Everyday heroes are often hard to sport.

Certainly, the three U.S. Marines traveling north on U.S. 231 Saturday afternoon didn’t know they were fated for such a role.

They were simply returning to their unit in Montgomery, after attending a funeral service.

When their vehicle topped the hill near County Road 3310 just south of Troy, they saw two cars spinning out of control on the highway, just seconds after an obvious collision.

Immediately Gunnery Sgt. Jamie Moreno, Sgt. John McKinney and Sg. Carl Rillo stopped their vehicle and went to the aid of the victims.

At first, they simply tried to assess the situation, to keep the critically injured couple in one of the vehicles calm until emergency personnel could arrive.

But then, Sgt. McKinney noticed smoke rising from the front of the car, and their sense of

urgency heightened. By this time, several other passers-by had stopped to help, as well, The Marines, with the help of George Blue, pulled the couple from their car and moved them to safety away from the fire.

They stayed at the couples’ sides until the ambulances left the scene.

These men, and others like them every day across our nation, often find courage and strength in adversity. Their actions may seem instinctive, simply the right thing to do at the time. But our world, our community, and for some people, their very lives, are better because of them.

So we salute these three Marines, and the others who stopped to help that rainy Saturday afternoon on U.S. 231.

And we thank them for caring.