Quabbin and New Article
Hi all, two pictures of Quabbin, one is me at the Indian Kitchen (a cave in the woods) and the other is of Wendell’s grave hidden in the woods (the only grave not moved when Quabbin was created simply because it was overlooked by the grave diggers.) You can see where I’m giving the Quabbin lecture on my websitewww.michaeltougias.com and on my Facebook author page “Michael J. Tougias”.
On a different subject I’m so sick of hearing the term “hero” used for just about anyone who does something good I just had to write the following piece:
Too Many Heroes? An Anniversary of a Real One
With recent attention focused on the alleged captain’s cowardice of the cruise ship Costa Concordia, it is important to remember our heroes on the ocean. This year marks the 60th anniversary of the Coast Guard’s greatest rescue, in which four men received the Gold Life Saving Medal for heroism. It’s a good opportunity to review the men’s actions and ponder the question if we use the term hero too liberally today.
Bernard C. Webber saved 32 lives off the coast of Chatham, Massachusetts in 1952. Bernie and his crew of three took a 36-foot wooden lifeboat into the teeth of a vicious Nor’easter off the coast of Chatham Massachusetts to rescue 33 men on a sinking oil tanker that had split in half. This was in 1952, when the Coast Guard still operated by the unofficial motto of “You have to go out, but you don’t necessarily have to come back.” No one at Coast Guard Station Chatham expected Bernie Webber to come back from his mission on a night where the seas were a towering 60 feet. Bernie not only came back, but he was able to rescue 32 or of the 33 seamen from the tanker, just minutes before it rolled to its side and sank. Imagine his small vessel crammed with 32 survivors battling seas twice the size of the boat as they groped their way back toward land!
Was Bernie a hero? He certainly didn’t think so, having told me, “I was just doing my job. The real heroes were my three man crew.” What Bernie meant by that statement was that his crew volunteered to go with him when they could have kept quiet and hoped others stepped forward or were chosen.
Bernie’s observation gets at the heart of the meaning of a hero. I’ve always felt a pure hero is someone who has the option not to undertake a mission of self sacrifice but does so anyway. These pure heroes are often bystanders who witness a disaster and step forward to save a life when most others are either running to escape the danger or frozen in fear.
Pure heroes are not limited to those who are involved with rescuing others during an accident or disaster, where physical daring is the paramount attribute for success. They can also include the person who sacrifices their energy and time on a daily basis to help someone less fortunate. This “quiet hero” is never paid, is never under any obligation, and is never looking for personal gain. They simply give of themselves because it’s the right thing to. I’ve been blessed to know one of these types. For 31 years my father has cared for my sister who was paralyzed and brain damaged by a drunk driver. Watching him do his work—and do it with a smile—is to watch a hero in action on a daily basis. And there are many more care-givers like him, going about their particular mission with little fanfare.
And there are heroes who by virtue of the goal they are trying to accomplish, cannot be quiet, but instead must be as vocal as possible. These individuals speak out for justice–often at great risk to themselves—so that others may have a better life. Martin Luther King certainly fits that profile.
* * *
Defining what actions are heroic is difficult indeed. Is every rescue made by firefighters, police officers, and the Coast Guard heroic? Are not these individuals paid to perform the work they do? Maybe “brave” is a more appropriate term than “hero”. We tend to automatically label an act of courage as heroic, but the words are not interchangeable.
It’s far easier to know what is not heroic. We cheapen the word hero by anointing athletes as heroes. They may be accomplished, or even amazing, but not heroes. Next time an athlete makes the winning shot, gets the walk-off home run, or scores the touchdown with no time left on the clock, let’s just say they maximized their opportunity.
Getting back to my earlier question of whether or not Bernie Webber was a hero, one should know that while it was his job to go out into the storm, he could have cut his mission short. He would not have been faulted if he turned back after one particularly large wave knocked out his compass (his sole means of navigation), smashed the boat’s window, and temporarily snuffed out the vessel’s power. But he and his crew continued on, even though they now knew the odds of coming back alive were stacked against them. That’s heroic.
Facebook Fan Page
Hi everyone, I have an Author Facebook Page “Michael J Tougias” which I update every three days. Here is the link for the most up to date news:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Michael-J-Tougias/142173262562318
Well, Disney is moving ahead with the screenwriting and production of my co-written book The Finest Hours. Still kinda hard for me to get my head around, but everything is falling into place. I’m hoping casting starts this spring and filming begins this summer.
I just got back from speaking at three Coast Guard Air Stations: Houston, Mobile, and New Orleans. One of my lasting memories is of a young boy named Luke who visited the Coast Guard base via the “Make a Wish” Foundation. His dream has been to be a rescue swimmer, the men and women at Air Station Mobile helped him through the training and he made it. The station put together a beautiful video of his training. I just found out his address so I sent him an audio book version of Overboard because that features rescue swimmer A.J. Thompson. That young boy was a rescue swimmer for a day, but little hero forever. I wrote to him that although I’m a good swimmer, I’d never make it as a rescue swimmer because I’m afraid of heights!
Best wishes to all for a safe and healthy 2012 filled with gratitude for the good things in life.
New presentation, new books, and movie update
I have a new presentation titled “Survive and Thrive: Lessons from those who have beat all odds”. In the past it was business groups and the military that were interested, but lately libraries have been booking the program. I think it’s because their are a lot of helpful tips on achieving difficult goals, decision-making, and surviving bumps in the road we all must face at one time or another.
Disney to Make Movie of The Finest Hours
Hi everyone,
This is a very exciting time as an author: Disney has picked up the film rights to The Finest Hours. I will keep you informed as things progress, but for now you can read more about it in these press releases:
Summer!
This was such a long winter (and I even escaped to the Carribean twice) that I didn’t even feel like posting. But now that I’m in a pair of shorts and bare feet (my feet are always cold in the winter) I feel rejuvinated. Adam Gamble and I spent yesterday on his boat prowling Cape Cod Bay for stripers. We found the mother-lode in five feet of water where hundreds were feeding on sand eels. So tonight I’ll have a nice piece of bass with veges from the garden (spinach and asperugus). Got to enjoy every minute to sustain ourselves through the next winter! Happy summer. Mike
One step closer to a movie deal on The Finest Hours! Will have complete details in three weeks.
Just took a great trip to Puerto Rico where I was hired to speak to the Coast Guard helicopter and C-130 pilots, but then when I went for a swim I almost got swept out to sea and nearly needed those pilots to rescue me! Puerto Rico has some of the most beautiful beaches in the world–it’s unfortunate you have to worry about theft.
Remember to put in “tougias overboard” to YouTube to see some incredible video footage of rescue attempts in the storm.
“Overboard” video on YouTube
Readers can watch a dramatic video of the rescues in my book Overboard featured on Chronicle on YouTube. Click here to watch: Overboard featured on Chronicle
New Article & Updated Speaking Schedule
I’m posting a new survival story on the blog, this one with a historical slant. Also posted is a list of places you can come and see my slide presentations.
Programs Open to the Public
| 1/18 | Tue | 6:30 | Athol MA Library | Overboard | |
| 1/31 | Mon | 7:00 | Wilbraham MA Library | Overboard | |
| 2/5 | Sat | 1:00 | Waterford CT Library | Blizzard 78 | |
| 2/9 | wed | 9:00 am | Sudbury MA Library | King Philip | |
| 2/15 | Tue | 7:00 | Dover NH Library | Overboard | |
| 2/17 | Thur | 10 am | Winchester MA Library | Quabbin | |
| 3/14 | Mon | 12:30 | Wellesley MA Community Ct | Ten Hours | |
| 3/20 | Sun | 7:00 | Leverett MA Library | King Philip | |
| 3/21 | Mon | 7:00 | Uxbridge MA Library | King Philip | |
| 3/23 | Wed | 7:00 | Warren MA Library | Overboard | |
| 3/26 | Sat | 2:00 | Hingham MA Library | King Philip | |
| 3/30 | Weds | 7:00 | Westfield MA Library | Overboard | |
| 3/31 | Thurs | 7:30 | Holliston MA Library | Overboard | |
| 4/4 | Mon | 6:30 | Somerset Historical MA | King Philip | |
| 4/9 | Sat | 10:00am | Get Published in Franklin | (registration required) | |
| 4/11 | Mon | 9:30 am | Beverly MA Library | Overboard | |
| 4/12 | Tue | 7:00 | Dover MA Kraft Hall | Porcupine | |
| 4/17 | Sun | 2:00 | Bedford MA, Cong. Church | Finest Hours | |
| 4/20 | Weds | 7:00 | Bourne Historical | Overboard |
The Tragedy of the Wadena
(Panic at Monomoy Island leads to death for the rescued and rescuers)
Off the tip of Monomoy Island, Cape Cod, the barge Wadena had grounded on the shoals during a storm in March of 1902. Salvage operators, called wreckers, were brought aboard to lighten the load of the barge and try to float it off the sandbar. The wreckers were still at their work on March 17th, when another storm lashed the Cape, and the men on the barge thought the barge would be broken apart. They hoisted an American flag, upside down – a signal of distress—and hoped that the men of the Monomoy Life Saving Station would come to their aid.
Marshall Eldridge, keeper of Monomoy Station, was on lookout, when he noticed the upside down flag, and immediately gathered a crew of seven, led by surfman Seth Ellis, to row a life boat to the barge
When the lifeboat reached the Wadena, Eldridge circled to its lee side and pulled up near the stern. The five men aboard the barge had spent a terrifying night as the waves repeatedly knocked their vessel into the shoal, threatening to break the hull apart. Now salvation had arrived, and the frightened men wanted off the barge, and quickly. They immediately started lowered themselves over the side with a rope and fell into the lifeboat.
As the Eldridge and his crewmen backed away from the barge a wave shipped water into the surfboat, and the five men that had been rescued panicked, thinking the boat was going to capsize. Standing up, they clutched at the oarsmen, making it impossible for the rescuers to maneuver the boat. Eldridge hollered at the wreckers for order, as another wave cascaded more water into the boat. His order fell on deaf ears, as the rescued clutched onto the rescuers. The next wave capsized the boat and now thirteen men were in the water clutching to the overturned hull, as foamy, freezing seas repeatedly washed over the tumbling surfboat.
Dressed in heavy clothing now waterlogged and dragging them downward, men lost their grip on the lifeboat, were pulled away, and smothered by the turbulent seas until their last breath was gone. Within minutes, only two men, Arthur Rogers and Seth Ellis, were still alive and clinging to the boat as the rip at the shoals and the steep waves yanked at the men’s grip on the boat. At one point Rogers started slipping away, his frozen fingers unable to hold onto the boat’s submerged rail. Ellis shouted encouragement, but Rogers was played out and gasped, “I have got to go,” and the ocean took him as it had the others.
Alone, Ellis doggedly maintained a hold on keel. The boat drifted to calmer waters, and Ellis used this unexpected opportunity to kick off his boots and articles of clothing which were weighing him down. Another lucky break came his way when the boat’s centerboard came ajar of its casing, affording him a better grip.
Aboard a second grounded barge, the Fitzpatrick, the three men aboard had not seen the lifeboat go to the aid of the Wadena. Elmer Mayo, however, had just gone on deck and happened to spot the overturned lifeboat with Ellis still hanging on. Mayo was from Chatham, and in the tradition of its mariners, he decided to risk his own life to try and save Ellis. The Fitzpatrick had a small twelve foot dory on board, and Mayo asked the other two crewmen to help him lower it over the side of the barge. One of them tried to dissuade him, shouting “No, your dory won’t live in that wild water, sir!” Mayo, however, ignored the warning, and once the dory was in the water he scrambled over the side the side of the barge and jumped into the tiny dory. Just two days earlier the dory had capsized in moderate seas and both its oars were lost. The replacement oars were much shorter than the originals and ill-suited for the vessel, but Mayo was undeterred and set out for where he had last seen Ellis.
As a wave tossed the dory to its crest, Mayo searched for the overturned lifeboat, but spray, rain and streaks of foam obscured visibility at ocean level and he could no longer see it. He did his best to maneuver, keeping the bow of his vessel into the seas, and after several minutes he spotted Ellis, still clinging to the overturned hull of the surfboat. Mayo turned the dory, pulled on his oars for all he was worth, and came alongside Ellis.
In a remarkable display of determination, Ellis mustered one last burst of energy and let go of the lifeboat and took hold of the dory, and with Mayo’s help pulled himself up and over the gunwale before collapsing in the dory’s bottom. “I was so used up,” recalled Ellis, “I could not speak.”
Mayo managed to maneuver the dory through the breaking seas and land on the outer-side of Monomoy, where he and Ellis were helped to the station.
Both men received the gold medal lifesaving medal. Later, Ellis pointed out that the deaths of the 5 men from the barge, and the 7 lifesavers, never should have happened. “If those five men taken off the barge had kept their heads and done as we told them all hands would have landed in safety.”
