Alek Skarlatos

Aleksander Reed Skarlatos[1] (/skɑːrˈlɑːtoʊs/; born October 10, 1992) is a former US Army National Guard soldier who, along with fellow Americans Spencer Stone and Anthony Sadler, a Briton, a Frenchman, and an American,[2] stopped a gunman on a Paris-bound train travelling from Amsterdam via Brussels in August 2015. He was awarded the United States Army's Soldier's Medal from U.S. President Barack Obama.[3] All six, save for the French passenger who wished to remain anonymous, received France's highest decoration, the Chevalier of the Legion of Honour, from French president François Hollande. The Americans also were awarded the medal of the city of Arras, France.[2][4]

Alek Skarlatos
Personal details
Born
Aleksander Reed Skarlatos

(1992-10-10) October 10, 1992
Castro Valley, California, U.S.
Citizenship
  • United States (1992–present)
  • France (2018–present)
Political partyRepublican
EducationUmpqua Community College
Military career
Allegiance United States
Service/branch United States Army
Years of service2012–2017
Rank Specialist
Unit Oregon Army National Guard
Battles/warsWar in Afghanistan
Awards§ Awards and decorations

Skarlatos was invited to compete on season 21 of ABC's Dancing with the Stars with pro dancer Lindsay Arnold as his partner. They finished in third place.[5] Skarlatos, along with his friends, portrayed themselves in the movie The 15:17 to Paris, based on their autobiography with Jeffrey E. Stern. He ran for Douglas County Commissioner in 2018 and was the Republican nominee for Oregon's 4th congressional district in the 2020 United States House of Representatives elections, but was defeated in both races.[6]

Early life

Aleksander Reed Skarlatos was born in Castro Valley, California.[7] His father is Emanuel Skarlatos, a Greek who immigrated to the United States as a child.[8] His mother is Heidi Hansen. His step-mother is Karen Skarlatos and his step-father is Tom Hansen.[9][10] He was raised in Sacramento County, California, where he first met Spencer Stone and Anthony Sadler while they attended parochial school in Fair Oaks, California. Their friendship has continued into adulthood. All three share "a deeply religious background and a belief in service to their community" and identify themselves as Orthodox Christians.[11] Skarlatos graduated from southwest Oregon's Roseburg High School and attended Umpqua Community College.[12]

2015 Thalys train attack
Main article: 2015 Thalys train attack

On August 21, 2015, Skarlatos and two friends from his childhood home of Carmichael, California,[13] were traveling together on Thalys train 9364 from Amsterdam bound to Paris via Brussels[10] during a vacation in Europe. He was recently back from serving in Afghanistan, and they had been traveling in Germany and the Netherlands.[10][14] A 25-year-old Moroccan, Ayoub El-Khazzani,[15] exited the toilet in train car No. 12, armed with an AKM assault rifle, a Luger pistol, a box knife, a jar of gasoline and was carrying magazines holding 270 rounds of ammunition for the assault rifle in a rucksack.[16] Two people, a Frenchman, "Damien A.," and 51-year-old Mark Moogalian, an American expatriate living in Paris, tried to stop the gunman. Moogalian wrested the rifle from him, but he was shot with the Luger as he tried to protect his wife.[15] Skarlatos' friend, 23-year-old Spencer Stone, ran toward and attacked the gunman next and was slashed while trying to subdue him.[17] Arriving next to the struggle, Skarlatos picked up the assailant's rifle, beating him in the head with its muzzle, and 62-year-old Briton Chris Norman also helped subdue the gunman. Though badly cut, Stone strangled him until he was unconscious.[18] The terrorist was tied up and then Stone, who had some military medical training, delivered lifesaving assistance to Moogalian by pressing down on an exposed, bleeding artery.[19][20] The trial of the terrorist and three of his alleged accomplices went forward in November 2020. Moogalian, Stone, Sadler and Skarlatos were scheduled to testify, but Stone was hospitalized in France for undisclosed reasons and his testimony was delayed.[21][22] Skarlatos gave prime credit for preventing the mass killing to Stone, saying, "I do not feel like a hero because we were just doing what we had to to survive.""I think Spencer is probably a hero because he was the first one," to take down the terrorist. "We only got involved because Spencer needed our help."[21] Despite the difficulties, the prosecutors got the sentences they sought: for El Khazzani, for attempted murders and conspiracy to commit an act of terrorism, he received life in prison. For the three accomplices who helped him to travel from Syria to France and armed and prepared him, Bilal Chatra got 27 years, Rédouane El Amrani Ezzerrifi got 7 years, and Mohamed Bakkali got 25 years.[23] The mastermind of the train attack, as well as an attack in Brussels, Belgium, that killed 31, and the attack in November 2015 that killed 130 in Paris, including 90 whom terrorists slaughtered at the Bataclan nightspot, was Abdelhamid Abaaoud, who was killed in a police raid of his hideout in Saint-Denis.[24][25]

International recognition
United States Defense Secretary Ash Carter awards the United States Army Soldier's Medal to Skarlatos (second from the left), an army specialist; the United States Air Force Airman's Medal to Spencer Stone (third from left), an airman first class; and the United States Department of Defense Medal for Valor to Anthony Sadler (fourth from left), at a ceremony in The Pentagon courtyard on September 17, 2015.

After the attack, on August 22, 2015, Skarlatos and his friends received international attention for their actions in thwarting the attack.[26] French president François Hollande awarded Skarlatos, his friends Spencer Stone and Anthony Sadler, as well as British businessman Chris Norman, France's highest decoration, Knights of the Legion of Honour (Chevaliers de la Légion d'honneur).[26] Hollande said the men "faced [off] with terror" and that they "gave us a lesson in courage, in will, and therefore in hope".[26] French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve praised them for their bravery, as well as British Prime Minister David Cameron.[27]

The White House expressed gratitude for "courage and quick thinking of several passengers, including U.S. service members, who selflessly subdued the attacker..."[28] U.S. President Barack Obama telephoned the three Americans, thanking them for their heroic actions.[29] General Philip M. Breedlove of the U.S. European Command in Stuttgart added his voice, calling the three Americans heroes for their actions which "clearly illustrate the courage and commitment our young men and women have all the time, whether they are on duty or on leave."[30]

Kevin Johnson, mayor of Sacramento, California, held a parade to honor Skarlatos, Sadler, Stone, and the victims of the September 11 attacks.[31] Megyn Kelly of Fox News Channel's The Kelly File asked Skarlatos whether he had a different appreciation of what happened when the World Trade Center collapsed. "I feel so much more connected to terrorist attacks and things like that and victims of terrorist attacks." said Skarlatos, "That easily could have been us if any one of six or seven things went a different way."[32]

Military and media career

Military

Skarlatos joined the Oregon Army National Guard in 2012, achieving the rank of Specialist. He completed a nine-month deployment in Afghanistan with the National Guard's 186th Infantry Regiment, 41st Infantry Brigade Combat Team in 2015.[8][9][33][34] The acting adjutant general of Oregon Guard referred to Skarlatos as "a true citizen soldier who displayed the courage each of us would hope to find in ourselves."[35] A month prior to the terrorist event on the high-speed train in France, Skarlatos had reenlisted for an additional two-years. He left military service in November 2017.[36][37]

Television

In October 2016, it was announced that Skarlatos, Spencer Stone and Anthony Sadler would make an appearance on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire as a part of the show's special "Hometown Heroes" week which would premiere on October 31, 2016.[38]

Dancing with the Stars

Skarlatos was a competitor in season 21 of Dancing with the Stars. He was partnered with professional dancer Lindsay Arnold.[39] He said that he was inspired to participate on the show by Noah Galloway, a soldier who was on the previous season of the series.[40] Skarlatos and Arnold made it to the finals of the show and finished in third place.

Film

Actor Clint Eastwood ventured to cast Skarlatos and his two friends as themselves, in what was generally regarded by film critics as a major mistake. The New York Daily News film reviewer commented, the disabling of the attacker, "...is among the most exciting moments captured on screen in recent memory." However, he continued, "But that still leaves the vast majority of the film's 94-minute run time to fill. And most of it sure feels like padding." "It's about as interesting as watching strangers' home movies." "The three heroes may now be movie stars, but they're not yet actors." He wrote that Eastwood, "...still hasn't figured out how to take a relatively short dramatic event and build a movie around it." Referencing Skarlatos' Afghan tour, he noted the sequence, "...involves a lost backpack that is eventually recovered without any problem."[41] By Skarlatos' own account the incident was quite major as, in a Chaplinesque rendition, he admits that he clumsily nearly stepped on an unexploded mortar shell, almost fired an incendiary .50 caliber anti-tank round into a group of children, then lost his backpack that held a "GPS classified technology," whose loss might have cost him and even his superiors a loss in rank.[42] The items were fortunately returned by Afghan villagers, and his team of soldiers agreed to keep news of the gaffe from reaching command staff. Despite that brief episode of excitement, Skarlatos found his tour of duty was largely uneventful, disappointing and boring, where he "...wanted to be a soldier, but instead he was "...a housekeeper," who "...followed janitors around," and compared himself to "...a security guard. A mall cop."[42]

Political aspirations

Skarlatos ran for Douglas County Commissioner in his home state of Oregon in the 2018 midterm elections,[43] but he lost to businessman Tom Kress.[44] Skarlatos said on election night that his opponent's 2% lead made the race still incredibly close, continuing, "We have a lot of great people and I think we're going to have a better response from the exterior of the county, so I'm still very optimistic." He wasn't surprised by Kress's lead, saying, "He's outspending us by 2 to 1 and took his campaign really negative."[44]

2020 U.S. House campaign

In 2019, Skarlatos announced that he was running as a candidate in the 2020 elections to represent Oregon's 4th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives as a Republican.[6]

Skarlatos won the Republican primary, on May 19, 2020, defeating Nelson Ijih.[45] Ijih reported receiving and spending no money on his campaign, by the final filing date but received 13% of the primary vote.[46] Skarlatos lost to incumbent Democratic congressman Peter DeFazio in the 2020 November general election, finishing with 46.3% of the vote against DeFazio's 51.6%.[47] Skarlatos significantly outraised his opponent who won his 17th term in Congress, leading by over half a million dollars just a few weeks before the election.[48]

Personal life

In September 2018, Skarlatos became an honorary naturalized French citizen, along with Stone and Sadler.[49] A naturalization ceremony was held in Sacramento in January 2019.[50] Skarlatos was raised a Presbyterian but now belongs to a Lutheran church.[51]

Awards and decorations
Air Assault Badge
41st Infantry Division Combat Service Identification Badge
186th Infantry Regiment Distinctive Unit Insignia
1 Overseas Service Bar
Meritorious Unit Commendation
Soldier's Medal[52]
National Defense Service Medal
Afghanistan Campaign Medal with two bronze service stars
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Armed Forces Reserve Medal with "M" device
Legion of Honour, Knight (France, August 2015)[2]
NATO Medal for service with ISAF
Oregon Distinguished Service Medal[53]
  • Received the bravery medal of the city of Arras, France.[54]

Bibliography
  • The 15:17 To Paris (2016) (ISBN 978-1610397339)

Filmography

In July 2017, it was announced that Clint Eastwood would direct the upcoming biographical film titled after Stone, Skarlatos and Sadler's memoir, starring them, along with actresses Jenna Fischer and Judy Greer. Filming began on July 11, 2017.[55] The film was released in the United States on February 9, 2018.[56] The film received a generally negative reception from critics, who were largely critical of the acting by the three leads.[57]

Year Title Role Notes
2016 Range 15 [58] Himself Veteran based zombie film
2018 The 15:17 to Paris Himself Film based on the 2015 Thalys train attack

References
  1. "Guardsman to get Soldiers Medal for subduing gunman on train". National Guard Bureau. August 26, 2015. Retrieved September 6, 2015.
  2. Miner, Collin (August 27, 2015). "Alek Skarlatos: 'Good to be home with family'". KOIN6. Retrieved September 3, 2015.
  3. "Obama lauds 'train heroes' at White House". Yahoo! News. AFP. Retrieved September 18, 2015.
  4. "Alek Skarlatos, 2 other Americans receive France's top honor for stopping armed attacker". Associated Press. The Oregonian. August 24, 2015. Retrieved September 3, 2015.
  5. "Oregon's Train Hero Cast in ABC's New 'Dancing' Cast". Oregon Public Broadcasting. September 2, 2015. Archived from the original on September 5, 2015. Retrieved September 3, 2015.
  6. Turnquist, Kristi (August 16, 2019). "Oregon hero turned-movie star Alek Skarlatos launches campaign for Congress". oregonlive. Retrieved December 21, 2019.
  7. "Aleksander Reed Skarlatos, Born 10/10/1992 in California | CaliforniaBirthIndex.org". www.californiabirthindex.org.
  8. Carey, Stacy (September 6, 2015). "Who is Alek Skarlatos of 'Dancing with the Stars'?". inquisitr. Retrieved September 6, 2015.
  9. Bailey Jr, Everton (August 21, 2015). "Oregon soldier calls from France to say 'he and his friend took down a terrorist,' dad says". The Oregonian. Retrieved September 3, 2015.
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  11. Sangree, Hudson. "Carmichael childhood, faith unite friends who stopped train attack". The Sacramento Bee. Retrieved June 6, 2016.
  12. "Terror Train Hero Alek Skarlatos Oregon Shooting Hits Close to Home ... Bolts Out of 'DWTS' Rehearsal". TMZ. October 1, 2015. Retrieved October 2, 2015.
  13. "Carmichael childhood, faith unite friends who stopped train attack". sacbee. Retrieved October 31, 2015.
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  32. "French train heroes discuss 9/11 during Sacramento parade in their honor". ABC7. Sacramento, California. September 12, 2015. Archived from the original on September 13, 2015. Retrieved September 13, 2015.
  33. Cameron Smith (2015). "Oregon has a community of veterans that continue to serve" (Veterans Day ed.). Oregon Department of Veterans' Affairs. p. 2. Retrieved April 18, 2018.
  34. Lindsay Adams-Spinner ARNG G1 STRATCOMM (October 12, 2015). "Guardsman honored for subduing gunman on train in France". g1arng.army.pentagon.mil. US Army National Guard. Archived from the original on October 2, 2016. Retrieved April 18, 2018.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
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  36. Charlsy Panzino (February 4, 2018). "Heroes-turned-actors: 3 stars of 'The 15:17 to Paris' talk about their roles of a lifetime". armytimes.com. Sightline Media Group. Retrieved April 18, 2018.
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  40. Glines, Carole (September 11, 2015). "Terror train hero Alek Skarlatos was inspired to do 'DWTS' by last season's courageous star Noah Galloway". FOX News. Archived from the original on September 14, 2015. Retrieved September 11, 2015.
  41. 'The 15:17 to Paris' review: heroes' journey stalled by dullness, New York Daily News, Ethan Sacks, February 8, 2018. Retrieved July 31, 2019.
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  43. Cegavske, Carisa (May 15, 2018). "Alek Skarlatos will run for Douglas County commissioner". Retrieved November 2, 2018.
  44. News-Review, CARISA CEGAVSKE Senior Staff Writer The. "Tom Kress defeats Skarlatos in race for Douglas County Commissioner". NRToday.com.
  45. "Alek Skarlatos wins Republican primary for Oregon 4th Congressional District". kgw.com. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  46. Nelson Ijih, The Washington Times, 2020. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
  47. Oregon Election Results: Fourth Congressional District. The New York Times, November 12, 2020. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
  48. Skarlatos pulls ahead of DeFazio in campaign fundraising, News-Review, CARISA CEGAVSKE, Oct 16, 2020. December 26, 2020.
  49. Americans who thwarted train terror attack become French citizens, France 24, January 2, 2019. Retrieved June 17, 2019.
  50. "Three Sacramento men who stopped terrorist attack on train naturalized as French citizens". The Sacramento Bee.
  51. "Candidate Profile for Alek Skarlatos". ivoterguide.com. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
  52. KATU News (staff) (August 25, 2015). "Oregon hero, Spc. Alek Skarlatos, to be awarded Soldiers Medal". kval.com. Eugene, Oregon: Sinclair Broadcast Group via KVAL 13. Retrieved April 18, 2018.
  53. KATU News (staff) (February 17, 2016). "Governor presents Spc. Skarlatos with Oregon Distinguished Service Medal". katu.com. Portland, Oregon: Sinclair Broadcast Group via KATU 2. Retrieved April 18, 2018.
  54. Meredith Worthen (February 8, 2018). "Meet the Real Heroes of '15:17 to Paris'". biography.com. Retrieved April 18, 2018.
  55. Kroll, Justin (July 11, 2017). "Clint Eastwood Casts Real-Life Heroes in Next Film 'The 15:17 to Paris' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved July 11, 2017.
  56. Jenkins, Aric (February 9, 2018). "The True Story Behind the Movie The 15:17 to Paris". Time. Retrieved February 10, 2018.
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  58. "Alek Skarlatos join the cast of Range 15". npr.org. Retrieved September 29, 2020.
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