Let me expand a little on Mrs. Mainsh actions

[nadinbrzezinski]

as well as the ones of the other two gentlemen who stopped the shooter.

I have done plenty of stupid maneuvers in my life. You know the usual go into a fire... to rescue a two year old... (as part of EMS)... crawl into a shoot out, to drag a casualty out... again part of my job. Some may think that is what heroes do. No that is what I signed up for.

What she did, and the two other gentlemen did, takes my breath away. They went against all kinds of human instincts... and instead of running away from the fire, like most normal people do, they went towards it. That takes the kinds of guts that take my breath away. The three of them should receive the Congressional Medal of Freedom in my mind...

If nothing else... yes Ma'am, you are a hero.

[Ruby the Liberal]

1. I posted about this last night. I have no idea how I would react in such a situation

What Ms. Manish did was beyond brave, selfless - and saved who knows how many lives, including her own.

Amazing what can happen when the mind is confronted with such a situation.

God bless her for her actions!

[nadinbrzezinski]

4. Hubby and I suspect that training in our case

would take over... aka we would do stupid maneuvers...

Some years back I went to the movies with sis and a friend... last temptation of christ...

Local theater, RW was protesting...

So out of the blue car screeches to a halt, two police cars come from each end. one cop comes out shotgun in hand. Well, while most people were oogling at the scene... this is about three seconds into this... I literally pulled both sister and friend down and into cover. Friend was a cub reporter at the time, and was PISSED I pulled her out of the line of fire.

When it was over, five minutes into the hot stop, cop comes over, curious. Of the over five hundred people there, I was the only one that just went down... and took cover. SO I took ID out and showed it. He chuckled, then I said, you duffus... shotgun would have hit civies. He apologized and said the sergeant was calling them on that. He also said, a medic from this side woud have never known what to do....

Well yeah, medics in the US do not go to shootouts regularly.

[Ruby the Liberal]

7. I wish I had the training to have those instincts.

I once walked into a police situation where they were trying to apprehend someone. Not intentionally - just not paying attention and ended up in the middle of the mess.

I have the instincts of a deaf bat.

[nadinbrzezinski]

9. Become a cop, they will train you to have them

these are not instincts, but trained reactions.

I was trained to react. Funny story... a fire work went off LOUD near where we live. We were in the kitchen. I dropped to the ground, hubby crouched looking for a gun that is not there... he is now retired military.

We reacted by trained instinct.

After that we were laughing.

And yes, I have done shit like that, One day I was talking to a friend outside. A distant gun shot went off in the night. I became flat with the door. He was surprised... I even went... that sounds like a 38... it was a 38. A kid was tragically killed about a mile from where we were... theoretically at the theoretical range, not effective, for that gun... The night was clear, and we were low in the valley.

It is a blessing but a curse. We don't do firework displays. Ok we do, but at distance.

[Ruby the Liberal]

17. Sadly, I am in my mid-40s. They wouldn't hire me to answer phones at this point.

Enjoying your stories (as always) though!

[nadinbrzezinski]

19. Some departments do

[SharonRB]

2. I was thinking the same thing

About the medal. I'll be surprised if Pres. Obama doesn't give it to all of them and intern Rodriguez.

[nadinbrzezinski]

5. It is up to Congress, but I will not be too shocked

if names are submitted.

[Ruby the Liberal]

8. Can anyone submit?

[nadinbrzezinski]

10. I don't know

[stray cat]

3. And she is a hero regardless of her politics - there is more to life than what divides us

[Mira]

6. I so agree, and cannot imagine any of it. I suspect I could not have done it.

I was very happy to see her on Keith's show. Composed, eloquent, thoughtful.
I was also very happy that President Obama called her.

Recommended

[Rex]

11. Fight or flight, they picked the first one instinctively.

Wish we had 300 million like 'em.

[nadinbrzezinski]

12. It still takes my breath away

Having been in many places where well, you go into it, when your body is creaming to the last fiber, what the fuck are you doing?

[WorseBeforeBetter]

13. Intern Daniel Hernandez and Ret. Col. William Badger.

Per Colonel Badger: "...something has to be done with what's going on in the US and in Arizona..." Poor guy survives the military, but gets grazed in the back of the head as a 74-year-old retiree living in Arizona...UFB.

Tonight's Brian Williams interview with both men:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032619/ns/nightly_news/#41009627

[nadinbrzezinski]

14. Yep, all these people are heroes

[WorseBeforeBetter]

18. I'm trying to think of myself at 20 and how I would have reacted...

Mr. Hernandez is truly an impressive young man.

"Daniel Hernandez ran toward the sound of gunshots. He pressed Safeway workers’ aprons against the congresswoman’s head wound to stanch the bleeding, and lifted her and held her upright so she wouldn’t drown in her own blood. Photos show him evidently covering her hands with his as he walked alongside her as she was carried off on a stretcher."

Two gay heroes thwart assassinations -- what a difference 35 years make
http://opinion.latimes.com/opinionla/2011/01/two-gay-heroes-thwart-assassinations-what-a-difference-35-years-make.html

[nadinbrzezinski]

20. In reality none of us knows how we will react

In my case I suspect training would take over.. it has in the past.

But this kid was not trained... why it takes my breath away at multiple levels.

[SaveAmerica]

15. One of the first people to be interviewed was a volunteer to her office

He said as soon as he heard the shots he ran behind a column then it got worse and he ran on down the street and away from the chaos. That's the normal human reaction.

This 61 year old woman with her shock of short white hair is the kind of woman I'd like to be.

[nadinbrzezinski]

16. Yes that is the normal reaction

and you got to normally train personnel to go against that...