Traveling together on a high-speed train from Amsterdam to Paris, three young friends who met in middle school in the suburbs of Sacramento, California, became overnight American heroes.

A Los Angeles Times article reported on Aug. 23 that quick action by Spencer Stone, a U.S. Air Force paramedic, Alek Skarlatos, 22, an Oregon National Guard serving in Afghanistan, and Anthony Sadler, a senior at Cal State Sacramento, brought down a heavily armed man aboard the train and foiled a likely massacre.

Alerted by the sound of gunfire, the three friends reacted quickly. Stone and Skarlatos tackled the suspect, Ayoub el Khazzani, 25, a Moroccan national with alleged terrorist connections. He was shirtless and wielding an AK-47 assault weapon with nine magazines of ammunition, a Luger pistol with extra ammunition and a box cutter.

In the ensuing struggle, the men seized the guns from Khazzani. Covered in blood from stab wounds inflicted by the box cutter, Stone’s left thumb was almost severed, but he held on as Skarlatos and Sadler pummeled the suspect into submission.

“He seemed ready to fight to the death, but so were we,” Stone said.

To the rallying cry of “Let’s go!,” and unconcerned for their own safety, the three Americans leaped into action. They moved decisively toward the danger, when the gut reaction would have been to cower out of sight behind the seats.

Reporting from Paris, CNNs Martin Savidge said that Stone credits Mark Moogalian, an American from North Carolina, for initially grabbing the AK-47 from Khazzani.

During the struggle, the suspect shot Moogalian in the neck with the Luger. Ignoring his own injuries, Stone later helped Moogalian by applying pressure on his neck to stop the bleeding.

Speaking to CNN after the incident, Moogalian’s sister, Julia Moogalian, thanked Stone for saving her brother’s life.

“My brother may not still be here if it weren’t for him,” she said. “He was selfless in staying there with my brother. Our family is very appreciative.”

Chris Norman, a British businessman living in France, is another unlikely hero in the drama. Hesitant at first to intervene, he helped in the struggle to subdue the suspect.

“My position was ‘I’m not going to be the guy who dies sitting down,’” Norman told CNNs ‘News Day’ last week. “If you’re going to die, try to do something about it.”

When he landed at LaGuardia late last week, Skarlatos ran the gauntlet between two lines of applauding New York City Police and hundreds of well-wishers who showed up to welcome him home. One can only speculate on the reception Sadler will receive when he returns to the his campus in September.

At a time in our history when U.S. foreign and domestic policy is seen as weak and indecisive, three unlikely heroes stepped forward and restored the world’s faith in American exceptionalism. Their reaction to the situation unfolding before them demonstrated America’s ‘Can Do’ attitude in a crisis.

“In these times of terror we must do something,” Sadler said. “Hiding or sitting back is not going to accomplish anything.”