Did You Catch These 'Ordinary' American Heroes Trump Invited to the State of the Union?
President Trump gave his first State of the Union address tonight and he honored some of the nation's "hidden" heroes by inviting them as his special guests to the event.
Fourteen law enforcement, military, and everyday heroes attended the State of the Union address as special guests of the First Family.
"Some of these individual stories are heroic. Some are patriotic. Others are tragic," Sarah Huckabee Sanders said at a press briefing on Monday. "But all of them represent the unbreakable American spirit and will inspire our nation to continue growing stronger, prouder and more prosperous."
Here is a list of some of the guests:
Police Officer Ryan Holets
Police Officer Ryan Holets has served and protected the streets of Albuquerque, New Mexico, for the past six years.
But last September, a routine investigation turned into a life-changing encounter.
Holets was investigating a convenience store robbery when found a woman behind the building about to inject heroin.
He quickly noticed the 35-year-old woman was pregnant and stepped in.
"You're going to kill your baby," Holets told her.
Holets later told CNN that he felt God speak to him and tell the lady he would adopt her baby.
"I just felt God telling me, 'Tell her that you will do it because you can,'" he said.
Holets and his wife Rebecca are now raising a baby girl named Hope.
"We feel God has called us to do that," Rebecca said. "It's been on our hearts for a while."
Preston Sharp
Twelve-year-old Preston Sharp was visiting his veteran grandfather's grave in 2015 when he noticed that the other local veterans' grave were not being honored with American flags or flowers on Veterans Day.
Preston decided to do something about it.
He has organized the placement of more than 40,000 American flags and red carnations on soldiers' graves across the nation.
Preston doesn't just honor fallen veterans with flags and flowers, he also visits a local home for veterans and listens to their stories over lunch.
He is asking people in all 50 states to jump in on the #FandFChallenge (Flag and Flower challenge) and honor our nation's veterans.
Corporal (Ret.) Matthew Bradford of the United States Marine Corps
In 2006, Matthew Bradford joined the United States Marine Corps straight out of high school and deployed to Iraq.
"I just realized that I wanted to serve and defend my country," Bradford told the Kentucky Forward.
In 2007, he stepped on an improvised explosive device (IED). Shrapnel shot into both of his eyes, blinding him, and the explosion also took both of his legs, according to a White House statement.
"I realized I was only 20 years old, that I still had a long life ahead of me," Bradford said. "Anything a normal person can do, I can do."
On April 7, 2010, Bradford became the first blind, double amputee in the history of the Marine Corps to reenlist.
Ashlee Leppert of the United States Coast Guard
Ashlee Leppert has been a dedicated aviation electronic technician in the United States Coast Guard.
She helped rescue dozens of people during last year's devastating hurricane season.
But nothing has had a more lasting impression on Ashlee than when she lifted a woman to safety in a helicopter basket.
"The woman was clutching a few bags of what Ashlee thought were clothes. As she drew the woman near, however, Ashlee saw four sets of children's eyes looking at her as their guardian angel," read a White House statement.
Bradford, Sharp, and Leppert watched tonight's address with First Lady Melania Trump and 11 other people including agent CJ Martinez, an ICE special agent who assisted in the arrest of more than 100 Long Island gang members who killed at least 17 people, including two young girls. The parents of those two girls were also among the president's guests.
The First Lady also sat beside a Santa Maria firefighter who rescued 62 children and camp staff during the California wildfires.
President Trump shared a broad message tonight on keeping America safe and strong, illustrating the strength of the American people with the guests he invited.
