Once a Marine, always a Marine.
65-year-old Marine vet Eugene Storley, of Cocoa, Florida, says he still feels like a US Marine. In fact, he told Fox 35 Orlando, “They are going to bury me in these boots. You know, I gotta protect the public.” Which is exactly what happened on Monday, in a Wells Fargo Bank on US Highway 1.
A man, dressed in a hard hat and a dust mask, walked into the bank and pointed a gun at the teller next to Storley. The suspect was almost a foot taller than the former Marine, and outweighed the 65-year-old by at least 20 pounds, but that didn’t stop Storley from acting. He said, “I figured if he had to shoot me, he’d shoot me.”
A surveillance camera in the bank captured Storley grabbing the gunman’s arm. He said, “So I grabbed him like this here, came around him like this here, and he turned around and shoved me back. He was gone, before I could jump on him again. He was like lightning.”
Police caught the accused bank robber in the woods across the street.
We never know how we’ll react during a crisis. It’s amazing that this man’s bravery could kick in so swiftly in order to save the day. We throw the word “hero” around a lot these days. Here, the tag fits.
As a buddy said about his Dad- calling someone an ex-marine is like saying you could be an ex-Jesuit.
Semper Fidelis-(Always Faithful- the USMC’s code)- ’nuff said!
Terry