Gas station clerk returns dropped $1 million lottery winner's ticket

Talk about honesty. A Salina Kansas gas station clerk noticed a lottery ticket on the floor of his store. He scanned it and realized it was a winner - not just any winner but the Mega Millions jackpot winner. Plus, the ticket worth $1 million was unsigned. Anyone could sign it and claim it.

This as yet unnamed clerk chose to call the store's owner and see how to handle it. The owner's son came in and together the two figured out who had dropped the ticket. Call it serendipity or coincidence or whatever you like, but the customer in question drove by the station a short time later. The station owner's son came outside and waved him down. The ticket was returned to its rightful owner who also has not yet been identified. 

So this week, Salina Kansas has three very happy people. One is a million dollars richer. Two can close their eyes knowing they did what was right. 

The Cajun Navy rides again

In a previous post on this blog, I reported on the unheralded rescue efforts of the self-proclaimed Cajun Navy during flooding in Louisiana in August 2016.  In the overwhelming aftermath of Hurricane Harvey in Texas last week, the Cajun Navy rode again. Private boat owners, many from Louisiana, drove their own vehicles, towing their boats to areas of need. This shot of a highway exit ramp laden with volunteers and their boats warms my heart. Our own Dunkirk. 

Small boats made a huge difference. The scale of destruction, the speed of rising water, and the number of people needing help across such a large area completely overwhelmed local emergency services. These volunteers with their bass boats, airboats, and inboard/outboard motors supported the local effort with timely help and manpower. And boats, of course.

We're told that rescues totaled in the thousands over a period of days. It's unclear how many people were rescued by official emergency services, and how many by volunteers like the Cajun Navy. I doubt those who were rescued would make a distinction. A hero is a hero. Humanity at its best.

Memorial Day: Tribute to those who died in defense of American freedom

We Americans tend to see Memorial Day as a two-faced holiday. The first side relates to its original purpose: a day set aside to remember those who died in service to our country. Graves are decorated, prayers said, flags flown, some proudly, others somberly at half-mast. The other side of Memorial Day is the three day weekend, the unofficial start of summer. Barbecues are lit, pools are opened, and frisbees are thrown on trim green lawns. A hard truth of this world is this: without the first, the second would cease to exist.

Which brings me to today's topic. On Friday afternoon, a passenger on a Portland Oregon commuter train began a tirade against two other passengers. The man's words were full of hate speech and aimed at the young women, one of whom was wearing a hijab, the other of whom is black. In fear for the women's safety, three other passengers moved in to try to calm the man down. He continued his racist rant and attacked those trying to calm him. He stabbed all three of them, killing two: Army veteran Rick Best and recent college graduate Taliesin Myrddin Namkai Meche. The third man was taken to the hospital in serious condition.

These three men stood against hate-speech, defending a basic freedom: for two young women to ride the train in peace. By doing so, they symbolically stood up for the right for all Americans, black, white, Muslim, Christian, whatever, to go about their business without harassment or intimidation.

I believe a comprehensive list of those who died in service to our country would include Best and Meche. As we honor our military dead this weekend, we also ought to take a moment to remember those non-military folks who have fought right here at home in the belief that the freedoms we hold so dear are indeed for all of us.  

Calm bus driver gets 56 kids off safely before bus bursts into flames

It started as another Tuesday morning for school bus driver Teresa Stroble. She picked up 56 kids bound for the Duncan South Carolina elementary, middle, and high schools. Suddenly, two older students in the back of the bus yelled that they smelled smoke. Thinking quickly, Stroble pulled the bus over into the parking lot of a car wash. In less than a minute, she evacuated all the students from the bus, moved them a safe distance away, and radioed her transportation office to call 911.

The empty bus burst into flames.

Grateful students, parents, emergency responders, and school district officials are unanimous in their praise of Stroble's calm management of the crisis. No doubt, her ability to handle the situation exactly as she was trained to do saved lives.

The students have dubbed Teresa Stroble their superhero.

Man pulls stranger off subway tracks in the nick of time

We humans like to think we can be brave when needed, that our inner hero can be readily called into action to save the day.

If only.

Truth is, most of us hesitate, grapple with indecision or surprise, or are sluggishly weighing out the pros and cons while the problem unfolds. Perhaps that's why we love hero stories. When seconds count, their best self emerges and they act.

Thankfully, Jonathan Kulig acted. On Saturday night, the 29-year-old had just gotten off a subway and stepped onto the platform. On the opposite platform, he saw something fall onto the tracks. When he reached it, people yelled and pointed to a person lying on the tracks below. The train would come into the station in less than a minute.

Kulig jumped down and scooped up the barely conscious young man. He lifted him to the edge where other subway patrons helped him to a bench. Then Kulig climbed out himself, and was promptly proclaimed a hero. The rescue was caught on video, including the dramatic moment when the train rushes into the station.

Word is that the young man who fell was drunk. He was taken to the hospital with non-critical injuries.

Kulig is employed by Con Edison, and had just gone through the MTA's track safety course. He knew how to keep himself safe as he helped the fallen person. "I did what I had to do," he said.  

He risked his life to chase down the perpetrator of a hate crime

Olathe Kansas resident Ian Grillot was at a local bar last month, watching a basketball game. A man entered the bar and made disparaging remarks to two other patrons, whom he assumed to be of Middle Eastern descent. He was heard to yell, "Get out of my country!" and was promptly ejected from the bar. He returned, gun in hand, and shots were fired.

On instinct, Grillot ducked beneath a table but kept his presence of mind. He counted 9 shots, and assumed the shooter's magazine was then empty. So he stood and gave chase, intent on catching the gunman before he could harm someone else.

Turns out there was another bullet left. It pierced Grillot's hand and lodged in his chest, narrowly missing major arteries and his spinal cord. He was hospitalized for weeks. A GoFundMe page has been set up to help with medical expenses.

It turns out the two men shot in the bar were of Indian descent, both aviation engineers employed locally for years by Garmin. One of the men died of his injuries, the other was critically injured.


A few days ago, Grillot's decision to act was honored by the Indian-American community in Houston. He was presented with a check for $100,000 in recognition of  his "selfless act beyond the call of duty."

Grillot insists he just did what anyone else would have done. He couldn't live with himself if he didn't try to stop the shooter from continuing his rampage elsewhere. And the man who was critically injured? He's doing well, and looking forward to the future with his pregnant wife.

The shooter has been arrested and charged with first degree murder and two counts of attempted first degree murder.

Man uses Tesla to stop car with unconscious driver

Manfred Kick was driving his Tesla Model S on the Autobahn near Munich the other night. He noticed a VW Passat ahead of him swerving on the high-speed highway. Kick pulled up alongside and peered at the driver. The man was limp, slumped over the steering wheel, apparently unconscious.

Kick pulled his Tesla in front of the Passat and gradually braked, slowing the runaway car to a safe stop. The quick-thinking Kick then got out of his car, checked for a pulse, and performed first aid, positioning the man so he could breathe. Other drivers stopped and called for help. The man was transported to the hospital after suffering an apparent stroke. He is reported in stable condition.

Kick's expensive car had suffered over $10,000 worth of damage. Because of the nature of the collision, he wasn't sure if insurance would cover it. He told reporters he was just grateful that he was able to help the man get medical attention and that no one was hurt by the runaway car.

Tesla's Elon Musk heard the story. He has offered to expedite and pay all the repair costs associated with Kick's heroic act.

More than a dozen people did the right thing

Twenty-year-old Jonathan Janzen was on his way to work on a Tuesday in July. As he drove 70 mph along a stretch of Interstate 20, he was momentarily distracted. He swerved, overcorrected, and lost control. 

His car flipped two or three times, and landed upside down in a ditch. 

Then the amazing happened. Over a dozen strangers stopped their cars and raced to help Janzen out of the wreck. Working together, they flipped his car over and freed Janzen. Check out the slide show and the video of their cooperative effort.

Janzen's injuries were minor.  “I was not expecting to see that many people standing there…then people [were] giving me hugs…” he said. “Thank you so much every single one of you, just thank you for your concern.”

The Cajun Navy

During the recent floods in Louisiana, a loosely organized group again came out to help their neighbors. They call themselves the Cajun Navy. Similar to the 9-11 Flotilla and the local response after Hurricane Katrina, a call for help went out through unofficial channels, this time a local radio station. Anyone with a seaworthy vessel was to meet at a local mall. Organizers expected a couple dozen boats and volunteers. They got almost 400 boats, some high-water trucks, and 10,000 people willing to help. How awesome is that?

The official channels of help like the Red Cross, local police, National Guard, etc. are of course essential in management of rescue operations during disasters like this. But there's something touching and genuine about coming to the aid of another person, not because it's your assignment, not because it's your job, but because it's the right thing to do.

A hero in Baton Rouge flooding

This man, David Phung, risked his own life to rescue a stranger (and her dog!) caught in the high water of Baton Rouge's flooding this weekend. Check out these unbelievable videos.
I hope we all encounter strangers willing to turn hero if we need them to do so.
And I hope I'd find the courage on a moment's notice to be that hero for someone else.