Went to the ocean with my boys and wife, ended up saving 4 people (3 kids and their mom) from drowning in a rip current. Didn’t think or anything, just acted and made 3 trips in and out of it, made sure they were ok and went on with having fun with my boy. Wife called me a hero. Idk if that’s true but made me wonder what other experiences you guys have had.
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My ex’s (together at the time) friend was drugged at a bar and taken to a guy’s house, and my ex went with her to keep an eye on her. She called me to come get them and met me outside, and the guy locked the door. When we knocked and rang the bell, he just got up to shut the blinds over the door.
So I kicked it the fuck in, made sure the guy understood what would happen if he persisted, escorted the friend out, and followed her home to make sure she got there safely.
I was walking through Tokyo one summer, drunk, and drinking a big can of beer. It was late at night and people were going home from the bars.
Stopping to check my phone I heard shouting across the road. Some guy was yelling at a girl who was cowering next to him. I stopped to keep an eye on them as it looked like it was going to turn violent. he was waving his arms about and screaming at her, but not actually touching her. She was crouching down with her hands over her head, sobbing.
Eventually he walked off and I wondered what I could do. I didn’t want to just walk away. What if he came back? So I stayed and pretended to check my phone.
Then he returned. He started running down the street towards her, shouting again. She sees him, stands up, and starts running away down a quiet side-road. Fuck. Now I had to chase after them.
I started running towards them when I noticed a small police station. I set my beer outside and rushed in. I told the nearest cop to follow me and he did. We run outside together after the couple. I explained what I had seen as we ran.
The road was dead quiet and there were no cars about. We came to a small junction and the light was red. I had a quick look round for cars and started to cross, I could hear the woman screaming in the distance but couldn’t see her. But then the cop stopped me. “No! The light is red!”. I looked at him and thought “Are you fucking kidding me?? There are no cars about!”. But no. There we stood for a good few seconds waiting for this stupid light on this deserted road to change. I’m straining to hear the screams in the distance and he’s standing there casually putting on his white, cloth gloves.
The lights change to green and off we go again. After a block or so I hear a faint sobbing. It sounds like it’s coming from a department store car park…but the barrier is down. I tell the cop to go around the other side to get him out of the way. I didn’t want him to start some bullshit about not going into a closed car park. Not after the stupid fucking traffic light thing.
Once he is out of sight I hop over the barrier.
I found the girl sitting on the ground under a bush. One of her shoes was off. She was still crying. I go over and ask if she is OK. She can barely speak. I tell her it’s OK, the police are coming, and she gets up and starts running again just as the cop turns up. Like WTF?
The cop catches up to the girl and starts talking to her. I stand off in the distance and let him do his thing. Then he sees the guy and suddenly gives chase. So now the cop is chasing the guy, the girl is chasing the cop, I’m chasing the three of them and this whole thing looks like a fucking Benny Hill sketch.
So the cop catches the guy, the girl catches up too, and I stand there watching the three of them all talking. Fuck this I’m going home.
I stopped at the cop shop on the way to retrieve my beer and went home to bed. Still not sure if I did the right thing or just wasted everyone’s time. Either way, in the moment I just felt like there was nothing else I could do. And I’m proud that I did.
Intervened on a number of occasions to prevent strangers from being assaulted.
Saved a family member that was passed out in the closed garage with his foot on the gas. Still not sure if it was accidental from being drunk or a suicide attempt.
Your mom
Ran into oncoming traffic to grab a 3 year old who ran onto the highway. Narrowly missed getting hit by a car going 50 miles an hour, and grabbed him before he got hit by a truck. Ran with him across the highway and had to walk around. It was dark out so no one would of seen him, and he would of definitely been dead. Had I been hit by the first car, I probably would of been dead as well. I didn’t think, I just did it. Carried the kid to the crosswalk and walked back over. His aunt was watching him and didn’t realize he ran outside the restaurant we were at, and where I was waiting in line.
Was an entire blur when I did it. One second I saw the kid step off the curb, and the next second I had run into traffic without looking, and was on the other side of a six lane highway. Blood was pumping and adrenaline kicked into overdrive where I couldn’t even breathe. Had I been a second late, I would of been dead, and so would the kid.
Was at a grocery store and people started running inside, someone hollered a car was on fire, I grabbed a fire extinguisher off a pole and ran out. One of the manager blocked me from putting out the fire.
A guy called me hero. Everyone was running away, but he say me running towards danger and I was the only person with the sense of mind to get a extinguisher
Similar to yours. At a public pool when some kid who couldn’t swim went down the slide while the lifeguards were on break. Kid sunk like rock as soon as he hit the water and you could see him standing at the bottom motionless. Probably just because I was the closest to him, I instinctively jumped in, reached down, and picked him up out of the water. I still kinda feel like I should get a reward blowjob or something like that.
1 Pulled a bloodied old lady out of a snowbank after she hit the ditch and drove her to the hospital.
2 Saw two cars have a head-on at highway speeds, pulled over to help the victims which later I found out one of them was my supervisor at work. I couldn’t even recognize her with all the blood and debris on her face but I helped keep them alive by keeping their airways open and covering them in blankets until the ambulance arrived.
3 Stepped in and took a punch to the face after some guy wanted to fight my friend in a bar. My friend had a brain tumour when he was young so his skull wasn’t fully formed in the back because of the treatments. If he got punched or somehow fell wrong he could have died so I took the shot for him.
4 protected my son during a crazy windstorm. He had a tee-ball game and all of a sudden out of nowhere these huge winds came. They were strong enough that they snapped a wooden power pole in half (over a foot in diameter) and blew the roofs off of buildings. We took shelter at a nearby fence but it blew that over on top of us as I had him under me. Luckily there was a church about two football fields away that we could see other people running towards so I picked him and another child up and chased after them. The fence bloodied and ripped my shoulder open but it was worth it to protect my son.
I was at a park in a busy area one afternoon and noticed a grandma just wasn’t keeping on eye on her grandson. He got a little ahead of her and she had her head in her phone, so I kept on eye on the kid. She suddenly realized she’d lost the kid and was looking around in a panic. I met eyes with her and pointed straight at the kid.
I also put the fear of God in a couple kids that were picking on someone in secondary.
Got a older woman out of her duplex (no basement) and into a church basement across the street, moments before a tornado destroyed her home
I used to be an EMT when I was 19-20 and the one I remember the most was a young guy who was overdoing on heroin. He was out cold and about to die of low oxygen. We ended up getting him back and I spent a good amount of time just treating him and talking to him like a normal human being – he told me he had relapsed after being clean for years. Before I left the hospital I told him I care about him and if he was ever going to do that again, give me a call. He straight up cried and we hugged a good long hug. I don’t think he had felt that anyone had cared about him for a long, long time.
Because of that experience and training I typically react quickly in other emergency scenarios. I put out a fire in my apartment building when I smelled smoke coming from a neighbor. It was an older disabled guy in an electric wheelchair and his battery had died so he couldn’t move away from the fire. When I was first trying to pinpoint the room I saw the security guard of the building standing and staring at the door, unsure of what to do and too afraid to go in. No shame on him, it can be really frightening, but don’t do that. At least call 911 and then keep your distance until they get there.
I was at the gym and a guy was benching too much weight for him (it was like 300+ lbs, he was big but it’s a common danger when you’re trying to push up your reps). It was just me and him there. I saw it from the corner of my eye – he couldn’t push it off his chest/neck area and it was a smith machine so he couldn’t dump it either. I went over and helped him push it off and he wriggled out from under it. Afterward he said “you saved my life” and we were cool and would say hi to each other when we’d see each other in there.
Chillin at a pool in florida, standing in the deep end. About 5 and a half-6 feet. Fine for me, deep for kids. I’m leaning against the wall minding my own business when this kid, probably 10y/o at the oldest, jumps in where I’m standing. “No biggie”, I think to myself, kids jump in all the time. Except this kid never came up, I look over and I see his hands desperately trying to get him back above water, clearly panicking. I realized what was happening, grabbed the kid by the arm, lifted him out of the pool and back on to solid ground. He was freaked out, I said “you okay?” He shook his head yes and ran off. Hopefully the kid learned his lesson
I used to teach CPR and First Aid around 15 years ago but stopped when I got a one year contract in Denver. Back home years later I saw a guy at the next table in a restaurant choking. Used the Heimlich Maneuver on him then went back to breakfast with my family. His family told me he had a neurological condition that caused him to regularly have food go the wrong way. Somebody had called 911 and when the paramedics finished up with him later one of them came over and asked if I was the guy who’d helped him and then thanked me. He said people usually go into shock and don’t do anything. I taught First Aid for five years and that’s the only time I actually had to save someone else’s life with it.
Decades earlier I was driving home in the early hours after finishing a disc jockey wedding gig. In the dark I saw lights up ahead of me that didn’t seem to be aiming where they should and when I got close I realized a pickup truck had crossed to my side and then folded its nose around a telephone pole. At 3am we were the only cars on the road and it had clearly only just happened. I got to the car and the drivers face was covered with blood like a curtain and a woman was curled up on the bench seat and completely non-responsive. This was years before I started teaching first aid but I knew enough to get something on his forehead and split lip to reduce the bleeding. After trying to rouse the woman for several minutes it turned out she wasn’t comatose, just extremely drunk and terrified about what she would tell her boyfriend. Apparently he had been away for a while, and she had gone out on a date that night with a friend of his, who got stinking drunk and then tried to drive them home. Her BF was due home the next day and she knew she wouldn’t be able to hide it given the visible injuries they both had so just curled up in a ball and tried to block it out.
This was before the days of cellphones so I got them into my car and drove them to the nearest emergency ward. Since alcohol was involved the on-call police at the hospital interviewed me and told me the driver was going to be charged when he sobered up.
My grandma’s dog was following me and my sister when I was 3 and she was 5. When we found out the dog was following us, we fucking ran the fuck away. Her sandles slipped and I went back and picked it up.
That’s the most heroic thing I’ve ever done lol.
I was with my then gf at a park sitting in the grass when a guy came in to rob us. Before it was too late and he literally had the high ground, I stood up to repel him. I wear glasses and didn’t have them on at the time and had no time to take them, and had one foot with no shoe on. I had no chance of winning any fight but went anyway. Fortunately intimidation was enough to shoo him away.
I’ve done fire fighting and emt. From car wrecks to house fires. Joined military and had lots of missions. But at the end of the day. I just did my job. Nothing heroic ever comes from doing your job. Im as worthless as the next ditch digger.
I pulled a guy out of his burning jeep after he fell asleep and smashed head on into a pickup right in front of me. Jeep did a twisting flip and burst into flames when it landed. I pulled him out and slid him onto the truck’s tailgate that another guy had pulled over, just as we got him about 20’ away from the fire the tires started exploding. Very scary. We kept them warm with our sleeping bags until the chopper got there. They both lived but I’m sure were not the same after.
Surely there’s easier ways to get laid???
Did you bring something that floats? Never go out to save someone from drowning without bringing a floaty. I’ve made that mistake a few times, but it worked out, fortunately.
When I was in my 20s, I taught English in Japan. I didn’t have much money, so drunken bike riding was great cheap entertainment. Buy 2 or 3 tall Sapporos, put them in the basket, and ride around the alleyways.
One night, I came up to a train crossing and the gates were down: commuter train coming…and there was an old woman just standing on the tracks. I lifted up the gate and yelled at her to come over to me but she ignored me. I yelled again and was just about to run out to get her, but she tottered over to me as the train passed by at like 50mph.
I just said “Dozo, Obasan”, (please take this, Aunt) and gave her the last half of my beer, which she chugged, thanked me, then walked away. I was gobsmacked.
Maybe not the bravest thing I’ve done, but an amazing memory.
When I was 7 or 8 I saved a toddler from drowning. My friend had a pool in his backyard, and we we were playing basketball with one of those pool basketball hoops. He had an older brother who had gotten his girlfriend pregnant a couple years prior. Fast forward, this girl left me, an 8-year old, and her boyfriend’s 11-year old little brother to watch her baby while we all swam in the pool. This kid didn’t like his floaties and kept taking them off. I was fighting with my friend about something and turned around for some reason and saw this toddler face down in the water, struggling. Anyway, I darted straight for him and pulled him out of the water and handed him to his like 19-year old mother.
While doing some political canvassing, the woman I was walking the neighborhood with tripped on an uneven sidewalk block and broke her wrist. I helped her to my car and drove her to the hospital. She had a cast for a few months, but made a full recovery.
Gave a kitten the Heimlich maneuver.
Twice.
Took a knife in a bar to stop someone from stabbing someone else
Several stories.
1. I’m in Afghanistan, I’m the ammo bitch for the 240 (medium machine gun). We’re on our way back and my pack was extremely light as we had been in several firefights that day. We had set up a patrol base that consisted only of 4 trucks in a circle with c-wire around it, where we were staying for 3 days and going on foot patrols.
About 200 meters put, we get engaged. As H empties the nutsack I reach in to my pack and pull the last of the belt out, well under 100 rounds left. Aft r loading the 240, Without thinking I jumped up and sprint the 200 meters back, rip open the matv door, grab C’s pocket knife as he’s engaging from the turret, rip the paracord off two cans (400 rounds total) then sprint back through enemy fire, m4 bouncing off my knee. This enabled our platoon to maintain fire superiority, enabling everyone to safely exfil back to the trucks.
Got put in for an arcom-v for that one, got downgraded to an arcom. Definitely my proudest army moment, though there were several other times I acted in a similar fashion.
2. I’m gay and a very large dude, well trained, big dick energy all day yada yada. I was roommates with a female. She had a hookup go wrong, I heard her yell gtfo so I got up knocked on her door. No answer but movement. I yelled “you got 3 seconds to get the fuck out here or I’m coming in.”. He scrambled so fucking fast, I grabbed his arm and shoved him out the door, then stood there smoking as they had words outside. She went back in to grab the rest of his shit, he muttered bitch, I told him to watch his fuckin mouth. He bitched about a ride, I told him to fucking walk.
That was when I was first accepting my sexuality, and that definitely helped make me realize that being gay doesn’t make me any less of a man.
3. A decade out, not doing shit with my life. Keep saying if a recruiter knocked on my door I’d drop everything. Expertise both as infantry and artillery. And February 24th hits. Well, time to put up or shut up. So I sold my bike, and sold or donated everything else, and bought 7g worth of gear and a one way ticket to Ukraine knowing full well it’s very likely a one way trip.
The only one who stand in the face of an abusive teacher in my college she was so narcissist and dominant that she made every one terrified of her.
It was seriously a bad idea to stand out from the crowd when everyone was accepting the situation.
But I got lucky that nothing happened to me after what I did,and also everyone started respecting me after that even her.
Ik its not a big deal, but a few days back, there was this guy who had lost balance on his Royal Enfield motorcycle. He didn’t fall, but he was struggling, like barely holding on the bike while it tilted on the side. His wife and their toddler were also on the bike, panicked.
Me and another guy pushed his bike up until he regained balance. Felt good doing a good deed.
Message to guys out there. If u struggle to ride heavy bikes, please don’t get them until you have somewhat had decent experience. There’s nothing unmanly about riding light motorcycles.
I brought my son back to life. He was only home for five days after a three and a half month stay in NICU and something didn’t seem right. I was afraid to go to sleep but started dozing off. When I realized I couldn’t keep my eyes open any longer I laid him on my chest with my hand resting on him so I could feel him breathing. I woke up to the feel of nothing moving under my hands and began CPR immediately. My wife panicked, I told her to go outside and call EMS… In less than one minute I had a strong heart beat but not much respiratory drive. I continued giving breaths until he began to inspire on his own again. EMS arrived and took him back to the hospital…
8 surgeries and 6 years later he is my hero, the boy is hell on wheels.
Saved a turtle by removing her from incoming traffic in Australia.
I went to pick my daughter up from a sitter. Another mom was picking up and he kid went outside through the garage door first but they let another kid out. The other kid was probably around 2 years old. The mom picking up comes out and gets in the car and I see the escaped kid behind the car. No way this lady could see him. And she’s ready to back out. So I slam my car ibti drive and pull up behind her honking my horn like crazy. I put my car in park and jumped out and scooped the kid up. Everyone was pretty upset that he almost got run over.
Shit, I dunno.
Things where I think I acted well and I’m happy with myself? I’ve dragged people out wrecked cars and burning buildings, stepped in to violent altercations and various things like that, but that’s my job(s) so I don’t think it counts.
The one that I think most reassures me that I am who I think I am was running, off duty and unarmed, towards a school when I thought I heard slow, deliberate gunshots, expecting a nightmare our country has seen only once, back when I was a child myself. It turned out to be a nail gun, so no heroism, just an embarrassing error. Nonetheless, I am happy that I acted as I should.