The loss of shipmates…

Posted on 31 October 2009 by Anastacia Thorsson | Comments

It goes without saying that the missing service members, both Coast Guard and Marine have been foremost in my thoughts and the thoughts of the rest of our shipmates.

While I understand that there are a lot of questions as to what might have happened, I really hope that everyone will remember that this shouldn’t just be about the investigation, and it should not be about pointing finger or placing blame. I have started to see that in different places on the net…and it makes me sad.

To a lot of people the story is just another piece of news, something they are watching on TV, but take a moment and think about this.

To the families of the lost crew, this was not about which aircraft did what, or what the air controller might have said. This is a time when their world has been torn apart. They have lost their loved one. They have lost the person who tucks them in at night, or who was going to teach them how to ride their bike, or who had big plans to come home for Christmas this year. Each person who was lost was someone’s child. Give those families your respect in giving them time to mourn, because to them this isn’t just a story on a website, it is their reality.

Take a look at this article and pay special attention to the parts that talk about the families of the missing crew members.

“Of course I’m hopeful. I don’t want to let my mind go to thinking the worst,” said Jennifer Wiegandt Seidman of Carmichael. Her husband, Chief Petty Officer John Seidman, was the flight engineer on the plane. “John knows what he’s doing, and he’s fit and he’s very smart. They’re saying that they’re still looking.”

It isn’t just the families of the air crews that are hurting right now, it is their Coast Guard family too. I can not speak for the Marines, but I can tell you that the loss of any Guardian is felt throughout the Coast Guard…and maybe even more strongly when in the line of duty. When we lose 7 of them at one time?? We are the smallest of the services. My husband, who is in the Navy, once said that it is kind of crazy to go to a Coast Guard function because everyone seems to know everyone else. This means that when we have a loss like this if you don’t know the person directly, you know someone who did.

So, instead of letting the focus shift to pointing figures and casting blame…I hope that people take the time to remember that these are people who were lost. The air crew was actively searching for someone who was lost and in need…they were doing what they loved…they were heroes. Even more than that, they were people who were loved and loved others in return.

The investigation will be what it will be, it won’t bring back any of those lost. Give the people who are grieving the respect and thought they deserve.