History HeroicSacrifice / RealLife

* [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarII In 1943]], right after Italy surrendered to the Allied Powers and Germany occupied most of the nation, the Nazis rounded up 22 civilians, who were accussed of sabotaging abandoned munitions. The soldiers made the prisoners dig their own graves when they continued to assert their innocence. [[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salvo_D%27Acquisto Salvo D'Acquisto]], a young neapolitan cop in charge of the local Carabinieri post, was taken to the prisoners. When it became clear that the Germans intended to kill them, D'Acquisto "confessed" to being solely responsible. He was executed by firing squad, but the civilians were released unharmed. D'Acquisto was posthumously awarded the Gold Medal of Military Valour and the title of "Servant of God" by Pope John Paul II.

* In 1984, while walking home from a store, 11 year old Daniel Osentkowski witnessed Howarce Kelly, a man who had already raped and murdered two women the week prior, trying to kidnap his 13 year old cousin. Without any hesitation, Osentkowski attacked Kelly in an attempt to save her. The boy was shot dead in the struggle, but he enabled his cousin to escape from Kelly's clutches. Kelly was sentenced to death by the state of California for the murders of Osentkowski and the two women, and he remains on San Quentin's death row awaiting execution to this day.

* Jesús Garcia Corona, a Mexican railroad brakeman, was working on a train that had stopped in the town of Nacozari, Sonora on November 7th, 1907. When sparks from the train's firebox ignited the hay on a dynamite-filled car, Jesús got in the train and drove it six kilometers away before it exploded. He was the only casualty and has since been honored as a national hero. Nacozari was even renamed Naczari de García.

* [[https://www.blood.ca/en/stories/i-see-how-much-he-helped-people-over-years Tom Bagley]], retired firefighter and navy veteran, was shot and killed trying to save his neighbours in Nova Scotia, Canada's April 2020 mass shooting. Unfortunately, it was a SenslessSacrifice as [[https://www.saltwire.com/atlantic-canada/news/alert-message-would-have-saved-my-fathers-life-says-daughter-of-mass-killing-victim-100737945/ the neighbours were also killed]].

* In 331 BC, [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agis_III King Agis III of Sparta]] lead an army of 22000 soldiers (20000 regular soldiers and 2000 cavalrymen) in battle at the city of Megalopolis, but when he failed, he and the remnants of his army retreated, but as they were doing so, Agis was injured. [[YouShallNoPass He then sent his army away and engaged the Macedonians singlehandely before being killed with a javelin for his troubles]].

* In 331 BC, [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agis_III King Agis III of Sparta]] lead an army of 22000 soldiers (20000 regular soldiers and 2000 cavalrymen) in battle at the city of Megalopolis, but when he failed, he and the remnants of his army retreated, but as they were doing so, Agis was injured. He then sent his army away and engaged the Macedonians singlehandely before being killed with a javelin for his troubles.

* Echoing Fox's action, in March 2016, Russian Special Forces officer [[https://sputniknews.com/russia/20160329/1037166120/russian-hero-palmyra-named-father.html Alexander Prokhorenko]], who was embedded in Syria providing artillery intelligence on strategic Daesh locations, was discovered and surrounded. He [[https://web.archive.org/web/20200808173627/https://www.funker530.com/airstrike-transcript-russian-operatives-last-words/ repeatedly ordered]] his superiors to target his position so that he would "die with dignity" and take them with him.

* In 1986, while walking home from a store, 11 year old Daniel Osentkowski witnessed Howarce Kelly, a man who had already raped and murdered two women the week prior, trying to kidnap his 13 year old cousin. Without any hesitation, Osentkowski attacked Kelly in an attempt to save her. The boy was shot dead in the struggle, but he enabled his cousin to escape from Kelly's clutches. Kelly was sentenced to death by the state of California for the murders of Osentkowski and the two women, and he remains on San Quentin's death row awaiting execution to this day.

* In 1986, while walking home from a store, 11 year old Daniel Osentkowski witnessed Howarce Kelly, a man who had already raped and murdered two women the week prior, trying to kidnap his 13 year old cousin. Without any hesitation, Osentkowski attacked Kelly in an attempt to save her. The boy was shot dead in the struggle, but he enabled his cousin to escape from Kelly's clutches. Kelly was sentenced to death by the state of California for the murders of Osentkowski and the two women, and he remains on San Quentin's death row to this day.

* While walking home from a store, 11 year old Daniel Osentkowski witnessed Howarce Kelly, a man who had already raped and murdered two women a week prior, trying to kidnap his 13 year old cousin. Without any hesitation, Osentkowski attacked Kelly in an attempt to save her. The boy was shot dead in the struggle, but he enabled his cousin to escape from Kelly's clutches.

* [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._Budd_Dwyer#Public_suicide Budd Dwyer,]] the 30th Treasurer of Pennsylvania who was found guilty of bribery and racketeering, faced up to 55 years in prison and a $300,000 fine. The day before his sentencing, he infamously shot himself in the head and died on a live news broadcast. As he was still in office at the time, this allowed his wife and children to collect $1,280,000 in benefits that otherwise would have been revoked, ensuring that they would not be left destitute after his incarceration.

* Singer Music/EddieCochran shielded his then-fiancée Sharon Sheeley from the impact of a fatal car crash, dying in the process. This happened not long after the infamous, "The day the music died", which he sang a TearJerker song, "Three stars", about, as a tribute to the three musicians Music/BuddyHolly, Music/RitchieValens and Music/TheBigBopper, who died in the incident. He had been ProperlyParanoid about dying ever since the aforementioned disaster, but he chose to shield his fiancée instead.

** [[https://earthquakestrips.blogspot.com/2008/06/strip-8-last-lesson.html A teacher's last lesson.]] While the authenticity of the story (publicized by the Chinese government) has been put in doubt [[note]]by only one source, The Epoch Times, which has anti-Chinese views[[/note]], the comic is a true TearJerker, and the magnitude of the disaster might have created many similar, unsung heroic sacrifices.
* [[https://uk.news.yahoo.com/5/20110113/twl-teen-hero-drowns-after-brother-saved-3fd0ae9.html 'Teen Hero' Drowns After Brother Saved First.]]

* [[https://www.dailynews.com/news/ci_17423843?source=rss Glenn Allen]], a devoted firefighter is killed in the line of duty trying to save the home of two residents, [[TearJerker and only days before his first grandchild was born]].

* [[https://web.archive.org/web/20140407042216/https://gma.yahoo.com/mom-succumbs-cancer-6-weeks-giving-birth-231713382.html Elizabeth Joice]] who was diagnosed with cancer in 2010 became pregnant last year and the cancer resurfaced during her pregnancy forcing her to choose between saving herself with treatment but endangering her unborn child, or going without treatment so her child would be unaffected while putting her own life at risk. [[MamaBear She chose to put her child's needs ahead of her own and successfully gave birth to her healthy baby girl Lily.]] [[DownerEnding Unfortunately, after her daughter was born, the cancer had spread all over her abdomen]], [[TearJerker and she died six weeks after her daughter's birth]]. [[GoOutWithASmile She said that she had no regrets]] [[FaceDeathWithDignity as she would easily make the same choice again if she had to]].
** [[https://web.archive.org/web/20141214140848/https://screen.yahoo.com/cute-and-inspiring/inland-empire-mother-makes-ultimate-012500439.html Ashley Bridges]] has a very similar story, as she was diagnosed with bone cancer a few weeks into her pregnancy and was told to get treatment before the cancer spread which would mean terminating her pregnancy. She refused and successfully gave birth to her daughter Paisley several months later, but by that time the cancer had already run its course and spread throughout her body. Even though the doctors gave her less than a year to live, she says she has absolutely no regrets about her decision.

* ''Series/MeerkatManor'':
** Flower, veteran matriarch of the Whiskers clan, embraced this trope when she went MamaBear on a den-invading cobra, and got bitten on the face defending her pups.
** Her son Shakespeare as well. First, he gets bitten on the jaw and thigh driving off a puff adder, then later, he has the misfortune of being the lone babysitter for his mother's pups when a rival pack comes calling. No-one's actually sure what happened, but the pups survived and Shakespeare was never seen again.

* On July 4, 2021, [[UsefulNotes/NationalHockeyLeague Columbus Blue Jackets]] goalie Matiss Kivlenieks was in a hot tub with several teammates and friends when a fireworks mortar tilted toward them. While exiting the tub, he was hit in the chest by a shell, killing him. At his memorial service several days later, teammate Elvis Merzlikins [[https://sports.yahoo.com/blue-jackets-goalie-kivlenieks-saved-a-teammate-and-his-pregnant-wife-before-his-death-171515473.html revealed]] he and his pregnant wife were less than 30 feet from the mortar, with several other people within range. The only thing that kept the shell from the crowd was Kivlenieks; according to doctors, he saved several lives at the cost of his own. Merzlikins noted that his wife had said about his fallen teammate, "He saved his last puck."