In the aftermath of the horrific events of the 14th of February, there have been many people who have stepped up to the plate and proven themselves to be true heroes.

Ordinary students, staff and faculty, the security, police and the citizens of the area, all have proven to be capable of true kindness amidst the actions that took place. To list them all would take this edition of the paper and then several others, but there is one person I’d like to reach out and thank.

I don’t know his name, unfortunately, and he does not appear to be a student, but when the first shots were heard that day, this man appeared and quickly ushered a group of iPod wearing friends, including myself, out, who had heard nothing amidst the music and chatter.

As worried as we all were, the man, once we were all outside, made to go back in but was stopped by us. To be honest, the shootings were likely over by this point, but everyone was now focused on keeping everyone else safe.

As we waited in a huddle outside, I learned a few things about him, idle conversation filling the silence between news and rumors. He was Irish and had come from Ireland to visit and possibly consider attending Northern Illinois University, hence his presence on the campus.

As events continued, he continued to stay with our small group, keeping us calm, trying to reassure us while neither trying to disguise nor deny the truth. After everything had calmed down and the campus was secured, he simply left.

He had never experienced anything like this back home, or so he said, and so as long as everyone was safe, wanted to leave as soon as possible. We thanked him and haven’t seen him since.

I don’t know if the man is still in DeKalb or if he is somewhere in the country, or even back in Ireland, but it doesn’t matter.

Those who know him should know what he did on that day for a group of first oblivious, and then terrified, students.

I hope that one day he does come to attend Northern Illinois University because in times of sorrow, when calls to stand up to the principles this university was founded on are made, one man, from across the ocean, showed he already had those qualities in spades.

Anonymous
(In respect to the equally anonymous person on that day)

All comments are moderated before being published. We will not edit your comments, but we also will not approve those that are abusive, off-topic, attack another poster or contain information we know to be libelous or false.

During peak weekday viewing times, most comments will be reviewed within six hours. For more detailed information, click here.

After submitting your comment, check below for a confirmation message.

• Your name:
• Enter text from image:
  

• Your comment:

* 300-character count. HTML formatting will not display.