In the days since the horrific tragedy in Las Vegas, the entire nation has been in mourning for the lives lost.
Over 50 people died, and over 500 were injured during the Route 91 Harvest festival on the Las Vegas Strip, in what is now being called the largest mass shooting in modern US history. Despite the horror of what occurred on October 1, 2017, from the thousands of survivors and eyewitnesses to the terrible event, several incredible stories of bravery have emerged.
There was the new mom who was shot in the back while protecting her cop boyfriend from bullets. There was a hero dad from California who saved 30 strangers before surviving a shot to the neck himself.
One of the latest uplifting stories to come out of the mass shooting is about a young marine named Brendan Kelly, who embodied the armed service group’s dutiful “Semper Fi” (“Always faithful”) motto with his heroic actions, saving a girl he had only just met.
Renee and her sister, Jenn, shared the incredible story with Love What Matters.
They write:
Brendan and I met only 2 hours before the Jason Aldean show.
I left my friends so we could go up super close to the front for the end of the night.
We were just dancing and having fun and then all of the sudden there were loud noises that sounded like fireworks, but no lights were going off.
It stopped, and Jason Aldean kept playing but then the shots fired again and he ran off the stage.
Before I knew what was going on, Brendan tackled me down to the ground and covered me from the fire.
It stopped again and he looked around to see what was happening and then it just kept going.
He looked at me and said ‘We have to get out of here. We can’t stay here. It’s not safe.’
Then he pulled my arm up to get me out of the piles of people. We had no idea who was dead or who was alive. We just started to run.
He kept telling me it was going to be okay and to keep running until we were safe.
He even let me use his phone to stay in touch with my sister so she knew I was safe, which is the text you’ll see.
The whole night he didn’t leave my side.
The story quickly went viral, with nearly 150,000 shares and more than 15,000 comments at last count.
Renee’s mom, Lynne Cesario, even commented on the viral post, expressing her gratitude for Brendan’s brave actions.
“I was praying for God to place angels all around you so you could come home safely to me, your sister, Josh, Kobes and our whole family. He answered my prayers and sent this handsome Marine to protect you, shielding your body from any bullets, an angel who was willing to give his life so you could live yours,” Lynne said in a comment addressed to Renee.
“For this I will forever be grateful to him. I love you and I love him for his selfless act of heroism! God’s blessings to him always! I look forward to meeting Brendan face to face to show how grateful I am.”
Thousands of commenters also expressed their appreciation for Brendan’s bravery and for his service to our country — and some are even rooting for him and Renee to keep in touch and perhaps even build a romantic relationship.
“That’s a beautiful and special man you have there. Marry him tomorrow!” one commenter wrote.
Several wedding photographers even offered their services if Brendan and Renee do eventually get married.
“I’m a wedding photographer and my husband served 6 years in the marine corps,” Danielle Manuel Brougher of Elan Photography said. “If this does turn into a happily ever after I will shoot the wedding for free!!! Thank you Marine!”
Facebook Comments