Photo: The road leading from the coal company owned homes to the coal mine in Beards Fork, WV.
Today the nation learned of 12 miners killed in a West Virginia. Exacerbating this horrendous situation was a three-hour period of joy when the 12 were reported to be alive.
While I have never lived through the horror of a mine collapse, the news hits close. In my family, men had a choice between working in the coalmines and joining the military. I am the granddaughter, great niece and cousin of many miners. Eubert, my great uncle was killed in the mines. Mom’s best friend growing up, Sheila, lost her husband in the mine. Tracy, another great uncle, died of black lung. Grandpa still waits for his black lung settlement.
A few years ago, I heard the stories of mine collapses in Beards Fork, WV. My grandma told of the horror of waiting for ‘Daddy’ to come home after the news of a collapse. During the 2004 collapse in Russia, I was visiting my grandpa. He was glued to the cable news channels and would not sleep while their fate was known. Miners know danger. They are also a tight bunch who cling to each other for survival.
With this collapse, I feel a mix of sadness and rage. I rage against Ben Hatfield, the company president, for letting the families celebrate a lie that their men were alive. Mostly, I grieve for the families that will never be the same. I grieve for all families, including my own, who have lost loved ones for coal.
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