We are family

You have surely heard about the killer earthquake Tuesday in Christchurch, New Zealand. Media outlets in the U.S. have given the story some play over these first several hours, though that will likely die down rather quickly, particularly if things in Libya continue to deteriorate/accelerate.

I took more note of the quakes than some people for two reasons. One, I spent a few days tramping around the city four years ago and found it and its residents incredibly charming. On a more personal note, looking at the calendar, I knew there were likely members of the U.S. Antarctic Program (USAP) redeploying through Christchurch en route to vacations and homes as the summer season nears its end on the Ice.

Sure enough, it seems almost 400 were in New Zealand at the time and most of them would be in Christchurch. Rather quickly, information began flying between friends that so-and-so checked in and was OK, another couple had already left town in a rental car to visit other spots on the South Island, and so on.

Not wanting to insert myself into a tragic story and not really knowing how to explain my heightened interest, I initially refrained from posting anything. Then my Ice friend Atlas (who’s currently working in Iraq) relayed via Facebook a post by one of his friends that explained what I was feeling.

“The USAP is the ‘largest family’ that many of us have known,” he wrote. “We are all bonded through Antarctica – no matter if you have deployed or not, no matter if you are a full-timer or contract, NSF, PHI, etc. If you have been in 3 months or 35 years ... We are family, and I'm hoping and praying for you all.”

That’s it, I thought. I’m more attuned because we have something in common. I served on the Ice only four months and that ended four years ago. However, the experience was such that I instantly have a link to others who have done the same.

Such links are not uncommon, however.

People feel tied to one another because they come from the same town, state or country, because they attended the same school. Anyone who served in the military can receive a knowing nod from another, even when separated by decades in service. Those who have served overseas in war zones have an even stronger brotherhood, I believe.

Common bonds come in many forms. An experienced parent comforts a new member of the order by offering encouragement and maybe a little advice. People who share similar health problems, from migraines to gout, instantly find a new level on which to communicate.

So far, I’ve heard of no USAP members among the dead or wounded, though it occurs to me I’m thinking the way we often do in times of trouble.

You know what I’m talking about. We hear of a disaster and think, “I hope nobody I know is involved.” It’s a natural reaction, I believe, but what does it mean? Is a victim less important if we don’t know him?

That’s not true, of course. We simply tend to protect our own feelings, knowing we’ll hurt more if we share a bond with a victim.

And then there’s the final, huge truth.

We do share bonds. With everyone. No matter our differences, we all have things in common.

We are family and we’re hoping and praying for you all.
(c) 2011 by Steve Martaindale