Alek Skarlatos

Alek Skarlatos
Member-elect of the Oregon House of Representatives
from the 4th district
Assuming office
January 13, 2025
SucceedingChristine Goodwin
Personal details
Born
Aleksander Reed Skarlatos

(1992-10-10) October 10, 1992 (age 32)
Castro Valley, California, U.S.
Citizenship
  • United States (1992–present)
  • France (2018–present)
Political partyRepublican
Alma materUmpqua Community College
Military career
Allegiance United States
Service / branch United States Army
Years of service2012–2017
Rank Specialist
Unit Oregon Army National Guard
Battles / warsWar in Afghanistan
Awards§ Awards and decorations

Aleksander Reed Skarlatos[1] (/skɑːrˈlɑːtoʊs/; born October 10, 1992) is an American politician and former Oregon Army National Guard soldier. He is the state representative-elect for Oregon's 4th House district. Prior to being elected to the Oregon House of Representatives, he came to prominence for his heroism during the 2015 Thalys train attack. He subsequently made media appearances, wrote an autobiography that was later turned into a biographical film, and thrice ran unsuccessfully for other political offices.

Born in Castro Valley, California, Skarlatos later moved to Oregon and in 2012 would join the Oregon Army National Guard. He came to international attention in August 2015; him along with high school friends Spencer Stone and Anthony Sadler, and three others, stopped a gunman on a Paris-bound train travelling from Amsterdam via Brussels in August 2015. For his heroism, Skarlatos was awarded the United States Army's Soldier's Medal from President Barack Obama.[2] All six received France's highest decoration, the Chevalier of the Legion of Honour, from French president François Hollande. Him and friends Stone and Sadler were also awarded the medal of the city of Arras.[3][4]

Subsequently after the August 2015 events, Skarlatos would later make several media appearances. He competed on season 21 of ABC's Dancing with the Stars with pro dancer Lindsay Arnold as his partner, finishing in third place.[5] He and his friends portrayed themselves in the Clint Eastwood-directed movie The 15:17 to Paris, based on their autobiography, which was written with reporter Jeffrey Stern. Skarlatos would go on to run for political office four times. Having previously ran for Douglas County commissioner in 2018, he was the Republican nominee for Oregon's 4th congressional district in the 2020 United States House of Representatives elections but was defeated by incumbent Democrat Peter DeFazio.[6] He again ran to represent Oregon in the 4th congressional district in the 2022 House elections, but was defeated by Democratic state Labor Commissioner Val Hoyle.[7][8] Skarlatos ran to represent Oregon's 4th House district in the 2024 Oregon House of Representatives election and won the November general election. He will take office on January 13, 2025.[9]

  1. ^ "Guardsman to get Soldiers Medal for subduing gunman on train". National Guard Bureau. August 26, 2015. Archived from the original on September 5, 2015. Retrieved September 6, 2015.
  2. ^ "Obama lauds 'train heroes' at White House". Yahoo! News. Agence France Presse. September 17, 2015. Archived from the original on September 19, 2015. Retrieved September 18, 2015.
  3. ^ Miner, Collin (August 27, 2015). "Alek Skarlatos: 'Good to be home with family'". KOIN6. Archived from the original on September 5, 2015. Retrieved September 3, 2015.
  4. ^ "Alek Skarlatos, 2 other Americans receive France's top honor for stopping armed attacker". The Oregonian. Associated Press. August 24, 2015. Archived from the original on September 5, 2015. Retrieved September 3, 2015.
  5. ^ "Oregon's Train Hero Cast in ABC's New 'Dancing' Cast". Oregon Public Broadcasting. Associated Press. September 2, 2015. Archived from the original on September 5, 2015. Retrieved September 3, 2015.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference Kristi was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Fordham, Evie (May 2, 2021). "Oregon veteran who thwarted Paris train attack to run again to unseat Democrat DeFazio". Fox News. Archived from the original on May 20, 2022. Retrieved May 2, 2021.
  8. ^ Stringer, Grant; Edge, Sami (9 November 2022). "Val Hoyle wins Oregon's 4th Congressional District race over Alek Skarlatos". Oregon Live. Archived from the original on November 13, 2022. Retrieved 13 November 2022.
  9. ^ Shumway, Julia (7 November 2023). "After failed runs for Congress, Alek Skarlatos seeks state House seat". The Oregonian. Retrieved 10 June 2024.