Welcome to Hell!

By Mark W. Danielson

The mountains are a war zone, the enemy Mother Nature.  From the Rockies west, everything is at risk.  I have seen many wildfires while living in or flying over mountain areas and I have never seen a fire season start like this. 

One particularly bad fire, known as the West Fork Fire in south Colorado, has destroyed thousands of acres and sent billowing smoke clouds above 41000 feet.  Countless smaller fires surrounded the area with wind-whipped flames.  Although this region between Alamosa and Durango is relatively remote, homes and ski areas are either in jeopardy or have been destroyed.  The West Fork Fire came only days after the Black Forest Fire near Colorado Springs consumed some five hundred homes.  I happened to be flying abeam the West Fork Fire on my way across the country and snapped these shots from 38,000 feet.  I have never felt so helpless. 

 

For years, the Japanese beetle has been killing western pine forests.  Now, drought and extreme heat have turned these timberlands into kindling.  While lightning is responsible for many fires, some, like the Black Forest Fire, were man-made.  Regardless of how they start, every wildfire requires massive resources that we can neither afford nor have.

Of course, wildfires are not limited to the United States.  In the Australian outback, wildfires branch out in concentric circles.  From 35,000 feet at night, these fires resemble large cities.  Unless they threaten habitats, Australians leave it up to nature to extinguish them.  In some remote areas of the United States, the U.S. Forest Service also elects to do this because fire clears the underbrush and spawns new growth.  While this is not practical in developed areas, not allowing such burns has increased the risk of conflagrations such as the West Fork Fire.  These firestorms create their own weather patterns, often generating fire tornadoes that turn steel into butter and vaporize animals.  Extinguishing such fires in mountain regions is extremely hazardous, time consuming, and dependent upon Mother Nature’s cooperation.    

When the smoke eventually clears, a fire’s cause is only relevant to criminal proceedings.  No words can adequately describe an evacuee’s stress, especially when the fate of their pets or loved ones is unknown.  This summer promises more of the same – heat, drought, lighting, wildfires.  As in sports, our best defense is a good offense.  Please report all smoke.  Do not discard lit cigarette butts.  Only set off fireworks over water.  Most importantly, thank your first-responders for all that they do.  Firefighters may have down time, but when everything hits the fan, they lay down their lives for us.  Happy Independence Day! 

 

 

Independence Day

By Mark W. Danielson

On July 4^th, our nation celebrated its 236th anniversary from British rule.  Independence Day, as it’s known, became a national holiday in 1870 so that it would forever be recognized.  Much has changed since 1776, particularly during my lifetime.  There is no doubt we are still an evolving nation.

Depending upon one’s point of view, “independence” has many definitions.  Country singer Martina McBride’s song Independence Day concerned a battered woman freeing herself from her abusive husband.  Hollywood made a movie of the same title about an alien invasion.  For parents and their children, independence may be declared when a child moves out and becomes self-sufficient.  But for our country in present day, true independence will only be regained once we are debt free and no longer involved in overseas conflicts.

The USA Today recently ran an article about the last two soldiers killed in Vietnam.  Most people have no recollection of the rocket attack on Saigon’s airport on April 29, 1975, that killed two Marines, but these men died for the country suddenly and without notoriety.  This article also compared our ten-year conflict in Afghanistan to Vietnam as another war with unclear goals where we are negotiating with undefined leaders.  And while we are discussing retreating from this impoverished region, things are heating up in Syria, Iran, Israel, and Egypt.  Meanwhile our national debt continues to soar while the notion of independence dwindles.  Sadly, most Americans have no concerns over this war.  After all, the grocery stores are full, gas prices are falling, and life is good while the names of those who have died or been maimed for their country fail to register except for those who knew them.

To most, Independence Day is a celebration – a day off to drink beer and grill tube steaks and burgers on the barbie.  They watch the fireworks with awe without any thought to the wars we fought to retain our freedom.  Although the first public fireworks display was on July 4, 1777, it was Francis Scott Key’s “bombs bursting in air” phrase from in his poem about the 1814 Fort McHenry attack that brought meaning to our colorful pyrotechnics.  And when the National Anthem in sung at public events, it is unlikely that most who are mouthing the words understand their significance.  Considering that the majority of Americans, particularly our nation’s leaders, have never served in the military, this disconnect is understandable, but no one can appreciate the true price of freedom without first recognizing our struggles and losses.

Perhaps the greatest thing about celebrating the 4^th of July is that for one brief moment we become “one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”  Our Forefathers welcomed people of all races and countries as Americans.  People became united under one flag.  So if for one day out of each year, people can set their former country’s flags aside to salute our own Stars and Stripes, then the grill parties are worthwhile.  Just remember that there is still a war going on and our volunteer military force is out there willing to die for the freedom our Forefathers believed in.         

(Photo courtesy USCG)