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| 3 Who Stopped Train Attack Were Boyhood Friends | 3 Who Stopped Train Attack Were Boyhood Friends |
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| By May, it was decided: Three friends who met as middle-schoolers in California would take a European vacation. | By May, it was decided: Three friends who met as middle-schoolers in California would take a European vacation. |
| “I’m going to Europe!!!! Like wow,” Anthony Sadler, 23, wrote on Twitter on May 14, three months before jetting off with Alek Skarlatos, 22, and Spencer Stone, 23. | “I’m going to Europe!!!! Like wow,” Anthony Sadler, 23, wrote on Twitter on May 14, three months before jetting off with Alek Skarlatos, 22, and Spencer Stone, 23. |
| On his first international trip, he planned to spend three weeks traveling across Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, France and Spain with Mr. Skarlatos and Mr. Stone, two of his closest friends, both of whom are in the Armed Forces. Mr. Skarlatos is a specialist in the Oregon National Guard; Mr. Stone is an airman in the Air Force. | On his first international trip, he planned to spend three weeks traveling across Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, France and Spain with Mr. Skarlatos and Mr. Stone, two of his closest friends, both of whom are in the Armed Forces. Mr. Skarlatos is a specialist in the Oregon National Guard; Mr. Stone is an airman in the Air Force. |
| Meals and sightseeing were part of the itinerary. Disrupting an act of terror was not. | Meals and sightseeing were part of the itinerary. Disrupting an act of terror was not. |
| But on Friday, they did just that, tackling and subduing a gunman on a high-speed train in France. The next day, their faces were on televisions around the world, and they were being hailed as heroes. | But on Friday, they did just that, tackling and subduing a gunman on a high-speed train in France. The next day, their faces were on televisions around the world, and they were being hailed as heroes. |
| The three friends had planned to spend Friday night in Amsterdam, but changed their minds at the last minute and took a train that day headed to Paris, Mr. Skarlatos’s father, Emanuel, told The Oregonian newspaper. | The three friends had planned to spend Friday night in Amsterdam, but changed their minds at the last minute and took a train that day headed to Paris, Mr. Skarlatos’s father, Emanuel, told The Oregonian newspaper. |
| Mr. Sadler, a college student in Sacramento, and Mr. Skarlatos had come to meet with Mr. Stone, who is stationed in the Azores Islands near Portugal. Mr. Skarlatos, who returned to Oregon in July after a nine-month deployment in Afghanistan, left for Europe on Aug. 11. Mr. Sadler followed the next day. On Monday, Mr. Sadler wrote in a response to a comment on a Facebook photo that he was going to Amsterdam, Paris and Barcelona, after having visited Rome, Venice, Munich and Berlin. | Mr. Sadler, a college student in Sacramento, and Mr. Skarlatos had come to meet with Mr. Stone, who is stationed in the Azores Islands near Portugal. Mr. Skarlatos, who returned to Oregon in July after a nine-month deployment in Afghanistan, left for Europe on Aug. 11. Mr. Sadler followed the next day. On Monday, Mr. Sadler wrote in a response to a comment on a Facebook photo that he was going to Amsterdam, Paris and Barcelona, after having visited Rome, Venice, Munich and Berlin. |
| They were on a high-speed train bound for Paris when, after a stop in Brussels, they heard what sounded like gunfire, according to Mr. Sadler’s sister, Arissa. After seeing the gunman struggling with another passenger, the three friends rushed to subdue him. No one was critically hurt or killed in the attack. Although Mr. Stone’s thumb was severely cut, he moved quickly to help stem the bleeding of another injured passenger. | |
| Mr. Stone aided the other passenger because he is a trained medical technician whose “second instinct” is to help in a crisis, said Airman First Class Sean Murphy, a friend at the Lajes air base in the Azores, where both men serve as emergency medical personnel. Still, Mr. Murphy said in a telephone interview from Lajes, he was shocked when he woke up on Saturday to hundreds of emails overnight saying that his friend was a hero of the French train episode. | Mr. Stone aided the other passenger because he is a trained medical technician whose “second instinct” is to help in a crisis, said Airman First Class Sean Murphy, a friend at the Lajes air base in the Azores, where both men serve as emergency medical personnel. Still, Mr. Murphy said in a telephone interview from Lajes, he was shocked when he woke up on Saturday to hundreds of emails overnight saying that his friend was a hero of the French train episode. |
| “We’re both medical techs, sure, but as far as this craziness? No,” he said. | “We’re both medical techs, sure, but as far as this craziness? No,” he said. |
| Col. Rick Sheffe, Mr. Stone’s commanding officer at Lajes, said he had been waiting in line — behind President Obama — to speak to Mr. Stone. At Lajes on Saturday, enlisted colleagues of Mr. Stone were celebrating all day, officials said. | Col. Rick Sheffe, Mr. Stone’s commanding officer at Lajes, said he had been waiting in line — behind President Obama — to speak to Mr. Stone. At Lajes on Saturday, enlisted colleagues of Mr. Stone were celebrating all day, officials said. |
| A practitioner of jujitsu who has a taste for strawberry caipirinhas, Mr. Stone had been planning his 26-day European vacation since he first arrived at Lajes in March, Mr. Murphy said. | A practitioner of jujitsu who has a taste for strawberry caipirinhas, Mr. Stone had been planning his 26-day European vacation since he first arrived at Lajes in March, Mr. Murphy said. |
| Mr. Murphy said both he and Mr. Stone wanted to be paramedics and firefighters when they got out of the Air Force. | Mr. Murphy said both he and Mr. Stone wanted to be paramedics and firefighters when they got out of the Air Force. |
| Mr. Sadler is scheduled to return to the United States on Aug. 30 to begin his senior year the next day at California State University, Sacramento, where he is studying kinesiology with an emphasis in conditioning and coaching. He is also a member of Kappa Sigma, a social fraternity, and the Philosophy Club, said Robert S. Nelsen, the university president, in a statement. | Mr. Sadler is scheduled to return to the United States on Aug. 30 to begin his senior year the next day at California State University, Sacramento, where he is studying kinesiology with an emphasis in conditioning and coaching. He is also a member of Kappa Sigma, a social fraternity, and the Philosophy Club, said Robert S. Nelsen, the university president, in a statement. |
| Ms. Sadler, 25, said her brother wanted to become a doctor and work for the National Basketball Association, preferably for his favorite team, the Los Angeles Lakers. Kobe Bryant is his favorite player, she said. | Ms. Sadler, 25, said her brother wanted to become a doctor and work for the National Basketball Association, preferably for his favorite team, the Los Angeles Lakers. Kobe Bryant is his favorite player, she said. |
| Mr. Skarlatos moved to Oregon, where he graduated from Roseburg High School and has been a guardsman for three years, according to The Oregonian. He had planned to visit Greece and Germany before returning Sept. 9 to Oregon, his father said. Karen Skarlatos, Alek’s stepmother, told the newspaper that the family was “very proud.” | Mr. Skarlatos moved to Oregon, where he graduated from Roseburg High School and has been a guardsman for three years, according to The Oregonian. He had planned to visit Greece and Germany before returning Sept. 9 to Oregon, his father said. Karen Skarlatos, Alek’s stepmother, told the newspaper that the family was “very proud.” |
| “I’ve always said that I felt I could trust putting my life in Alek’s hands,” Ms. Skarlatos said. “I honestly can’t say I’m surprised that he knew what to do when faced with that kind of situation. It’s just who he is.” | “I’ve always said that I felt I could trust putting my life in Alek’s hands,” Ms. Skarlatos said. “I honestly can’t say I’m surprised that he knew what to do when faced with that kind of situation. It’s just who he is.” |