Bay Ridge hero honored by BP for aiding wounded man during London terror attack

Bay Ridge’s own received a hero’s welcome.

Twenty-year-old local Mark Kindschuh was honored on Monday, July 10 with the Hero of the Month Award for  June at Borough Hall by Borough President Eric Adams.

Kindschuh, one of a few honorees during the ceremony, was recognized for his bravery during a terror attack in London in June as he saved a man who was wounded by giving him medical attention amidst the chaotic scene.

The award meant a lot to both the Boston College student and his parents, who were also in attendance. “It means pretty much everything as I’ve been a proud Brooklynite my entire life, so to be recognized at Borough Hall is a huge and tremendous honor and I’m very humbled,” he told this paper, while discussing what occurred that evening. “I ran over to a man on the ground who had a head wound and I used my belt as a tourniquet to apply pressure and slow down the flow of blood. I was able to do that and just keep pressure the whole time because the flow of blood was tremendous.”

Kindschuh said his training helped him aid the patient. “I wasn’t calm, but I was able to respond well in that situation because of the training I’ve experienced as an ROTC Cadet and Army Cadet,” he said. “We’re taught how to do first aid. My training definitely helped me respond.”

Since returning to his hometown of Bay Ridge, many locals have shown their appreciation for his actions. “A lot of people who I didn’t really know too well beforehand are approaching me when they see me out and about, at the store or a restaurant, and thanking me for responding to that situation and thinking on my feet,” he said.

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Kindschuh’s father, also named Mark, a doctor at Coney Island Hospital, was proud of his son. “It touches my heart and gives me hope,” he told this paper. “I feel like my son will always know that by contributing to the lives of others, he’ll always make a positive impact.”

“In the midst of gunfire and danger, it takes a special individual to put their own cares to the side and say I’m going help another human being, and that is what our June hero accomplished,” Adams said. “In the early hours of Sunday, June 4, Mark was inside one of the popular pubs in London’s market, enjoying the evening with a group of his classmates. In the blink of an eye, terrorists stormed into a bar and went on a stabbing spree.”

The borough president stressed how Kindschuh’s actions give hope to today’s youth. “What Mark did was just astonishing. People talk about what is happening to our young people and are they going to be all right,” he said. “Mark sent a message that darn right, we’re going to be all right. He is a symbol of what is great about this country and the young people of this country.”

Nonetheless, Kindschuh’s modesty was apparent. “I don’t view myself in this situation as a hero,” he said. “The heroes are the SWAT team and EMT and medical personnel who responded in an awful situation.”

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