Aleksander Reed Skarlatos ( ; born October 10 , 1992 ) is an American former US Army National Guard soldier who , along with fellow Americans Spencer Stone and Anthony Sadler , a Briton , a Frenchman , and an American , stopped a gunman on a Paris-bound train travelling from Amsterdam via Brussels in August 2015 . He was awarded the United States Army 's Soldier 's Medal from U.S. President Barack Obama , All six , save for the French passenger who wished to remain anonymous , received France 's highest decoration , the '' Chevalier '' of the Legion of Honour , from French president François Hollande . The Americans also were awarded the medal of the city of Arras , France . Thanks to the publicity generated by his heroism , Skarlatos was invited to compete on season 21 program of ABC 's '' Dancing with the Stars '' with pro dancer Lindsay Arnold , as his partner . They finished in third place
stopped a gunman
2015 Thalys train attack
Alek Skarlatos