Train hero Alek Skarlatos wins Oregon medal

SALEM – Gov. Kate Brown has presented the Oregon Distinguished Service Medal to Alek Skarlatos, the Oregon National Guard specialist who helped subdue a heavily armed gunman on a Paris-bound train last year.

The governor honored the Roseburg native at a ceremony Wednesday in Salem.

Skarlatos was traveling with friends in August when the gunman opened fire. They wrestled him to the ground and disarmed him.

Skarlatos has been honored for his courage on both sides of the Atlantic, and his sudden fame earned him a spot on TV’s “Dancing With the Stars.”

The governor wrote on Twitter that Skarlatos was a hero even before his famous heroics, describing him as strong, smart, kind and motivated.