Was reading about the three childhood friends from California who subdued the gunman on the train from Amsterdam to Paris, and remembering conversations here that claim participation trophies, Xbox and a thousand other things are making today's young men soft. Not these young men.
Spencer Stone: Basketball Player
Dave Nobis, Stone's basketball coach at Del Campo High School in Fair Oaks, California, called him a "blue-collar straight shooter. He didn't play because he had to work. No nonsense good team player," Nobis, 43, who coached him during his junior year of high school on the varsity team in 2009. "He wasn't a starter but a hard worker."
Alex Skarlotos: Lacrosse Player
Alex grew up in the small Oregon city of Roseburg – known for its timber industry - after moving there from California with his father at the age of 13. He was a keen lacrosse player at school and joined the National Guard three years ago. Karen Skarlatos, Alex's stepmother, said he was just the sort of man to put himself in danger to protect others."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."
Anthony Sadler: Basketball Player
"They were good kids," recalls the Rev. Sadler. "They got into mischief, [but] they always looked after each other." Anthony Jr., 23, who studies kinesiology at California State University, Sacramento, also works in retail. Sadler played basketball at Rosemont High in Sacramento.
