On 18 February 2001, while racing , Dale Earnhardt
died in the last lap of the Daytona 500. It was surely a tragedy for
his
family, friends and fans. He was 49 years old with grown children,
one,
which was in the race. I am new to the NASCAR culture so much of what
I
know has come from the newspaper and TV. He was a winner and earned
everything he had. This included more than "$41 million in winnings
and
ten times that from endorsements and souvenir sales." He had a
beautiful
home and a private jet. He drove the most sophisticated cars allowed
and
every part was inspected and replaced as soon as there was any
evidence
of
wear. This is normally fully funded by the car and team sponsors.
Today,
there is no TV station that does not constantly remind us of his
tragic
end and the radio already has a song of tribute to this winning
driver.
Nothing should be taken away from this man, he was a professional and
the
best in his profession. He was in a very dangerous business but the
rewards were great. Two weeks ago 7 US Army soldiers died in a
training accident when two UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters collided during
night maneuvers in Hawaii. The soldiers were all in their twenties,
pilots, crew chiefs and infantrymen. Most of them lived in substandard
housing. If you add their actual duty hours (in the field, deployed)
they
probably earn something close to minimum wage. The aircraft they were
in
were between 15 and 20 years old. Many times parts were not available
to
keep them in good shape due to funding. They were involved in the
extremely dangerous business of flying in the Kuhuku Mountains at
night.
It only gets worse when the weather moves in as it did that night.
Most
times no one is there with a yellow or red flag to slow things down
when
it gets critical. Their children where mostly toddlers who will lose
all
memory of who "Daddy" was as they grow up. They died training to
defend
our freedom.
I take nothing away from Dale Earnhardt but ask you to perform this
simple
test. Ask any of your friends if they know who was the NASCAR driver
killed on 18 February 2001. Then ask them if they can name one of the
seven soldiers who died in Hawaii two weeks ago. 18 February 2001,
Dale
Earnhardt died driving for fame and glory at the Daytona 500. The
nation
mourns. Seven soldiers died training to protect our freedom. No one
can
remember their names and most don't even remember the incident.
Semper Fidelis
Staff Sergeant Jeffery A Stuhlman
5th Battalion, 10th Marines
PSC Box 20109
Camp Lejeune, NC 28542-0109
ph# 910 451 5227/2616 DSN 75
