With Democrats deliberately sowing discord, it's easy to get depressed by the news and, worse, to think Americans are losing their identity as decent individuals who will do the right thing when called.  A story out of Phoenix, though, offers an uplifting reminder that, outside activists and leftist politicians, Americans pull together for each other.  Also, perhaps there's a little more going on in the universe than mere coincidence.

Early in the morning on July 3, a third-story apartment unit in Phoenix went up in flames.  Philip Blanks did not live in or even near the apartment building.  Instead, he was in the apartment complex because he'd arranged to meet a friend.  Luck or something more put him where he needed to be that morning.

Blanks arrived at the explosively burning building just as a woman dropped her three-year-old child from the balcony, knowing that he would surely die if he didn't get out of the apartment.  Blanks is a former high school football star, so he had catching skills, and a former Marine, so he had drilled in responsiveness skills.  He reacted instantly.

In an interview with WWMT, Blanks explained that he saw the child dropping from the balcony, "twirling like a helicopter" as he fell:

"People were screaming 'there are kids up there' and to throw the kids down," Blanks said. "I saw another guy was standing there ready to catch the boy, but he didn't look like he was going to do it, so I stepped in front of him. The way I caught him, I fell on my side, and of course damaged his foot, but the most important thing is that his head was safe."

Because this is America, Blanks didn't first try to determine whether the child was the proper race, religion, or sex before he acted.  For Blanks, the only thing that mattered was saving a life.

Blanks was not the only hero that day, although he was the one whose quick thinking and skill were caught on film (see below).  D'Artagnan Alexander was heading to work when he saw the fire and heard the screams, and he too acted instantly and, in doing so, put himself at considerable risk:

"I have a 3-year-old and a 9-year-old, so when I heard there were kids in there, that really hit my heart," said Alexander, who immediately parked his car and ran toward the blaze.

Without hesitating, he said, he entered the smoke-filled building and made his way to the third floor, which he described as scorching hot.

"I heard someone scream for help and I found the girl on the floor and carried her outside," said Alexander, who managed to escape the building mostly unscathed, aside from a few minor burns.

"Everything happened so fast," he said. "I didn't have time to think, my body just kicked into action and I went in."

Tragically, Rachel Long, having done what she could to save her children, died in the fire.  Blanks offered her a beautiful eulogy:

She had the strength and the courage to get them outside — that's powerful. To be in that type of situation and still care about life, not yours, that's very strong of her. She's a warrior.

Both Blanks and Alexander are black.  The children they saved are white.  The two rescuers now have a bond with the children and their father:

Both men say they are forever bonded by this experience.

Alexander and Blanks have also been in contact with the children's father, Corey Long, who they said was at work during the fire. Long declined to be interviewed by The Washington Post, saying he was not ready to talk.

The men visited with Long on Wednesday, and they said Long expressed extreme appreciation to them for rescuing his children.

"It was very emotional," Blanks said. "We became family, all three of us."

The men vowed to help Long in any way they can. His two children are in the hospital with serious injuries that are not life-threatening, Blanks said. A GoFundMe page has been set up for the family to help cover medical and other expenses.

"Saving this child changed my entire perspective," Blanks said. "It made me realize how short life is, and how we need to protect each other and treat people better."

"I couldn't be more thankful that we both happened to be there," echoed Alexander.

Do not be defeated by endless video clips of screaming, race-obsessed mobs.  Blanks, Alexander, and the Long family are the real America.

Image: YouTube screen grab.