"If you see someone in distress, do the right thing." Wesley Autrey is one person whose actions meet his words. On Tuesday Autrey was riding the Subway in NYC and saw a 19 year old young man fall on the tracks with a train heading his way. He pulled the young man off the tracks into a trough beside them and lay on top of him, shielding him with his body. At least two trains passed, missing the men by two inches.
I was so touched by this man's bravery and by his modesty. In a day when sports figures and tv/movie stars are seen as "heroes" it's wonderful to see a reminder of true heroism. During a press conference earlier today, Autrey thanked the men and women serving in Iraq and declared them the true heroes.
What a great story.
4 comments:
Ah, a local story for me! More details can be found here and here. I couldn't agree more that this guy is a genuine hero and deserves every honor that comes his way.
One detail that jumped out from the reporting was this:
Hollopeter reportedly said to Autrey, "Am I dead? Am I dead?" Autrey told him, "No, we're under the train. You're touching me. You feel me touching you? We're very much alive."
It's weird because this is incredibly touching and yet somehow it also makes me chuckle at the same time. It just seems so bizarre that anyone would ever ask out loud "Am I dead?" because the mere fact of asking ought to have answered the question. But it's precisely that weirdness that demonstrates the reality of it.
Absolutely a great story. Thanks for sharing!
I saw him on Letterman last night. What an amazing, genuine man!
RAB! Ltns :) Hope all is well with you. Thanks for the other links.
Jim, I saw clips of him on Letterman and you're right - he seems like a great guy with a really good sense of humor.
Jmred - thanks as always for reading.
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