It is a terribly sad fluke that Leflore County has become the epicenter for one of the worst stateside military disasters in many years.
No one knows — or is saying as of this writing — what catastrophic mechanical failure or human error caused the Marine Corps’ KC-130 plane to plunge to the earth Monday while flying over the Delta en route to Western destinations. But when it did, this community responded and continues to do so with a multitude of emergency personnel, both career and voluntary, and with the help of good folks just trying to do what they can to lighten the emotional and physical burden on those charged with dealing with the crash scene and the loss of life.
Foremost, our thoughts and prayers go with the families and friends of the 16 victims — 15 Marines and one Navy sailor — who died in the crash. Although members of the military know that death is always a possibility, no one expects that on something as routine as flying from one base to another.
Chances are we won’t know the families personally touched by this tragedy. The best we can do for them is to respect their time of grief and to recover the remains of their loved ones with dignity and compassion.
Such recovery is no easy task in a debris field scattered over several miles of row crops. It’s fortunate the crash site was in such a sparsely populated area. Imagine what the tragedy might have been on the ground had the plane gone down in an urban area. The result would have been even more horrific.
During tragedies such as this, it underscores the appreciation we should feel for those whom we call first responders — lawmen, firefighters, coroners, emergency medical technicians, trained volunteers and, in this case, private pilots called in to help with aerial reconnaissance during the search for bodies and wreckage. It’s estimated that 200 individuals from Leflore and Sunflower counties as well as other parts of the state, many of them working through the night that first day, have been involved in the search.
Some of this work can be dangerous. The explosions that occurred during the fire caused by the crashed plane were unnerving. The work is also physically taxing and emotionally draining.
It was gratifying to see how local disaster relief organizations, such as The Salvation Army, and just good-hearted volunteers mobilized quickly to provide meals, water and words of appreciation to those who are on the front lines of this operation. They will continue to need that kind of support for several days as the search and recovery continue — and probably for some time afterward when the adrenaline falls off and they recall some of the grim scenes they witnessed.
Be sorrowful for those who lost their lives, and be grateful for those who don’t think twice about responding at times of such human tragedies.
