Their courage under fire will be talked about for years to come — even if we have so far witnessed on the internet only glimpses captured on cell phones. One is of one fan standing up and giving a rude gesture to the machine-gunner attacking the crowd. Others show individuals huddling protectively over injured friends, even while automatic weapon fire is still raining down on what used to be the concert.

These were Americans like Sonny Melton, a nurse from Tennessee quoted in USA Today. When the shooting started, his widow, Heather, a physician, said, “he grabbed me from behind and started running, when I felt him get shot in the back.” It killed him but not before he saved his Heather. One witness told NBC’s Today show that “you saw a lot of ex-military jumping into gear. I saw guys plugging bullet holes with their fingers.”