If you're in a fight with someone and they have a knife or blade of some sort, you're more than likely going to end up getting cut. Getting cut sucks. We know a few guys who have had the misfortune of getting cut and getting shot. They preferred getting shot to getting cut. We're not talking about little dinky paper cuts either, we're talking about some deep, long incisions. Cuts like Spencer Stone received while foiling the attack on the train to Paris. Yet he fought on.

People somehow seem to forget how dangerous and painful a blade can be. The bladed weapon was used for thousands of years by nations to make war and defend themselves. Whether long or short, blades are an effective killing tool and continuing to fight after being cut or stabbed several times shows true grit and determination. When Spencer tackled the assailant on the train and began to scuffle with the terrorist, a blade was introduced to the fight by the attacker. As skillful as Spencer was in his ground/hand to hand combat, the terrorist still managed to slice him several times on the neck, eyebrow and almost severed his thumb.Yet Spencer fought on. In a country, not his own, while not on duty. He was a defender. The waves of terrorism on that day crashed into Spencer and they were broken. The man they stopped had over two hundred rounds of ammunition, he was prepared to kill many many people. With a little bit of luck and sheer willpower, he was subdued and taken into custody, multiple lives were saved that day.

What would have happened though, when Spencer first got cut and gave up? Would he still be here, would there have been more casualties? We are thankful and proud of this United States airman for refusing to give up, despite his injuries.Read more stories of American Grit here:

CHRIS LEWIS: THE HEART OF TEXAS

TAMMIE JO SHULTS: WINGS OF GOLD

LT. ALMAR FITZGERALD: MAKING THE CITADEL PROUD