Posted by Rob B on 2/27/2005, 7:52 pm, in reply to "Goast Guard Responder" --Previous Message--
66.2.160.215
Randy: I've just got to say, having read the story of that night, that the work done by everyone involved, including yourself, was indeed heroic and a testament to the human spirit. I can't imagine the unreal feelings you must have had when you jumped into the mud that night and dealt with that situation long into the night. Every survivor and their loved ones-and even those whose loved ones did not survive-certainly owe you and the rest a lot of thanks and gratitude.
: I just found this site playing around on the
: computer.
: I was stationed on the Coast Guard Cutter
: Hollyhock a buoytender at the Coast Guard
: Station in Miami Beach on Dec. 29,1972. I
: was awakened and told that we were going to
: the Coast Guard Air Station because an
: Airplane had crashed in the Everglades. I
: remember the drive to the air station
: because the guy driving the car was going
: over 100 miles per hour. When we got to the
: air station they put us on helicopters and
: flew us to the crash site. The helicopter
: that I was on didn't land they just got
: close to the ground above the saw grass and
: we were told to jump out. When I hit the
: ground I was knee deep in mud. I also
: remember the strong smell of jet fuel. We
: had one flashlight between two of us and we
: were told to look for people who were still
: alive.
: I was only 18 years old and I had never seen
: a dead body. That all changed that night. We
: helped everyone that we could. As daylight
: came and they started marking the locations
: of bodies we were taken to the levee by
: airboat.
: This was an experience that I will never
: forget.
:
: I think that being a responder to this
: disaster helped me in my decision on a
: career. Next year I will retire from the
: police department here in Tulsa after 27
: years of service.
:
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