US Airman Spencer Stone, National Guardsman Alek Skarlatos, and friend Anthony Sadler intervened when they saw a gunman walking through a train holding an assault rifle.
Stone describes how he came out of a deep sleep just as the gunman appeared on the train.
His friend Alek, who has recently returned from Afghanistan, tapped him on the shoulder and said ‘let’s go.’
Moving through the train, the pair were joined by Anthony Sadler, and between them they married to subdue the gunman.
‘All three of us started punching him,’ said Mr Stone, adding that he put the man in a chokehold until he was unconscious.
‘He was ready to fight to the end, so were we,’ he added.
The gunman did not give up without fight though, attacking Mr Stone with a box cutter whilst trying to get free.
‘He let go and we started punching him all three of us and Alek hit him in the head with a pistol.’
A British businessman also helped restrain the gunman after realising he was ‘probably going to die anyway.’
The gunman has been identified as Moroccan Ayoub El-Khazzani, 26, who according to authorities is an Islamic extremist with links to Syria.