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American Hero Leaves ‘DWTS’ Rehearsal to Honor Oregon Shooting Victims at Home

Alek Skarlatos helped thwart French train terror attack

U.S. National Guardsman from Roseburg, Oregon, Alek Skarlatos, left, U.S. Airman Spencer Stone, 2nd left, and Anthony Sadler, right, a senior at Sacramento University in California, leave the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, with U.S. Ambassador to France Jane D. Hartley after being awarded with the French Legion of Honor by French President, Francois Hollande, Monday, Aug. 24, 2015. French President Francois Hollande and a bevy of officials are presenting the Americans with the prestigious Legion of Honor on Monday. The three American travelers say they relied on gut instinct and a close bond forged over years of friendship as they took down a heavily armed man on a passenger train speeding through Belgium. (AP Photo/Kamil Zihnioglu)
AP
October 2, 2015

Alek Skarlatos, one of the three Americans who stopped a terrorist attack on a French train in August, left Dancing With the Stars rehearsals to be with friends and family in Oregon following the deadly shooting Thursday.

Fox News reported that Skarlatos, a National Guardsman, is a former student at Umpqua Community College, the site of the shooting that killed at least 10 individuals.

"Heading home to roseburg tonight. Everyone send thoughts and prayers to the families," Skarlatos wrote on Twitter Thursday.

"While I was fortunate enough to be in the right place at the right time in August aboard a train bound for Paris, I only wish that the same could be said for today," Skarlatos said in a statement Thursday.

"I praise the first responders who were on the ground today in Roseburg as they undoubtedly were integral in saving numerous lives and putting a stop to what could have been more tragic than it is."

"My heart and prayers go out to this community, my community, right now," Skarlatos said.

Skarlatos and two other Americans, Spencer Stone and Anthony Sadler, were given France’s Legion of Honour award after subduing an armed terrorist aboard a train traveling from Amsterdam to Paris in August.