Army Master Sgt. Daniel Brooks receives the Christophorus Medal for lifesaving actions under difficult circumstances from Bavarian governor Markus Söder during a ceremony at the Munich Residence in Germany, on May 2, 2024. (Zoe Tourne/U.S. Army)
GRAFENWOEHR, Germany — Army Master Sgt. Daniel Brooks had very little time to react once he saw the knife.
The career counselor from the 2nd Cavalry Regiment was marching in a Christmas parade in December at a shopping mall in Bayreuth when he saw a man make a move toward Santa Claus at the head of the column.
Brooks, 36, stepped in front of St. Nicholas, slapped a 3-inch kitchen blade out of the attacker’s hand and subdued him until German authorities took him into custody. The assailant had been targeting a nearby woman with whom he had a relationship, police said.
On Thursday, Brooks was awarded the Christophorus Medal by Bavaria governor Markus Söder for his life-saving actions.
“It’s in times of crisis where the character of an individual is shown the strongest,” Söder said during the ceremony, according to a transcript provided by the Army. “You’ve been at the right place at the right time and did the right thing.”
The Christophorus Medal is awarded by Bavaria to anyone who risks their life to save someone else from mortal danger under particularly difficult circumstances, according to the state’s website. Only 1,930 people since 1983 have received the distinction.
Army Master Sgt. Daniel Brooks, seen here in the background, traveled to Munich, Germany on May 2, 2024, to receive the Christophorus Medal for lifesaving actions from Bavarian governor Markus Söder during at ceremony at the Munich Residence. (Zoe Tourne/U.S. Army)
The Christophorus Medal is a Bavarian honor given to people who risk their life to save someone else from mortal danger under particularly difficult circumstances. It was awarded to U.S. Army Master Sgt. Daniel Brooks at a ceremony on May 2, 2024, in Munich. (Zoe Tourne/U.S. Army)
Brooks, whose mother is German, grew up in an Army family in Georgia. He has maintained close ties to family and friends in Germany since childhood, he said by phone Wednesday.
On Dec. 16, he arrived at the Rotmain-Center shopping mall dressed as a bellhop to support family friends who had organized the parade. Bayreuth is about 20 miles northwest of Rose Barracks in Vilseck, where Brooks is based.
The parade participants were walking around the mall greeting patrons when they saw a crowd gathering and stopped. The crowd parted and Brooks eyed a young, angry-looking man.
“I ran around (Santa) to kind of get in between them, and (the German man) pulled out a knife,” Brooks recalled. “That’s when I just kind of smacked the knife away and jumped on top of him.”
Security arrived a short time later. The woman had a slight hand injury from a previous altercation with the man and was treated at a clinic, a statement from Upper Franconia police said at the time. The man was arrested and charged with making threats.
At Thursday’s ceremony, Brooks stood before Söder in the antiquarium of the Munich Residence in his military dress uniform, where he was hailed as a hero.
Brooks attributed his actions to his upbringing.
“I just reacted to the event as it happened,” he said. “I knew that this was a dangerous situation, and the preservation of life was of the utmost importance.”
Stars and Stripes reporter Alexander Riedel contributed to this report.
