France train attack: why heroes probably won't get US medal for valor
US Air Force officials applauded the heroism of Airman 1st Class Spencer Stone, as well as Spc. Alek Skarlatos and two others. Had it not been for the group, the officials said, things would have gone quite differently aboard the train last Friday.
US Air Force officials applauded the heroism of Airman 1st Class Spencer Stone, as well as Spc. Alek Skarlatos and two others. Had it not been for the group, the officials said, things would have gone quite differently aboard the train last Friday.
His fellow Air Force comrades had dubbed him 鈥淐aptain America鈥� long before he foiled what French authorities are calling a terrorist attack on a high-speed train last Friday.
Airman 1st Class Spencer Stone got the nickname, Pentagon officials said, during Air Force technical training.
Air Force officials invoked this colorful sobriquet as they applauded his heroism aboard the train. Also praised was Spc. Alek Skarlatos, a National Guardsman, as well as childhood friend Anthony Sadler and British businessman Chris Norman.
鈥淗ad it not been for this historic quartet, I鈥檓 quite sure that today we would be sitting here discussing a blood bath,鈥� Secretary of the Air Force Deborah James said in a Pentagon briefing Monday.
Airman Stone鈥檚 unit has said it will be nominating him for the Airman鈥檚 Medal, which is the highest medal for noncombat bravery that the Air Force can bestow.
However, it appears unlikely that either Stone or Specialist Skarlatos 鈥� now recipients of the French Legion of Honor award 鈥� will also receive an American military commendation for valor.
鈥淭here was consideration for it, but for a noncombat award, this is the highest one we can give to an airman,鈥� said Gen. Mark Welsh, Air Force chief of staff, referring to the Airman鈥檚 Medal.
That said, the Pentagon is awaiting the French law enforcement investigation, and if it officially deems the incident a terror-related event, Air Force officials will examine the precedent established in the 2009 Fort Hood attack by Nidal Hasan, 鈥渢o look at whether we can award the Purple Heart as well,鈥� General Welsh said.
But as for a Bronze Star with valor device, or a Silver Star, 鈥渘ot now,鈥� Welsh added. 鈥淭his is not a combat action, so it doesn鈥檛 qualify right now, as we see it.鈥�
That said, Pentagon officials do not dispute that the actions of the group were extraordinarily heroic.
The four were able to take down and subdue Ayoub El-Khazzani of Morocco, who authorities say appeared intent on a terrorist strike, brandishing an AK-47, hundreds of bullets, a Luger pistol, and a box cutter.
His lawyer says he just wanted to rob people and merely came across the weapons at the train station.
But when the gunman entered their train cabin apparently brandishing the AK-47, 鈥淎lek taps me on the shoulder and says, 鈥楪o get 鈥檈m!鈥� And that鈥檚 when I sprinted at him,鈥� Stone said later. 鈥淚t was a long spring. It felt like slow motion.鈥�
Stone heard the 鈥渃lick鈥� of the assault rifle as he charged, and he feared he would die, he said. But 鈥淚 heard the 鈥榗lick鈥� and thought, 鈥榃hew, I鈥檓 still here.鈥� 鈥�
In grappling with the gunman, Stone was stabbed repeatedly. Doctors later told him that the cuts came dangerously close to being fatal. Despite his injuries, he saved another train passenger who was stabbed in the neck. 鈥淚 yelled out, 鈥業鈥檓 a medic! I鈥檓 a medic!鈥� and took the guy and held him down,鈥� he recalled.
The actions of Stone and his friends 鈥減ersonified service before self, no question about it,鈥� Secretary James said, noting with pride that US airmen like Stone 鈥渂ind themselves to a set of core values, which are integrity first, service before self, and excellence in all that we do.鈥�