Who among us has heard of a man named Edgar Harrell? Until a while ago, his name meant nothing to me - I had never heard of this extraordinary human being. But I was sent a link to a youtube clip where Edgar told his story of a time back in 1945 when he and his fellow shipmates spent 5 days in shark infested water in the South Pacific.
Edgar Harrell was a young Marine assigned to the US Navy ship, the USS Indianapolis. After delivering components for the atomic bombs, the ship was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine. Hundreds of his mates were killed by sharks. Listen to his harrowing experience.
Of 1195 crewmen aboard, approximately 300 went down with the ship. The remaining 890 faced exposure, dehydration, saltwater poisoning, and shark attacks while stranded in the open ocean with few lifeboats and almost no food or water. The Navy only learned of the sinking four days later, when survivors were spotted by the crew of a PV-1 Ventura on routine patrol. Only 316 survived. The sinking of USS Indianapolis resulted in the greatest single loss of life at sea from a single ship in the history of the US Navy. source
My late father was a sailor with the Royal Navy in the Second World War. He couldn't swim. I always felt that was a rather strange choice of military service for him but he loved the sea and boating and never saw it as a deterrent to his passion for the water.
I used to be a strong swimmer yet one day back in 2001, I was caught in a rip swimming off the coast of Queensland. I panicked. In thinking that I was going to drown, I almost did. It took two young lads on surfboards to save me. They were about 10 years old.
They paddled over to me and, as one approached, he started telling me what to do.
" My mate is going to get you on his board. Until he does, lie on your back and look at the sky. Just look at the sky, stay on your back and breathe. Do that and you'll be OK. "
I did as I was told. His young mate pulled me on his board and brought me back to shore. I cried with gratitude and the two boys just shrugged their shoulders and the one who talked with me replied " it's OK. I learned that at Nippers. "
( Nippers, for those of you not familiar with the term, is a group of kids attached to surf life saving clubs around Australia, New Zealand and South Africa ) who are taught about surf awareness and first aid. )
When I watched this clip, with Edgar Harrell, the two young boys on surfboards flashed in to my mind, as did the current hysteria and fear and hopelessness that pervades our world at present.
My " survival " lasted barely 15 minutes. This brave man's survival lasted 5 days and nights. With no water. No food. And mine did not involve sharks.
His only " lads on surfboards " was a deeply rooted faith in the Almighty God.
As he said of those days alone in the ocean, 'Clearly there were no atheists in the water that day. Gone was that damnable attitude of pride that deceives men into thinking that there is no God. "
Edgar Harrell floated in the shark-infested Pacific Ocean for four-and-a-half days.
He swam aimlessly in the salt water — mixed heavily with black oil and blood — with a group of 80 other men who had jumped off the fiery USS Indianapolis after it has been torpedoed by the Japanese during the closing months of World War II.
It was July 30, 1945, and it was 43 degrees celsius, or 110 degrees in fahrenheit. They had no water. Dehydration left their lips covered with sores and their tongues swollen. source
By the afternoon of the third day, the group dwindled to just 17 men. Shark fins and the torsos of those they had killed surrounded them. One would scream each time as they were pulled under, just for unrecognizable parts to bob back to the surface.
Which brings me to the point of this article.
While Governments around the world return administrations that foster fear and messages of " we're all going to die! ", Trump is like the boy on the surfboard; the power of God that saw Edgar Harrell survive and keep hope and faith that he would survive.
Without a message of hope, all is lost. Without faith that tomorrow will be better, all is lost.
As President Trump rallies the People, binds them together, unifies them and offers a bright future, the Cancer that is defeatism and leftist indoctrination keeps telling us that there is no surfboard and there is no rescue ahead. We are being told that all we can do is keep treading water and all they can offer is a kapok life jacket and a crate of rotten potatoes.
Sadly, my home State of Queensland voted for the rotten potatoes and the life jacket. I fear that NSW is being forced to choose between drowning or being eaten by sharks. One Nation's surfboard is a tantalising option, if only people could see that.
I prefer the surfboard and I hope that the people of America see that too when 2024 rolls around. Let us just pray that there are enough survivors left to make it safely ashore.
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