Texan of the Year Finalists: Sutherland Springs Heroes Stephen Willeford and Johnnie Langendorff

The two men we spotlight today won't be happy to see names their names linked to Texan of the Year. Stephen Willeford and Johnnie Langendorff are trying hard to dissolve back into the ordinary lives that the two small-town Texans led before the Nov. 5 massacre in Sutherland Springs.While this plainspoken pair will try to convince you otherwise, the actions Willeford and Langendorff took to try to stop a killer make them heroes of the highest order.They ensured that a man who had just murdered half a church congregation didn't take one more innocent life. That uncommon impact makes them finalists for Dallas Morning News 2017 Texan of the Year.On a Sunday morning that shattered the small, quiet lives of Sutherland Springs, Willeford learned that shots were being fired inside First Baptist Church. He grabbed an assault-style rifle from his gun safe and loaded as he ran, barefoot, toward the sanctuary.  Continue reading...

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