What We Can Learn From 3 Americans Who Fought, Disarmed Attacker on Paris Train

The thwarted terrorist attack by three Americans on a Paris bound train last week exposed a flaw in terrorist tactics.

Spreading fear with violence (the goal of terrorism) is not possible when populations fight back.

The botched attack demonstrated vulnerabilities in a command and control terror strategy, and shows a break down in the sequence of the terror planning process to an attempted attack.

The success of terrorism relies on a passive, fearful response from a population.

This is why it’s time for Americans to reignite the “not on my watch” attitude.

And there is no better time than right now. The train gunman failed at what was seemingly an easy attack.

While we don’t know exactly who the man was working with or his level of training, the facts remain that this terrorist had multiple guns, the element of surprise, but was able to be tackled, hog-tied and incapacitated by unarmed individuals.

Not exactly good for the terrorism business that thrives on propaganda and Internet recruitment.

Terrorists work to exploit weaknesses and will always find ways to get through security, no matter how many measures are in place or how effective our intelligence capabilities are.

Bag checks and the Transportation Security Administration provide a minimal level of a deterrent, but realistically, merely provides a false sense of security.

Americans must open their eyes to the fact that if they don’t want to be the victim, it is up to them to step up and fight back—not wait for someone else to take charge.

There’s no place for political correctness when it comes to combating terrorism.

A resilient nation is an educated nation.

Downplaying the threat and ignoring the realities of terrorism within our borders will ultimately get people killed.

We must recognize threat for what it is. Terrorists can’t be reasoned with, nor rehabilitated. We need leaders who speak the truth about the dangers we face everyday here at home in the age of radical Islamic terrorism.

Leaders who encourage our society to remain vigilant and ready to stand up to those who wish to bring harm to our citizens.

In today’s age of Islamic State (ISIS) and other radical Islamic terrorist organizations, it is not a matter of if an attack on Americans or American targets will happen, but when.

The thwarted attack in France should serve as a wake up call that terrorists will continue to take advantage of soft targets, including our railways, shopping malls, entertainment venues and infrastructure.

Americans must unite and refuse to be the victim of such useless and barbaric violence. There is no substitute for a vigilant society and it’s time for America to fight back, just as the three American heroes did last week.