When Jared L. Loughner opened fire on Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and others in a supermarket parking lot in Arizona this past weekend, some ran away, some froze, and some ran to help.

What Daniel Hernandez said on the Today Show on Monday morning was extraordinary.  He explained that he "checked the pulse and breathing of two or three victims before determining that the congresswoman was the most seriously wounded of the victims who were still alive.

To keep her from choking on her own blood and to stop the flow of the blood, Hernandez sat her upright in his lap and applied pressure to her head wound until paramedics took over."

We all make choices.  Sometimes we have more time to think about them.  Sometimes we have to react.  Look at the choices Hernandez made under extraordinary circumstances.  He chose to:

 – go towards the danger and help

 – assess the situation as best as he knew how

 – focus on the "most seriously wounded"

 – focus on her most pressing problem

 – hand over to the experts when they were ready

 – stay with Giffords, providing emotional support

I only hope I would make such courageous and selfless choices in a similar situation.  (Actually, I hope never to be in a similar situation.  But if I were…)

What do you think?