Algeciras, before moving to France.
He is suspected of having had contact with radical Islamists and had been put on a list marked as "potentially dangerous" by Spanish authorities. They flagged this up to French counterparts in February 2014.


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## The Bread Guy (25 Aug 2015)

tomahawk6 said:
			
		

> The captured bad guy must be singing quite a song to French CT agents.Morocco and Spain began a security sweep rounding up 14 people so far.
> 
> http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34049586


Not bad for a homeless thief finding stray rifles around city playgrounds ....


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## Good2Golf (25 Aug 2015)

milnews.ca said:
			
		

> Not bad for a homeless *petty* thief finding stray rifles around city playgrounds ....



TFTFY...


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## tomahawk6 (25 Aug 2015)

Stone and Skarlatos are at Landstuhl.Some Images at the link.



http://www.foxnews.com/world/2...hospital-in-germany/



BERLIN –  U.S. military authorities in Germany say Airman 1st Class Spencer Stone is doing well at an American military hospital where he is being treated for injuries suffered as he and others helped subdue a heavily armed gunman on an Amsterdam-to-Paris train last Friday.

Landstuhl Regional Medical Center spokesman Chuck Roberts said Tuesday that Stone arrived at the facility in southern Germany the day before and seemed in good spirits, smiling and shaking hands with leaders of the U.S. military hospital.

He says Stone is being treated for a laceration to his thumb, for which a full recovery is expected with ongoing therapy, as well as a "non-critical" eye injury and more minor wounds.

It's not yet clear when Stone will be transferred back to the U.S.


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## daftandbarmy (11 Sep 2015)

This is awesome  

Klay Thompson Surprises U.S. Airman Spencer Stone on Jimmy Kimmel Live

http://www.nba.com/warriors/news/thompson-surprises-spencer-stone-jimmy-kimmel


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## Colin Parkinson (11 Sep 2015)

I fear when social media and the MSM turn on these people as they almost as do because later they will act like the average human.


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## Good2Golf (13 Sep 2015)

Nice to see! Glad to hear that Spencer is on the way to a full recovery!


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## tomahawk6 (8 Oct 2015)

A1C Stone was stabbed multiple times in Sacremento.He is in stable condition and the incident is under investigation.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2015/10/08/spencer-stone-french-train-hero-in-reportedly-in-stable-condition-after/?intcmp=hpbt3


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## cupper (8 Oct 2015)

Just watched that on the news here. 

They also mentioned that Skarlatos was enrolled at Umpquat Community Colledge, the site of the mass shooting last week, but was not on campus as he was participating on the show "Dancing with Stars".


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## Rifleman62 (8 Oct 2015)

cupper: 





> They also mentioned that Skarlatos was enrolled at Umpquat Community Colledge, the site of the mass shooting last week, but was not on campus as he was participating on the show "Dancing with Stars".



If you watched FOX News cupper, that fact was telecast including the interview with Skarlatos the day it happened.

Catching up?


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## cupper (8 Oct 2015)

Rifleman62 said:
			
		

> cupper:
> If you watched FOX News cupper, that fact was telecast including the interview with Skarlatos the day it happened.
> 
> Catching up?



Catching up and Fox News should never be used in the same post.  >


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## tomahawk6 (1 Nov 2015)

Stone has been promoted to Staff Sgt. 

http://www.airforcetimes.com/story/military/2015/10/31/spencer-stone-french-train-hero-promoted-staff-sergeant/74942648/


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