Not All Heroes Wear Capes

He Saved 13 People From a Capsized Boat Before Drowning

Joseph Blankson was a 38-year-old married father of two working as a contractor for an oil and gas company in Port Harcourt, Nigeria when he died saving 13 people in 2018.

On July 28, 2018, Joe, as he was called, and his sister traveled by boat along the Abonnema-Bakana waterway in Rivers State to a funeral in Bakana. Heavy rains complicated the route, and the river was full of debris.

Another boat carrying 25 passengers hit some type of debris in the river amd capsized, sending all people aboard into the river. Blankson immediately jumped from his boat into the water to rescue the stranded passengers.

He rescued 13 people before drowning as he attempted to rescue a 14th person. He was the only fatality of the day.

Blankson’s body was recovered the following day. The Blankson Foundation was set up by his family in his honor. The foundation teaches swimming and safety procedures for maritime travelers.

She Jumped on a Man’s Back, Saving The Life of a Police Officer

In February 2017, 56-year-old Vickie Williams-Tillman was headed to her Baton Rouge, LA, home when she observed Officer Billie Amie on the side of the road arguing with a man.

Williams-Tillman paid close attention to the pair. The man seemed angry and acted aggressively toward the officer. She slowed her car down, preparing to ask the police officer if he needed help, when suddenly, the man grabbed the officer’s baton and unleashed a pounding on his head.

The officer tumbled to the ground, grimacing in pain while still ordering the man to stop. Williams-illman thought quickly and decided to put her own life on the line to step in and help the officer.

“He was in a struggle. He needed help. I said, ‘I can't leave him.’

Williams-Tillman dialed 911 but did not wait for help to arrive. She instead jumped out of her car and jumped on the assailant’s back, giving Officer Amie time to regain his composure and subdue the suspect.

Kaitlin Roig-DeBellis

Kaitlin Roig-DeBellis was a first-grade teacher at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Sandy Hook, CT, on December 14, 2012, when Adam Lanza committed one of the worst mass shootings in U.S. history.

After shooting and killing his mother at their home, Lanza entered Sandy Hook Elementary armed with three guns, taking the lives of 26 people -24 first-graders and two teachers. The death toll could have been higher if it were not for the actions of a few brave teachers, including Roig-DeBellis.

The 15 children in her classroom heard gunshots erupting outside in the hallways, yet never truly realized the horror going on thanks to their teacher. Roig-DeBellis acted quickly but calmly as she played a game with the kids and hid them and herself inside a tiny, one-person bathroom.

Somehow, Roig-DeBellis piled the kids one atop of another so everyone fit inside. She then pulled a storage cart in front of the door, shut and locked it, and prayed. Moments later, a knock on the door sent Roig-DeBellis’ heart into a frenzy until she realized it was the SWAT team. Lanza had committed suicide and the threat was over.

Thanks to Roig-DeBellis, 15 children lived that day.

Holocaust Survivor Sacrificed Himself to Save 22 Students

Another deadly mass school shooting was the Virginia Tech massacre in 2007, which claimed 32 lives in two separate shooting sprees two hours apart. Liviu Librescu saved 23 students that day.

A 76-year-old engineering professor, Librescu was a Romanian-born Jew who survived the Holocaust, escaped the brutal communism of the country, and landed in America.

As Seung-Hui Cho rained bullets through the hallways at Virginia Tech on April 16, 2007, firing aimlessly at any sign of human life, Librescu opened the window and ordered his students to climb out.

Cho heard the commotion inside the classroom and headed toward the students. Librescu pushed himself up against the door as Cho fired through it, sending bullet after bullet into his body. By the time Cho made it inside the classroom, all but one student had escaped. The student died, and Librescu died a hero.