The American heroes: Who are they?

Here are profiles of the three Americans credited with foiling an attack on a French train:

Alek Skarlatos, a 22-year-old specialist with the Oregon Army National Guard from Roseburg, Ore, had recently returned from a tour in Afghanistan before embarking on a European vacation. Skarlotos, a gun owner and outdoorsman, told reporters he wrestled an automatic weapon away from the suspected shooter and then used the gun to beat the man unconscious. Family members told reporters that Skarlatos wants to become a police officer.

Spencer Stone, an airman first class with the U.S. Air Force from Carmichael, Calif., is credited with tackling the suspected gunman before attending to a wounded passenger who was bleeding profusely. Stone, who practices martial arts, according to his Facebook page, sustained severe cuts on his hand and neck and has been released from a French hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Authorities say his bold decision to act may have saved hundred of lives.

Anthony Sadler, a senior at California State University at Sacramento, was making his first visit to Europe when he helped his two childhood friends take down and subdue the suspected gunman. Family members described him as an athlete and a “quick decision-maker” who goes out of his way to help others. “He loves his friends and would never stand and watch his friends engage a gunman and put themselves at risk and not play a role in helping,” Tony Sadler, Anthony’s father, told The Washington Post. “That would never happen.”

This story was originally published August 22, 2015 at 1:47 PM with the headline "The American heroes: Who are they?."