They were childhood pals on a European jaunt, three young Americans who began the day as tourists and ended it as heroes praised by the presidents of two countries.
As their high-speed train whizzed through the French countryside near the Belgian border Friday afternoon, Spencer Stone, Alek Skarlatos and Anthony Sadler were startled by the sound of a gunshot, then by the sight of a train employee sprinting past them down the aisle.
They saw a man brandishing an automatic rifle and other weapons. A conductor tried but failed to subdue him.
“I looked back,” said Skarlatos, who saw the guns.