This story is part of the My Unsung Hero series, from the Hidden Brain team. It features stories of people whose kindness left a lasting impression on someone else.
In 1980, Elaine Batchelor graduated from college. To celebrate, she decided to backpack across Europe. She was 22 years old and had never before traveled by herself. A few months into her trip, she got on a night train to Greece from what was then known as Yugoslavia.
When Batchelor boarded, she realized that she was likely the only woman on the train and that no one spoke English.
"I thought, 'Well, this doesn't look like a good idea.' But at the time, when things weren't good ideas, I did them anyway," Batchelor said.
Batchelor sat on an empty bench. About an hour later, two young men came and forcefully pulled her up by her arm.
"At first, I thought I must be in the wrong seat. Then I realized that they were trying to harm me," Batchelor recalled.
The two men were pulling Batchelor to the back of the train toward the bathroom. She tried to fight back, but wasn't strong enough.
Within moments, however, two older men appeared and grabbed Batchelor from the young men's grip.
"These two older men took me to the back of the train, sat me on a bench and proceeded to stand guard over me for almost 12 hours."
The two men protected Batchelor all night. They shared their water and food with her, and every so often would pat her on the shoulder.
"They didn't know any English and it was just looking into each other's eyes that I knew I was safe," Batchelor said.
When they arrived in Greece, Batchelor got off the train feeling full of gratitude for the men's protection.
"If I saw these two men today, I would thank them for doing what good humans do in moments like that — take care and protect each other. And that's exactly what they did on that night train in 1980."
My Unsung Hero is also a podcast — new episodes are released every Tuesday. To share the story of your unsung hero with the Hidden Brain team, record a voice memo on your phone and send it to myunsunghero@hiddenbrain.org.
Copyright 2025 NPR
