Alone in a foreign country, a young woman is saved by two strangers
This story is part of the My Unsung Hero series, from the Hidden Brain team. It features stories of people whose kindness left a lasting impression on someone else.
In 1980, Elaine Batchelor graduated from college. To celebrate, she decided to backpack across Europe. She was 22 years old and had never before traveled by herself. A few months into her trip, she got on a night train to Greece from what was then known as Yugoslavia.
When Batchelor boarded, she realized that she was likely the only woman on the train and that no one spoke English.
”I thought, ‘Well, this doesn’t look like a good idea.’ But at the time, when things weren’t good ideas, I did them anyway,” Batchelor said.
Batchelor sat on an empty bench. About an hour later, two young men came and forcefully pulled her up by her arm.
“At first, I thought I must be in the wrong seat. Then I realized that they were trying to harm me,” Batchelor recalled.
The two men were pulling Batchelor to the back of the train toward the bathroom. She tried to fight back, but wasn’t strong enough.
Within moments, however, two older men appeared and grabbed Batchelor from the young men’s grip.
“These two older men took me to the back of the train, sat me on a bench and proceeded to stand guard over me for almost 12 hours.”
The two men protected Batchelor all night. They shared their water and food with her, and every so often would pat her on the shoulder.
“They didn’t know any English and it was just looking into each other’s eyes that I knew I was safe,” Batchelor said.
When they arrived in Greece, Batchelor got off the train feeling full of gratitude for the men’s protection.
“If I saw these two men today, I would thank them for doing what good humans do in moments like that — take care and protect each other. And that’s exactly what they did on that night train in 1980.”
My Unsung Hero is also a podcast — new episodes are released every Tuesday. To share the story of your unsung hero with the Hidden Brain team, record a voice memo on your phone and send it to [email protected].
60 years later, Sandy Koufax’s perfect game is still amazing
Tuesday marks 60 years since Sandy Koufax threw a perfect game at Dodger Stadium. The 1-0 victory over the Chicago Cubs is still considered one of the best games in baseball history.
Ethiopia inaugurates Africa’s biggest dam amid regional tensions
Ethiopia opens Africa's largest hydropower project, the Blue Nile's Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam — a milestone that's sparking alarm in neighboring Sudan and Egypt.
Spinal Tap is back. Director Rob Reiner says they’re still dialed up to 11
In 1984, the mockumentary This Is Spinal Tap satirized heavy metal bands. Now the characters are back for a sequel, Spinal Tap II. Reiner says "they have grown neither emotionally or musically."
Michigan judge dismisses charges against 15 pro-Trump ‘fake electors’
A Michigan judge has dismissed criminal charges against 15 people who signed false certificates saying Donald Trump won the state's electoral votes in 2020.
BLS revision shows hiring was overstated by 911,000 jobs in past year
The U.S. likely added 900,000 fewer jobs in the 12 months ending in March than had been reported, according to a preliminary Labor Department report.
Israel says it carried out a strike on Hamas’ main political office in Qatar
The Israeli military says it has carried out an airstrike on Hamas political headquarters in Qatar. Television footage from Doha showed a huge cloud of gray smoke rising over the area of Doha where the bombing took place.
