2007.8.17.1

The national drama about the trapped mine workers is still ongoing. With the accident today that killed 3 and injured more rescue workers many will ask themselves if the cost of the rescue operation is worth the payoff if the trapped men are recovered. This question is often asked in the military when the number of soldiers lost in a rescue or recovery attempt exceeds the number of captured or missing. As a soldier who has been involved in a few recovery operations, my personal views are automatic: no matter the cost, trying is worth it. There are limits to what you can safely attempt, as with every operation, but the attempt itself has a high value of its own.

Why would I say this? Why is it worth it to risk my entire team (generally about 8 – 12 men), the air support personnel (usually between 4 – and any local nationals working with me (usually the same or more numerous than my force) to rescue just one person? I am willing without hesitation to engage in rescue operations where a failed mission may result in more casualties, and so is every other solider I work with. The purpose of the mission is not strictly to recover human assets as one would seek to recover lost valuable machinery or space.

The 1st World view seems to be that the attempt is every bit as valuable as the recovery. Part of this is because I am absolutely confident that every reasonable effort will be made to recover me if I am captured. I know this because I have been involved in the planning, preparation and execution of rescue operations and now know the discussions, dilemmas and decision-making process behind such operations. The media-shaped mind of a person very far removed from such events feels very informed about such things, but generally views the system as a cold, self-interested body that views people as expendable assets as opposed to a group of human beings who have faced similar threats and challenges the captured are now facing. There is a distinct element of compassion and moral commitment that can be easily observed in the people who plan and execute such operations. Even the most selfish and career-minded military officer or company manager or director, perhaps universally reviled by his inferiors, can be seen to seriously devote an enormous amount of himself when a crisis such as this arises and this intent and compassion is felt all the way down to the lowest level of the organizational structure. It is (thankfully) rare that any leader will ever be found to truly identify his subordinates as a lesser form of humanity or in true disdain. Leaders such as that are quickly replaced and are offered no quarter by their former subordinates or superiors.

(I should note here that I can no longer say “Western mind”, strictly speaking, as I have observed this philosophy in action in all 1st World nations be it Japan, Israel, Great Britain or the USA.)

My point in saying all of this is to let people know that even though some losses may have been sustained in the search for these lost men, the search is likely viewed as well worth it and there is most definitely no lack of volunteers in the mining community willing to descend in search next, no matter what happens.

“Every reasonable effort” is a powerful charge, and that phrase is interpreted differently by the public who may doubt the value of a risky rescue operation than by those who are deeply involved in the situation and will face the risks of such a rescue themselves.