President Obama on Thursday praised three Americans who foiled an attack on a Paris-bound train last month, saying they “represent the best of America.”
The president met in the Oval Office with Airman 1st Class Spencer Stone, Army Spc. Alek Skarlatos and student Anthony Sadler to thank them for their actions.
“Because of their courage, because of their quick thinking … a real calamity was averted,” Obama said during an Oval Office meeting with the trio. “Thank you to them for not only saving so many lives, but also for making America look so good.”
{mosads}The incident drew international headlines last month after the three men subdued an armed gunman who opened fire on the train.
The childhood friends were aboard a high-speed train from Amsterdam to Paris when they heard a gunshot and the sound of breaking glass.
Led by Stone, 23, the trio leapt from their seats and tackled the suspected gunman, 25-year-old Moroccan citizen Ayoub el-Khazzani. They were aided by British businessman Chris Norman.
French authorities have called the incident a “terrorism-related event.”
Obama recounted the “incredible story of three high school friends” who “ended up engaging a potential catastrophic situation and pinning down someone who clearly was intent on doing a lot of harm to a lot of people, inflicting terror on the French people.”
Stone, who suffered non-life-threatening wounds, will be awarded the Purple Heart and the Airman’s Medal on Thursday, the Air Force announced this week. Skarlatos, 22, will receive the Soldier’s Medal and Sadler, 23, will receive a civilian award from the Defense Department.