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My
heart goes out to the families of the fallen crew. It is hard having your loved
ones taken away. I can only hope that each took the time to tell their families
that they loved them before they left for work.
I
think a hero is somebody who knows fully well what the dangers are and goes on
in spite of being scared. To want to help others when it puts your own life in
danger is the very essence of being a human. Most heros do not see themselves as
being heroes, to themselves they are just doing their jobs.
Richard M. Heeth
AMR
Critical Care Transport
ex
Columbia One Flight Team
p.s. -
Before you go to work tomorrow, tell your families how much you love
them.
Sent: Sunday, September 08, 2002 5:13
AM
Subject: The Mercy Air crash
Yet another crash.
Three more fallen comrades.
After 24 years in EMS and 10 in
Air-Medical Transport and Critical Incident Stress Management, it never gets
easier, if anything it becomes harder. I did not know the crew members
personally and yet, like so many others, I think we all knew them at a
deeper level.
After 9-11 the word “Hero” was tossed about
indiscriminately. I resist calling our departed comrades heroes,
to do so dishonors their sacrifice. A hero is someone who
performs heroic actions out of the ordinary without truly understanding the
danger of their actions. This crew knew the dangers, they lived with
it every shift and yet they came back to work each day, not because they
wanted to be heroes, but because it was the job they loved. Like
the rest of us I am confident they did not see themselves as heroes
either. They, and the rest of us, were simply men and women who worked
very hard to get into a position where they could help others while meeting
their personal goals to achieve, grow and become the very best at what they
loved doing, flying.
While we mourn the deaths of our brothers and
sisters we should also celebrate their lives and try to find some solace,
however slight, in the fact they died doing what they loved while trying to
help others. Their very existence personified the Air Force Pararescue
motto; “That Others Might Live.”
To often we have all seen
death without purpose bringing to an end so many lives without
meaning. There can be no higher purpose than service to others.
Regardless of the cause of the crash, our comrades died while fulfilling the
noble purpose of living a life of service few civilians will ever truly
understand.
If you pray, join with me in a prayer for our friend’s
families and loved ones. Pray that they will receive the strength and
courage they will need to get through this horrible time in their
lives. Pray the sacrifices this crew made will not simply be another
news blip, here today, forgotten tomorrow. Pray that it is a long,
long time before the next crash.
Join me in celebrating our brothers
and sisters by renewing our dedication to their, and our, profession. Honor
them by putting safety above all else. Each day before you go on shift
remember them by hugging those you care about and telling them “I love
you.” God forbid, but one day it may be the last time they hear it from
you.
I salute my departed comrades at Mercy Air. I send
my sincerest condolences to their families. I mourn with their
devastated team members and I pray for divine protection for us
all.
"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his
life for his friends.” John 15:13
Michael Cox,
EMT-P, RN
Florida Flight 1
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