Austin Anderson (from video by Brooke Ninowski)
I should have posted this article a couple of months ago, because Austin Anderson, a Marine veteran with two combat tours under his belt, deserved it then. His story is no less inspiring today.
In May of this year, he and four friends were flying in a Cessna from Oklahoma to Iowa to attend a Christian youth rally, when something went wrong with the plane. It went down in a field in Kansas and burst into flames.
The pilot and two of the passengers were killed at the scene. Only Anderson and one other, 22-year old Hannah Luce, survived. She lived because Austin Anderson pulled her from the burning plane. The two were able to walk for help.
Hannah was treated in Kansas City with burns over 28 percent of her body, and has recently returned home.
Anderson, a Marine veteran who had survived two combat tours in Iraq, later died. He had been burned on over 98 percent of his body. Yet despite his injuries, he was still capable of pulling a young girl out of a burning plane, saving her life.
Such heroism is breathtaking and humbling. Although no longer wearing the uniform, he was still a Marine. Semper Fi.
Austin Anderson is our hero of the week.
(Austin was featured in a video in 2010 by Brooke Ninowski – click here to view.)
Story sent to me by Daniel M, TSgt, USAF
