Men thwart mass shooting, demonstrate courage

Three Americans and a British businessman received France's top honor after displaying courage in subduing a terrorist on a high-speed train headed to France from Amsterdam. French President Francois Hollande awarded them the Legion d'Honneur -- the French Legion of Honor -- at the Elysee Palace in Paris.

U.S. Airman Spencer Stone, National Guardsman Alek Skarlatos, their friend Anthony Sadler and British businessman Chris Norman responded heroically in taking down alleged gunman Ayoub El-Khazzani of Morocco. Their response likely saved many lives, as the would-be murderer was armed with an AK-47 assault rifle, pistol, box cutter, bottle of gasoline and 270 rounds of ammunition. We will never know just how much damage would have been done had they not rushed the man and thwarted his plan.

By acting, instead of being sitting ducks, the three "gave a lesson in courage, in will and thus in hope," said Hollande.

In fact, their actions remind us of what some experts have advised about handling an active-shooter situation. As far back as 2006, the Southeast Missourian reported on a school in Texas that provided training for students and teachers, who were told "not to comply with a gunman's orders," but to "rush him and hit him with everything they got -- books, pencils, legs and arms." They were instructed to "react immediately to the sight of a gun by picking up anything and everything and throwing it at the head and body of the attacker and making as much noise as possible." Robin Browne, a major in the British Army reserve, who helped facilitate the training, added, "Go toward him as fast as we can and bring them down."

Similar advice was given in Cape Girardeau at a training attended by 56 city employees in 2014. Cpl. Darren Estes encouraged "throwing objects at the shooter's head or creating other distractions that make it more difficult to fire accurately." While he acknowledged that fighting back does not guarantee survival, he said it raises the odds, even if one gets shot. In the past decade, he asserted, "more than 70 percent of gunshot victims survived their injuries."

We recognize that there are strong opinions against responding in this manner, but those three Americans' refusal to do nothing speaks volumes. As Norman told himself on that hide-speed train, "You're not going to die sitting there doing nothing." So he and the other men did something, and they -- and many others -- lived to tell the story.

The honor France bestowed upon them is well-deserved, and we are glad to hear Pentagon spokesman Navy Capt. Jeff Davis say that U.S. military services are contemplating "appropriate awards to recognize their heroic actions."