A chosen career path

To the Editor:

I just wanted to let everyone know how I and many of my fellow miners feel about the recent Mike Ivins tragedy.

We all chose this kind of work and are made very aware of the inherent dangers that come with it.

I know when tragedy strikes we all are quick to try and place blame and demand answers.

But unfortunately, all too often there are not any answers or any explanations that will make the pain of losing a loved one go away.

Another thing I have seen with this tragedy is a huge exaggeration of the facts. The reason I think this happens is we as miners are looking for a little extra recognition for the job that we do. Unfortunately this leads to the exaggeration of our working conditions.

The facts are the company goes to great lengths to make sure these tragedies don't happen.

You would not believe how much a tragedy such as this one effects all of us in the industry and how hard it was to pull our boots back on and face our fears and with doing so, letting the healing process begin.

God forbid, if anything happens to me at work, I want everyone to know I died doing a job that I chose to do. I do not want anyone to further jeopardize the livelihood of my fellow miners.

Blame or legal action won't bring me back or bring any relief of the pain we all feel from the loss of a friend, co-worker, or loved one.

James Thill

Troy