On Saturday, a gunman opened fire in a Walmart in El Paso, Texas, killing 21 innocents in cold blood and injuring dozens more. The horror was only compounded when the vicious attack was followed by a mass shooting in Dayton, Ohio early Sunday morning, where nine more were fatally shot.
Pfc. Glendon Oakley, a soldier stationed at Fort Bliss, helped children to safety inside Cielo Vista Mall after a gunman opened fire at the nearby Walmart.
Read more: https://t.co/qqbH92fTBC pic.twitter.com/sPV4zaGN0i— KFOX14 News (@KFOX14) August 4, 2019
In the midst of the chaos and predictable political point-scoring by presidential candidates, pundits, and media figures, one man rightly caught the attention of the nation: Glendon Oakley, a soldier stationed at Fort Bliss who ran toward the sounds of gunfire in that El Paso-area Walmart and risked his own life to save countless lives.
“It was one child. He ran in and told us it was an active shooter in Walmart, but I didn’t pay any mind, because for one, he’s just a child, and for two, you’re inside the mall so how would you know it’s an active shooter?” Oakley recalled to KFox14 News. After realizing the attack was underway, the soldier ran toward the store and started grabbing as many children as he could.
At one point, Oakley broke down while speaking to media in the wake of the tragedy. “I’m looked at as a hero for it,” he started, becoming overwhelmed with emotion, “but that wasn’t the reason for me … I’m just focused on the kids that I could not get and the families that were lost, because, it hurts me, like I lost — like they were part of me.” – READ MORE