Home Crime and Punishment AARP Honors Arizonans Who Tackled Jared Lee Loughner

AARP Honors Arizonans Who Tackled Jared Lee Loughner

November 19, 2011

Inspire Award recipients via aarp.org: “Amid the bloody horror of the Tucson shootings last January, which took the lives of 6 people and wounded 13, including Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, it was possible to miss the acts of heroism that succeeded in bringing down gunman Jared Lee Loughner. After Loughner began shooting people at a Giffords event, Retired Army Colonel Bill Badger, 75, grabbed Loughner’s wrist and pushed him to the ground. Roger Salzgeber, 61, also pounced, throwing his body weight on top of Loughner. As the gunman struggled to pull another magazine from his pocket, Patricia Maisch, 62, scooped it up, preventing him from reloading. All three point out that many others behaved with heroism that day: nearby shoppers, first-responders, hospital personnel. ‘One of the lessons I’ve learned is there are very good people out there,’ Maisch says.

9 COMMENTS

sdog November 19, 2011 At 11:34

these folks are around my parent’s age. I say good for them! they should receive some kind of citizenship award or something.
- Mike OFWG November 19, 2011 At 12:06
  
  I say, retroactively induct the passengers and crew of flight 93 into the armed forces and award all of them the Medal of Honor. They deserve it as much as anyone who threw themselves on a grenade to save their fellow soldiers.
  - sdog November 19, 2011 At 13:24
    
    +1 good idea, but i think the medal of freedom is more appropriate.
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medal_of_Freedom.
Tom November 19, 2011 At 16:50

The Pour le Merit for all.
Javier E November 19, 2011 At 20:12

A thank you to them. Citizens who act. WE need more like them.
Matt in AZ November 19, 2011 At 20:27

Yes, about darn time we recognize these folks. Not MOH, maybe the highest civilian honor. They saved lives by taking action, and detained him, without malice. Do these fine individuals deserve something for being in the right place at the wrong time and doing the right thing? I think they do.
- sdog November 20, 2011 At 09:54
  
  medal of freedom. why not give them the one that was coming down the pipe for Joe Paterno before his job exploded in his face?
Mr Normal November 20, 2011 At 00:34

I thought there were more folks who took him to the ground… Not just three septegenarian heroes.
Ralph November 20, 2011 At 08:14

Gray Panthers, baby. We rule!

However, in the future I would encourage all superannuated heroes to just shoot the bastard. Rolling around the asphalt with a psychopath is very irritating to the bursitis.