19 Lost Souls

We Americans are no strangers to tragedy. Unlike some countries, we put our tragedies right on the front page for all the world to see. I suppose that is one of the things we are best at doing, putting ourselves out there for anyone to see, comment on, and perhaps emulate. Compared to 911 or some of the other similar events, this one might seem small, but when you consider these were men doing their jobs; jobs they loved despite the well-known danger, there is a special loss and sadness that is hard to compare.

Hot-Shot firefighters are, as they say, the best of the best. They are the Seals, The Green Berets of fire fighters, taking on the toughest assignments with the greatest danger and of course, the most risk. As with such risky jobs, all the best planning and preparation can be swept aside by the slightest change and when disaster strikes, it isn’t a small thing. As preliminary reports roll in, it appears that a sudden wind change trapped these brave souls, forcing them into their personal shelters, the last ditch effort at survival where the firefighter lies on the ground, in the shelter, with their mouth and nose in the dirt in order to catch the last traces of oxygen in a very oxygen deprived environment. The fact that some of these folks never made it into their shelters, trained to deploy and be in them in 30 seconds or less, speaks volume’s of how quickly circumstances changed and they were caught without a safety zone or any other means of escape.

Officially recognized as the worst event of it’s kind offers little comfort to the grieving families and while there were actually 340 firefighters killed in the World Trade Center, this event is the worst ever for those fighting forest fires. Despite warnings by their commander, Mr. McKenzie, the hotshots labored on, determined to do their part to save the small town of Yarnell. With flames averaging 30-40 feet high and plowing through dense oak woods and thick brush, they had the odds stacked against them.

There are few words to describe the bravery of such people. I can only think of one. Hero.