French Hero Spencer Stone Welcomed With Gusto at Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield

One of three Sacramento-area men – hailed as heroes for thwarting a terror attack aboard a high-speed European train last month – returned home to California on Thursday.

U.S. Air Force Airman Spencer Stone was aboard a flight that touched down at Fairfield-based Travis Air Force Base around 8 p.m. The 23-year-old has previously worked in David Grant USAF Medical Center’s pediatric department for a year.

Military personnel and family members lined up for the chance to take pictures and shake hands with Stone who helped stop a gunman and saved the life of a passenger on a France-bound train on Aug. 21.

Stone and his two childhood friends — Anthony Sadler, 23, a Sacramento State University student, and Oregon National Guardsman Alek Skarlatos, 22 — subdued Ayoub El-Khazzani, a man with ties to radical Islam who was carrying a handgun and an assault weapon on the train.

The first to tackle the gunman, Stone was slashed in the neck and his thumb was nearly sliced off. He underwent rehab in Germany before returning to the United States.

On Thursday, people cheered for Stone while other waved flags and children held up signs reading, "Airman Stone is our hero."

Stone’s former coworker Jeffrey Copple said: "I think it was great what he did. He stepped up and did his job. He had great training in the Air Force – I guarantee it."

Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson plans to host a parade to honor the heroic tree on Sept. 11. French President Francois Hollande has given the three men France's highest award, the Legion of Honor. 

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