Lately, I've been reading about the indonesian divers struggling in the Java Sea to recover pieces of the Air Asia jet and dead bodies of the passengers and crew that were on that unfortunate plane crashed on 28 December 2014.
Java Sea is a shallow sea which lies beteen the indonesian islands of Borneo, Java, Sumatra, Sulawesi.(see the blue contour in the above Web picture).
Historically, it is known for 'the Battle of Java Sea' in World War 2, when the naval allied forces were defeated by the japanese( on February 1942).
The divers were (still are, as not all bodies have been recovered) struggling not only with bad weather conditions, but also with the sights of disaster and death. Their task was not merely to locate and retrieve objects and bodies , but also to assess possibilities and take hard decisions on the spot.
It is easy for us to say "someone has to do the job", but it's terrible for those who actually do it. It might traumatize their whole life.
Anyway, the divers' struggle with the sea and weather will in its end allow a decent burial to the the victims, bring closure to their families, make it, perhaps, possible (through the analysis of the recovered 'black boxes'), to learn ways of preventing such catastrophies in the future.
These people- the divers, deserve our highest esteem and appreciation for their efforts.
I agree with you! It takes a special person to be able to do that kind of task. Good to see you back on the blog.
ReplyDeleteSpecial indeed, Nel. I guess, when facing a terrible situation, even weak people become strong, and do what has to be done.
DeleteGlad to see you back, Duta.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you about the divers deserving much appreciation for this task, a very difficult and sad one.
Hi Margie,
DeleteI'm following the news; they are trying to get the main part of the fusalege which is where the majority of passengers found their death. So far, the attempt failed. The struggle goes on, the suspense is high.
Indeed they do! Wonderful to see you here again, you were missed. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm often here, Angelina. I just don't always have the time and mood to write something myself.
DeleteThanks for this perspective, Duta. I have only thought about those poor passengers who lost their lives. Their families, I'm sure, are grateful for the efforts of those faced with the task of recovering these bodies. I can't even imagine how hard this recovery effort must be...mentally, physically, and emotionally.
ReplyDeleteHi Bica,
ReplyDeleteI'm glad I gave you another angle of looking at things. The recovery effort is unimaginable indeed.
I understand that after failing for the third time to lift the fuselage from the sea bottom, the divers' work has been stopped. That's very sad news for the families of the trapped victims.
Well said, Duta, and thankyou for giving me a different perspective. My thoughts and prayers go out to all concerned.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome Vera.
DeleteMay there be no more tragedies, and no more such work for divers!
I am glad you pointed this out, I never thought of the divers. It has to be such a hard job, prayers for them
ReplyDeleteGood to hear from you Kim.
DeleteVery hard , risky job indeed. So far, 84 corpses have been retrieved; there were about 163 people on the jet's board.
This was a much need post. There seems to be 3 wrecks now. The last one in a river. Well I am living in an igloo
ReplyDeletemy home has 3 feet of snow on the roof, tomorrow another 2 blizzard back to back 8-10 more inches. Driving in my driveway is like a tobaggan tunnel. This is awful and so cold, the snow can't melt. Is God talking to us?? yvonne
Hi Yvonne,
DeleteBad weather endangers us everywhere: on earth, in the sea, in the sky. Sorry to hear about the heavy snow around your house. And yes, the cold is terrible. God is probably angry with us, folks.
I feel for the divers and would not wish to read a full report of what has been seen. Closure is hard to deal with even after love ones are buried especially from a disaster of this size. Only true compassion can help their families. You always make me think. Peace
ReplyDeleteLady Di Tn,
DeleteYour comment made me also think; I do agree with your view on closure and compassion.
Excellent post! While you don't post often when you do it's a winner! I totally agree with you. Rescue people should be applauded and praised and many times no one even knows about them and what they go through.
ReplyDeleteI know that when 9-11 happened here in the United States one whole group that was totally forgotten about and never spoke of was funeral directors. And they were there, helping with the rescue efforts with recovering bodies and then when making it possible for families to be able to view the bodies of their loved ones.
Great of you to see and feel their pain.
Alicia, thanks for your kind, interesting comment.
DeleteI definitely see your point regarding the contribution of the funeral directors in the 9-11 tragedy efforts of recovering bodies and supporting the families.
So sad! My son and his girlfriend were flying to Indonesia a few days after this crash. I was definitely on my knees praying for their safety and for the Lord's peace and comfort for all the families who lost their loved ones on that tragic day.
ReplyDeletePraying indeed. We sould always pray for safety when on the road or in the sky.
DeleteDuta, I tried to leave a comment on your most recent post but the comment reply section did not appear so I am leaving a comment here ...I am in total agreement on rethinking about those young people being leaders in the sky and below ,,,so very sad about all those people that died at the hands of that evil young man ... he may have been depressed but why not just take his own life and not take all those innocents to their death with him ...that to me was pure evil!!!!!!
ReplyDelete