Three Americans and Brit Who Subdued Gunman Knighted in the French Legion of Honor

Airman First Class Spencer Stone, National Guardsman Alek Skarlatos, U.S. student Anthony Sadler, and British businessman Chris Norman who took down the Moroccan terrorist on the high-speed train to Paris have been made Knights of the French Legion of Honor, France’s highest award for valor.

French President François Hollande pinned on their medals in a ceremony at the Élysée Palace.

The Daily Mail has a more detailed account of the action on the train than any I’ve seen previously.

Apparently, it was an unnamed French banker who first confronted the gunman. A 51-year-old American musician came to his aid and wrestled the AK-47 out of the Moroccan’s hands, whereupon the terrorist took out a Luger pistol and shot him in the neck. It was after all that that the three younger Americans piled in, restrained the gunman, and beat him unconscious.

Mr Moogalian, 51, originally from Virginia in the U.S., came to aid of a French banker known only as ‘Damien A’ who was initially confronted by El-Khazzani during the attack on Friday.

Acting instinctively to protect his wife Isabella Risacher, he ripped the Kalashnikov assault rifle from El-Khazzani who then drew a handgun and shot him in the back of the neck.

Mr Moogalian, a musician in a band called Secret Season, feared he was going to die after suffering massive blood loss.

His sister, Julia, told The Daily Telegraph: ‘He made sure his wife was hidden behind a seat.

‘He did manage to get the weapon away from the gunman. But the gunman then pulled another gun and shot my brother.

‘There’s a video of him saying ‘help me’ – he thought he was losing so much blood he would die.’

Mr Moogalian, a keen cyclist, is being treated in hospital and may have lost some use his left arm after suffering nerve damage.

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I think it was right that the Government of France made these awards, but I think the Republic of France really has sufficient manpower and resources to have arranged for Airman Stone and Guardsman Skarlatos to have been provided with dress uniforms to be worn at the ceremony, and I think the French Republic could have afforded to buy Mr. Sadler a suit and tie.