French-train heroes receive medals from Defense secretary

The “Heroes of the Rails” stand with, from left, Secretary of Defense Ash Carter and Gen. Paul J. Selva, the Joint Chiefs of Staff vice-chairman, during a Sept. 17 ceremony at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., to honor the three men for their heroic actions. The three honored are, from center to right, Oregon Army National Guardsman Spc. Alek Skarlatos, Air Force Airman 1st Class Spencer Stone and Anthony Sadler. (U.S. Air Force photo/Scott Ash)

Oregon Army National Guardsman Spc. Alek Skarlatos — a member of St. Paul Lutheran Church in Roseburg, Ore. — and his childhood friends, Airman 1st Class Spencer Stone and Anthony Sadler, received prestigious U.S. military medals as they were honored in a Sept. 17 ceremony at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C.

The three were honored for risking their lives to subdue an armed attacker on a train bound from Amsterdam to Paris Aug. 21. (See related Reporter Online story, “LCMS Lutheran among ‘heroes’ in French-train ordeal.”)

U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter presented:

the Soldier’s Medal to Skarlatos,

the Airman’s Medal and the Purple Heart to Stone, who was injured in the attack, and

the Secretary of Defense Medal for Valor, a civilian award, to Sadler.

Read a U.S. Department of Defense story about the presentation: “Carter Honors 3 who Stopped Gunman on Paris-Bound Train.”

Read a related U.S. Air Force story, “Department of Defense honors heroes with highest recognition.”

Posted Sept. 18, 2015