I knew I wanted to share this story after it went viral last month, but I didn’t know how best to present it. Two men—strangers—saved two children they didn’t know from a burning apartment building, in separate acts of instinct and bravery. The rescuers were hailed as heroic, but they have rejected the label. And doesn’t that seem to be a common trait of heroes—to deny that their extraordinary acts were heroic?
Phillip Blanks 
Blanks, Corey Long, and Alexander (Photo by Maranda Carruth) 
D’Artagnan Alexander and his children
The Heroic Rescue
On July 3, two children, 3-year-old Jameson and 8-year-old Roxanne, were rescued from an apartment fire that ultimately killed their mother, 30-year-old Rachel Long. To save her son, Rachel dropped Jameson from the balcony of her burning third-floor apartment, and the boy was caught mid-fall in an incredible, terrifying moment captured on video.
Jameson’s rescuer was Phillip Blanks, a 28-year-old former U.S. Marine and college wide receiver, and current bodyguard in Phoenix. Blanks described his actions as his natural protective instinct kicking in as he ran to the scene barefoot and with “tunnel vision” on the child and concern that another man on the scene wouldn’t be able to make the catch. He credits his coordination and quick-action on his Marine training and his years playing football, but he denied being a hero. Instead, he called mother Rachel Long the real hero, because “she made the ultimate sacrifice to save her children.”
After Blanks caught her son, Rachel Long went back into the burning apartment to save her daughter, but she never made it out again. When another bystander, local barber D’Artagnan Alexander, 42, heard that there was a child trapped inside the building, his instincts as a father of two kicked in. He rushed inside the smoke-filled building and ran up the stairs to the scorching-hot apartment. He found Roxanne on the floor, crying for help, and he carried her outside and to safety.
In the chaos of the rescues, Blanks and Alexander heard that both children had been saved, but they didn’t meet on the scene. Later, the men were able to meet each other and Corey Long, Rachel’s widower and the father of Roxanne and Jameson. Although Long wasn’t ready to talk to the press, Blanks told the Washington Post that meeting was very emotional for the men. “We became family, all three of us.”
Rachel Long’s family started a Go Fund Me page in her memory and to raise money to help pay for the eight surgeries and rehab that Roxanne (“Roxxi”) will need to recover from her burn wounds. So far, the GoFundMe has raised more than $200,000. In an update on July 8 after Blanks, Alexander and Corey Long finally met, fundraiser Jess Wood posted: “They cried together, they prayed together, and they are hurting together. We have never been so grateful for the love of strangers.”
The Definition of a Hero
It turns out that being a “hero” means different things to different people, and the analysis of heroism is a relatively new focus of psychology. In the article “The Characteristics of a Hero” on Verywell Mind, author Kendra Cherry presents definitions of heroism, 12 characteristics of heroism (bravery, conviction, courage, determination, helpful, honesty, inspirational, moral integrity, protective, self-sacrifice, selflessness, strength), and bullet point heroic attributes:
- Concern for the well-being of others
- Understanding other perspectives
- Possessing useful skills and strengths
- Having a strong moral compass
- Being competent and confident
- Unafraid to face fear
Meanwhile, psychologist Dr. Philip Zimbardo (creator of the since-debunked Stanford Prison Experiment), discusses the psychology of evil and of heroism in this excerpted presentation on Greater Good Magazine. Zimbardo’s study of the psychology of evil evolved into a focus on heroism and an initiative to train people to act in more heroic ways is his Heroic Imagination Project. The project’s mission is to design “innovative strategies by combining psychological research, intervention education, and social activism to create everyday heroes equipped to solve local and global problems.”
Cherry’s definition of heroism was borrowed from one of Zimbardo’s research papers:
- Acting voluntarily for the service of others who are in need, whether it is for an individual, a group, or a community
- Performing actions without any expectation of reward or external gain
- Recognition and acceptance of the potential risk or sacrifice made by taking heroic actions
I also really enjoyed Dr. Alex Lickerman’s analysis of What Makes a Hero on Psychology Today. His definition echoed much of the above analysis, with a particular focus on the “willingness to make a personal sacrifice for the benefit of others.”
“If you don’t find yourself having to resist a voice inside your head urging you to save yourself instead of whatever action you’re contemplating, my heart, at least, will refuse to recognize your actions—however legitimately compassionate or courageous they may be—as heroic.”
Dr. Alex Lickerman, What Makes a Hero
By Lickerman’s definition, Phillip Blanks’ insistence that Rachel Long was the true hero makes sense. Blanks’ actions were incredible, and he undoubtedly saved Jameson from death or severe injury, but he didn’t make a personal sacrifice. Alexander put his life on the line when he entered the burning building, while Rachel Long put the life of her children before her own. Both were willing to make a personal sacrifice, and in Rachel Long’s case—the ultimate sacrifice.
Of course no one (except maybe themselves) would deny that Blanks and Alexander acted heroically when they rushed to the rescue of Jameson and Roxxi. And even if it is the last heroic thing either of them does, the consequences of their actions will be long-lasting and far-reaching. They saved two young lives, filled with endless potential and the love of family and friends.
And who knows how many others were inspired by their actions? How many others will remember what they saw, and when given the opportunity, will take action to save another life?
There are heroes (and Super Awesome People™!) everywhere, no matter how you define their selfless, courageous, empathetic, and inspiring acts.
Want to read even more about everyday heroes? Check out the Giraffe Heroes Project at giraffe.org.