It’s wonderful that New Yorkers are lionizing Wesley Autrey, the "hero of Harlem" who saved a convulsing man from certain death on the subway tracks. (I was also pleased to read Autrey is a Navy veteran.) Autrey hit it right on the money when he said later: "What I did was something any and every New Yorker should do: If you see someone in distress do the right thing — help out."
A question kept nagging me, though: Did Autrey leave his 4- and 6-year old daughters unattended on a New York City subway platform? What if he’d been killed — what would have happened to those little girls? One is reluctant to second-guess, in cool hindsight, the decision Autrey had to make in a split second. But it seemed to me that his duty to his daughters should have been his first, and overriding, priority.
And apparently that’s just how it was: Autrey’s duty to his daughters was indeed his first priority. According to this news report, "Before jumping, he [Autrey] said he made sure his daughters were okay and asked two women to hold their hands." Another report says Autrey has a mother and sister living nearby; they surely would have taken care of his girls if he hadn’t made it. His mother was quoted as saying, "It was dangerous, what he done, but I’m proud of him, that God had him in the right place at the right time so he could help somebody," Mary Autrey said. "That’s our upbringing, helping people."
So now I really admire Autrey — not only did he do what everyone is applauding him for, but in the brief instant that he had for thinking through his decision, he first made sure his family would be OK.
As they say in the Navy: Bravo Zulu, Mr. Aubrey.
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