Veteran Rushes to Save Man Hanging From Roof But Finds a Dummy Instead

At least one person in America hasn't watched the classic holiday movie "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation." 65-year-old veteran Alfred Norwood Jr. was driving his wife to work in Austin, TX just before sunrise when he saw a man tangled in Christmas lights hanging from the front gutters of a big house. 

Being a good neighbor and a great American, Norwood parked his car, grabbed a ladder and tried to help the man before he fell.

“It looked like a guy in distress needing help, so I took a chance to try to help him,” Norwood told The Washington Post. But, he added, “It turned out to be a dummy.”

And that dummy turned out to be Clark Griswold, the notoriously clueless dad from National Lampoon's "Vacation" movies. As part of their holiday decorations, homeowners Chris and Hannah Heerlein had painstakingly recreated the scene where Griswold (played by Chevy Case) tried to install his Christmas lights by himself and slips on a roof ice patch.

As the sun came up, Norwood realized his mistake. “My wife said it was a dummy saving a dummy,” he said.

The whole incident would've been forgotten if not for the Nest Camera the Heerlein's installed as part of their home security system. Norwood's act of heroism (to be clear: it was heroism even though Clark turned out to be a dummy) was recorded for all the world to see.

The family has since added a sign to their display:  “Clark G. is part of our Christmas display. Please don’t call 911" and they gave Norwood a gift card to thank him for his attempt to help a fellow citizen in peril.

When your family gathers around the TV for your annual viewing of "Christmas Vacation," raise a glass of eggnog to Alfred Norwood and try to follow his selfless example this holiday season.