Sacrificing your life for another’s is perhaps the most courageous
thing you can do. Here are ten people who did just that, because
sometimes you need to know people like that exist.
Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient and Prince look-a-like 1st
Lieutenant John Robert Fox was directing artillery fire in the Italian
town of Sommocolonia to stall a German advance. While Fox was directing
fire, a large German force moved in on his position.
Realising that this force was a huge threat to his men, Fox called a
final artillery strike—on himself.
When his men eventually retook the
position, Fox’s body was found next to approximately 100
dead German troops and a medal was placed neatly on his chest.
The Halifax explosion was a deadly blast that occurred in Nova Scotia, Canada, when a ship laden with ammunition
collided with another and the resulting fire grew out of control.
Vincent Coleman—a train operator— was at a nearby station who was
in charge of traffic. When he was informed that French munitions ship
the
Mont–Blanc, was moments away from exploding, Coleman
stayed behind to warn a nearby passenger train to stop. Moments later
he was killed by the resulting explosion.
9
When Air Florida Flight 90 smashed into a frozen lake in the middle
of a snowstorm, all but six passengers were killed. Some 20 minutes
later, a helicopter arrived to rescue the survivors.
After getting one man to safety, the helicopter threw a life-ring to Arland Williams… who immediately gave it to the passenger next to him.
When the helicopter came back for a third time, he did the same thing
again. And again. When the helicopter came back a final time,
Arland was dead. He’d used his last ounce of strength to save a complete stranger.
The siege of Leningrad saw millions starve to death. Of those millions, 12
literally surrounded by things they could eat. They were scientists at the Pavlovsk seed bank. Crippled with hunger, scientists and guards died at their posts.
Peanut specialist, Alexander Stchukin died
at his work station, protecting tonnes of food that could easily have
saved his and his fellow workers lives. They chose to starve, ensuring
that future generations of Russians would be able to eat.
Richard Rescorla was instrumental in the evacuation of thousands of people during the 9/11 attacks.
As the director of security at Morgan Stanley, Rescorla was
a stickler for his building’s safety and held twice-yearly evacuation drills to get people out.
When the attacks happened and the tower next to Rescorla’s was hit,
he put his plan into action and calmly instructed people to leave, right
up until the moment he was killed. Rescorla’s actions were considered
instrumental in the successful evacuation of over 2,500 people.
Captains Oates’ actions are now considered to be the stuff of
legend. During a disastrous mission to the South Pole, Oates sustained
crippling injuries that were slowing the team’s progress. Oates pleaded
to be left behind, but his pleas
fell on deaf ears.
This led to Oates’ legendary final words, “I am just going outside
and may be some time,’ after which he left the relative safety of the
tent and walked to his death. Sadly, Oates’ sacrifice was in vain as his
men also succumbed to the weather just a few miles from their
objective. Proof that when someone tells you to leave them behind, you
should do it.
The bond between siblings is strong and unless you have one, it’s
hard to explain the intense urge you feel to protect your kin.
Ryan Arnold had that urge when his brother Chad desperately needed a
liver transplant.
Without thinking, Ryan immediately checked that he
was a compatible donor. Discovering that he was,
the transplant went ahead.
As with all surgeries, there was risk and Ryan lost his life during
the procedure. He’d made the ultimate sacrifice to ensure that his
brother could live.
4
Takeshi Miura and Miki Endo
The 2011 Japanese tsunami saw tremendous destruction hit Japan.
Takeshi Miura and Miki Endo were two government risk management
workers tasked with warning and directing the public to safety. When the
ten metre wave hit, both Takeshi and Miki
stuck to their posts and kept broadcasting, using their last words to direct townsfolk to safety.
Lieutenants George Fox, Alexander Goode, John Washington, and Clark
Poling were chaplains of varying faiths stationed aboard troop transport
ship
The Dorchester.
When the ship was struck by a submarine’s torpedo, the chaplains
quickly rallied together and began handing out life jackets, and
directing people to safety.
When the life jackets ran out, they selflessly
gave away their own.
When the ship went down, the four men linked arms and began singing.
It’s hard to say how many lives the men actually saved, suffice it to
say it was enough to get into heaven and then some.
Dogs are man’s best friend, a title they’ve damn well earned through years of kicking butt.
When a suicidal unnamed Kazakhstani man drunkenly fell asleep on a train track, his ever faithful pet dog knew
exactly what needed to be done.
The dog used all of its doggy powers—pushing, pulling, and nudging its
drunken owner off the tracks to safety. Sadly, this put the dog in
harm’s ways and it died instantly when it was struck by a train.
1 JESUS CHRIST
. The prolonged eating of microwaved foods causes cancerous cells to increase in human blood.