A former US Marine sergeant of Indian origin, Imran Yousuf, has been hailed as a hero for saving scores of lives at a Florida night club when a terrorist went on a rampage killing 49 people.
Yousuf posted on his Facebook page, "There are a lot of people naming me a hero and as a former Marine and Afghan veteran I honestly believe I reacted by instinct.... While it might seem that my actions are heroic I decided that the others around me needed to be saved as well and so I just reacted."
When Yousuf, who was working as a bouncer at the Pulse night club, catering to the gay community in Orlando, Florida, heard the first gunshots, his military experience fighting in Afghanistan kicked in.
As everyone in the packed night club froze in fear, he jumped up and at personal risk opened a back door allowing many people to escape.
As panicked people streamed to the back of the hall, "I'm screaming 'Open the door! Open the door!' And no one is moving because they are scared," he told CBS News television.
"There was only one choice...Either we all stay there and we all die, or I could take the chance, and I jumped over to open that latch and we got everyone that we can out of there."
Yousuf said his quick action saved 60 to 70 lives.
He cried as he said, "I wish I could have saved more to be honest. There are a lot of people that are dead"
And Yousuf has been modest, brushing off praises or being hailed as a hero.
According to the Marine Corps Times newspaper, Yousuf had left the Marine Corps just last month.
His family emigrated from Guyana, where his ancestors had gone from India.
He grew up in the town of Niskayuna and joined the Marine Corps soon after he finished high school at the age of 17 and served in both Afghanistan and Iraq.
His brother, Ameer Yousuf, said, "This was so unexpected but because of my brother's training in the Marine Corps, he was prepared and used strategies from that to do everything he did."
Marine Corps Times said he had been awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal during his service.
Yousuf posted on his Facebook page, "There are a lot of people naming me a hero and as a former Marine and Afghan veteran I honestly believe I reacted by instinct.... While it might seem that my actions are heroic I decided that the others around me needed to be saved as well and so I just reacted."
When Yousuf, who was working as a bouncer at the Pulse night club, catering to the gay community in Orlando, Florida, heard the first gunshots, his military experience fighting in Afghanistan kicked in.
As everyone in the packed night club froze in fear, he jumped up and at personal risk opened a back door allowing many people to escape.
As panicked people streamed to the back of the hall, "I'm screaming 'Open the door! Open the door!' And no one is moving because they are scared," he told CBS News television.
"There was only one choice...Either we all stay there and we all die, or I could take the chance, and I jumped over to open that latch and we got everyone that we can out of there."
Yousuf said his quick action saved 60 to 70 lives.
He cried as he said, "I wish I could have saved more to be honest. There are a lot of people that are dead"
And Yousuf has been modest, brushing off praises or being hailed as a hero.
According to the Marine Corps Times newspaper, Yousuf had left the Marine Corps just last month.
His family emigrated from Guyana, where his ancestors had gone from India.
He grew up in the town of Niskayuna and joined the Marine Corps soon after he finished high school at the age of 17 and served in both Afghanistan and Iraq.
His brother, Ameer Yousuf, said, "This was so unexpected but because of my brother's training in the Marine Corps, he was prepared and used strategies from that to do everything he did."
Marine Corps Times said he had been awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal during his service.