American Heroes’ Moms Got to Ride a Private Plane to Paris

The three young, courageous and brave Americans who were all over the news last week and this week received an act of kindness, as their mothers were able to reach Paris on a private plane just in time for the ceremony to honor their bravery.

On Monday, President Hollande of France awarded three Americans and a Briton with France’s highest recognition, the Legion d’Honneur (Legion of Honor) for their bravery when they subdued an armed man aboard a train from Amsterdam to Paris. The awarding ceremony was held at the Élysée Palace.

A selfless act

The mothers of these three American heroes – Sacramento State University senior student Anthony Sadler, National Guardsman Aleksander Skarlatos and U.S. Airman Spencer Stone, were invited to the awarding ceremony but were unable to secure seats on a commercial flight.

Tim Boyle, the CEO of Columbia Sportswear, which is based in Washington County, and his wife were following the news. When their pilot, Doug Perrill called on Saturday evening to ask if they were willing to lend their jet to the three mothers, they immediately said yes.

Not that easy to get to Paris

It was not smooth sailing for the mothers because it seemed that one or perhaps all of them did not have passports. Perrill worked with the U.S. State Department to resolve the problem. Likewise, the State Department also provided assistance to arrange the jet’s last minute flight into international airspace. It was a long distance flight that would take about 12 hours.

The enthusiastic parents arrived in Paris around half past seven in the morning on Monday and were immediately rushed to the event site to be with their sons.

President Francois Hollande personally presented the heroes with their Legion of Honor medal. Together with the three Americans was a British IT consultant, Chris Norman, who also assisted in subduing the gunman. The fifth man, who would also be awarded a Legion of Honor Medal is Mark Moogalian, a 51-year old French-American academic, who was the first man to try to wrestle the firearm from the gunman, but was shot at the back and neck. He is still in hospital, recovering from the gunshot wounds and will be given the medal later. Stone, who was badly injured during the struggle, also helped Moogalian. He applied pressure over his neck wound.

Moogalian’s wife and family hope that the American trio could visit Paris again so that they could cook a meal for them and show them the sights.

By Chevalier_légion_d’honneur.jpg: République françaisederivative work: Titimaster (Chevalier_légion_d’honneur.jpg) [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons