“Merci,” to be sure.
The French spared no accolades and no honor in acknowledging what those Americans did on that high-speed, Amsterdam-to-Paris train. French President Francois Hollande awarded them Legion of Honor medals in an Elysee Palace ceremony. Even Charles de Gaulle might still be in standing-ovation mode.
It’s what happens when horrific, mass-murder terrorism is averted by quick-thinking, quick-acting, brave Americans who disarmed and disabled a terrorist attacker. This could so easily have become so much worse than Charlie Hebdo.
But it was also a “thanks, we needed that” moment for Americans.
Because of presidential-campaign rhetoric, we’ve been bombarded with constant reminders of how America is not, well, America anymore.
We know the off-putting litany by heart.
We blunder into unnecessary wars, are negligent about our sovereign borders, are seemingly indifferent to the sanctity of human life and get taken to the cleaners in bilateral agreements. If only Carl Icahn could negotiate with the Russians, Chinese and Iranians. If only we were as cunning as Mexicans.
“If-only” intimations of our greatness deficit have become grating to much of the body politic.
There is also that inevitable–and continuous–news loop, which has been trafficking in ISIS updates, natural disasters, economic Armageddon, a certain email server, pop-culture selfies, racial confrontations and all things Donald Trump.
Some meaningful, feel-good news has never been more welcome.
Call it a nationalistic rush of pride. Three previously anonymous Americans–an airman, a national guardsman and an African-American college student–have became bona fide American heroes. And in so doing, the U.S.–not just France and everyone else who’s paying attention–is reminded that we are still America. That we still matter when we’re needed the most.
Maybe we don’t break out into a chorus of “Over There” over this. But innocent Europeans are alive today because some Americans over there overcame the odds and prevented a terrorist slaughter.
Thanks, again. The world needed that.