Thanks.
On the whole I choose to not spend much time on this blog discussing the political practices and policies that cause our young men and women to die in defense of our country. Over the last several days, however, a situation has come to light, as it were, that made me want to say something. No, I am not going to enter the political debate over the pros and cons of the war in Iraq. I am going to direct your attention to something much closer to home.
“The Meriwether fire, located north of Helena in the Gates of the Mountains Wilderness Area, showed relatively little activity Friday, holding at 6,019 acres. Hand crews worked along Big Log Gulch and air operations were conducted on the Mann Gulch area…”
On August 5, 1949 a wildfire overran 16 smokejumpers and firefighters in Mann Gulch. Two young jumpers — teenagers, really — successfully raced the fire to a ridge and found a route to safety. Crew leader Wag Dodge knew he couldn’t make the ridge and instead established a “safety zone” by creating a small burned area that deprived the larger fire of fuel and gave Dodge some space in which to retreat. Only those three survived.
Fighting fires is hard, dangerous work. It can be deadly, although fatalities are rare. However, the proximity of the Meriwether fire to the gulch that took the lives of those young men so many years ago makes me stop and consider our wildland firefighters, and appreciate the job they do. They are out there right now, in full gear, in the heat, and smoke and ash, fighting an almost unstoppable force. And I bet they don’t get a cold beer when the shift ends. I hope they get one on the house when they come home.
Thanks guys.
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