This is one of those events in one’s life that you remember forever, such as Pearl Harbor Day, the day President Kennedy was assassinated, the Moon landing, etc. Since August 5th, millions have been glued to their television sets watching the emotionally tense rescue efforts of the 33 Chilean miners who were trapped over 2,000 feet below the surface of the Earth for 69 days. Personally, I found this tragic accident to be most disturbing since I get claustrophobic anxiety attacks.
A sidebar to this unbelievable accident is the fact that good people around the world joined together to formulate and execute a successful effort to save the men, crossing political and geographical boundaries. The good will of mankind prevailed with an amazingly triumphant result. I cannot impart sufficient praise to the brave rescue personnel who volunteered to go down and join the trapped miners as the extraction plan was put into place. They are amazing heroes who deserve great respect and praise, especially the first individual down the shaft, Manuel Gonzales.
We will be hearing stories of this near catastrophe for years to come. I was particularly struck by two remarks by one survivor once above ground. Mario Sepulveda’s (the second man extracted) first words to his wife were “How’s the dog?” He also said, “I was with God and I was with the devil. They both fought for me. God won.” How profound!
Clearly God’s hand was joined with those who performed this magnificent rescue returning the 33 trapped miners to their families and the world. There is a great lesson here. The joint efforts of many countries, governments, companies, and individuals put aside personal grievances to work for a common achievement for the betterment of mankind. This is a superb example of what happens when we all just get along.
COMMANDER GRANGER
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