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We all love superheros like Batman, Superman, and the new Spider-Man (the dude before him was straight up nerdville). But there are some Real Life Heroes that deserve a spot on a top 10 list. Not every heroic action saved thousands- some as simple as another life. Some of these folks may sound familiar while others will be new names that can now be locked in your mind as a hero worth remembering. It can only take one moment to do something heroic-
10. Good Samaritans in Arkansas
The Everett family was going to lunch at Logan's Roadhouse after their usual Sunday service when Titus, one of their seven boys, got hit by a mid-size SUV in the parking lot. Titus was being crushed under the middle of the vehicle with thousands of pounds of pressure weighing down on him. Immediately the manager, several employees, and other people dining at the restaurant (including a police officer from a surrounding community) jumped in and lifted the car off the boy-saving his life. Titus is ok and now has a band of brothers who rushed in and became real life superheroes that day.
9. Mamoudou Gassama
Ok check this story out- a 4-year-old boy dangled helplessly from the balcony of an apartment building in France and a passerby Mamoudou Gassama sprang into action. In less than a minute, the 22 year old scaled at least four floors, unaided, using only his bare hands to pull the boy to safety. Real life Spider-Man right here. Gassama hauls himself up from balcony railing to balcony railing while a crowd of onlookers screams below. Within seconds, he maneuvers over to the boy and appears to pull him up with one arm- ONE FREAKING ARM! This guy is both daredevil and hero.
Full Story: https://www.ft.com/content/c9feb9b8-1a5b-11e9-b93e-f4351a53f1c3
8. Former NY Giants Linebacker Cole Farrand
At just the age of 23, with a professional football contract in hand, Cole Farrand woke up, ran to the house next door and saw a man trapped on the roof- oh and did we mention it was on fire- like an inferno fire. Farrand immediately grabbed an extension ladder from his grandparents’ house to bring the man to safety. Farrand said he thought anyone else would have done the same thing but the fact he did it just shows he’s a Giant in every sense of the word.
7. James Shaw Jr.
In 2018 a gunman entered a Waffle House near Nashville early in the morning and met the ultimate hero- a 29-year-old AT&T technician. Moving toward the bathroom as the first bullets were flying James noticed the shooter had momentarily stopped firing and pointed the barrel of his AR-15 toward the ground. That’s when Shaw made a split-second decision. He rushed the shooter and managed to seize the rifle. Ultimately, four people were killed yet law enforcement said the number could have been far higher had Shaw, who was shot in his efforts, had not acted. Now that is going the extra mile for customers.
6. Audie Leon Murphy
Ok check this out- Murphy was one of the most decorated American combat soldiers of World War II. He not only received every military combat award for valor available from the U.S. Army but he also received French and Belgian awards for heroism- who does that? Murphy received the Medal of Honor for valor that he demonstrated at the age of 19 for single-handedly holding off a company of German soldiers for an hour at the Colmar Pocket in France. Oh and the dude didn’t stop there- he then led a successful counterattack while wounded and out of ammunition. Freaking stud.
Full Story: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audie_Murphy
5. Aleksandr Fyodorovich Akimov
You all may have seen the popular show Chernobyl on HBO or you may have been alive when the real life disaster went down- either way we owe a lot of gratitude to Aleksandr Akimovfor his role in preventing an even more disastrous outcome. This dude was the one who declared an emergency as soon as the reactor was shut down. Rather than evacuate, Akimov stayed behind and had his crew turn on the emergency feedwater pumps to flood the reactor. Staying and breathing poisonous air in the reactor building, he manually pumped emergency feedwater into the reactor without any protective gear. His actions saved many others’ lives no doubt about it.
Full Bio: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aleksandr_Akimov
4. James Blunt
While his song “You’re Beautiful” may have saved your relationship from catrasophy- his actions as a soldier actually did more for the world than his vocals ever could. When he was told to invade the Pristina airfield that Russians had tried to take over- he refused. The order from a U.S. Army general was ignored and put Blunt in a risky court-martialed type of sitch. Luckily another general agreed with Blunt and recognized the danger in invading as well. Within a few hours, he pulled all of the troops back, resolving the conflict peacefully. Now THAT is Beautiful.
Full Bio: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Blunt
3. William Kyle Carpenter
This stud is the youngest living soldier to ever receive the Medal Of Honor. Carpenter shielded his friend from a hand grenade that was thrown onto the rooftop they were based on in November 2010. Both men survived thanks to Kyle. Only 21 years old at the time, he without a second thought threw his body onto a live grenade resulting in him losing most of his teeth, his right eye, shattering his jaw and breaking his arm in a number of places. Thank you Sir for all you do and who you are as a person.
Full Bio: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyle_Carpenter
2. Witold Pilecki
Ok get this- Pilecki VOLUNTARILY made it his mission to discover what secrets the Nazi party were hiding. He intentionally got himself arrested by the Nazis so that he could infiltrate one of the camps in Auschwitz. The dude spent 2 ½ years in Auschwitz sending back his intelligence to the Polish government so that they were able to convince their allies that the concentration camps were death camps. How? Oh he built his own radio from smuggled parts and got the word out. After all that to make matters worse his own country then sentenced him to death with charges of espionage and the illegal crossing of the borders under a false name. Now that is heroism for heroism sake. Sheesh.
Full Bio: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Witold_Pilecki
1. Ekkapol Chantawong “Ake”
Who? Yeah we had the same question- but this dude is a hero to 12 boys trapped in a cave for 9 days. On June 23 the group entered Tham Luang Cave for a short trek to celebrate a teammate’s birthday. As a monsoon rain came upon them quickly, water filled the tunnels of one of Thailand’s most complex underground cave systems, and the group was trapped. For the next nine days, “Ake”, a former Buddhist monk, kept them alive in the dark, without food, by leading them in meditation and showing them how to collect clean water dripping down from the stalactites. After a daring rescue all the boys made it out alive and now Ake is their MVP.
Honorable Mention
It goes without saying but we have to include our everyday heroes in the EMS, Law Enforcement, Military, and medical professions. While there are countless torques of putting their lives on the line out there- we could spend years sharing the heroism they demonstrate each day they suit up. We thank you for your efforts and dedication to keeping us healthy, safe, and free.