Thoughts from Dr. Joe: Giving praise to search and rescue teams of L.A. County
Irving Stone’s iconic book “Men to Match my Mountains” is a history of westward expansion. It chronicles the heroics of the pathfinders who forged Thomas Jefferson’s vision of a single nation between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. In between these oceans lay vast mountain barriers only the bravest and most skilled individuals could surmount and thereby make Jefferson’s vision a reality. “Men to Match my Mountains” is a history of those men.
You may have noticed over the years that I use metaphors to express difficult ideas. Metaphors convey the most candor in the least amount of space. Thus, I understand the meaning of the title of Stone’s book and see its significance in explaining the commitment and heroics of the first responders of today.
They wear assorted uniforms. Today, it is my pleasure to comment on the search and rescue teams of Los Angeles County.
These teams include men and women whose bravery and skill match the enormity and potential danger of mountainous terrain.
I wanted to understand the nature of those who readily face danger attempting to effect rescues throughout our county. I spoke to a friend of mine, Mike Leum, a fellow resident of the Foothills who is part of the county’s 200-member, all volunteer search and rescue task force.
Mike explained that a mountain rescue is often a concerted effort between both air and ground patrols. He was quick to tell me, “Without your team next to you, no one is getting rescued.”
Mike, who has participated in more than 1,000 rescues, stressed that the search and rescue teams are driven by a calling to make a difference in potentially life-threatening situations. “We are volunteers who train hundreds of hours per year to maintain proficiency and fitness,” he said.
I am particularly impressed by the physicality of the teams, which are on call around the clock. Mike trains daily.
“In a rescue, I would never want a lack of endurance to limit my ability to rescue someone,” he said.
The teams understand there is a limited time to effect a rescue; thus, endurance and skill are consequential. Their mission is to return rescued individuals to their families.
Service and volunteerism are an integral component in Mike’s life. In order to raise money and awareness for the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, he has climbed Mt. Hood in Oregon and Mt. Rainier in Washington. He also participates in the Life Rolls On Foundation, where he assists the disabled through surfing.
Attempting to raise awareness for PTSD and the 22 soldiers who commit suicide daily, Mike challenges others to take the 22 push-up challenge for 22 days and then elicit the participation of others. His mantra, from Ecclesiastes 4:10, expresses his lifetime commitment to serving others: “Pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up.”
Search and rescue teams sometimes experience extreme dejection. Not all rescues are successful. Mike explained, “The teams humanize the victims, risking their life to save them and there is no separation between the two. It is extremely difficult when a child is involved.”
The first responders of the search and rescue teams are given coordinates and selflessly go at the drop of a hat to make the rescue. Mixing adrenaline and a commitment to help others is a powerful motivator. They want to go over the side.
When I think of these brave men and women, I am reminded of a line from the novel “Starship Troopers” by Robert Heinlein, “It runs through all our folklore, all human religions, and all our literature — a racial conviction that when one human needs rescue, others should not count the price.”
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JOE PUGLIA is a practicing counselor, a retired professor of education and a former officer in the Marines. Reach him at doctorjoe@ymail.com. Visit his website at doctorjoe.us.
