25 Years

December 19th is kind of a solemn day around our house. It's the anniversary of Justin's dad's death. He was killed in the Wilberg Mine fire. This year marked 25 years since it happened. They held a memorial for the 21 people that were killed down in Emery County, and we were able to go at the last minute. We drove up to the memorial that they have down there. It is a beautiful stone listing all the names of those lost that day. It sits at the bottom of the canyon where the mine is. You could just feel how sacred of a place it is. (I wasn't sure about taking pics there, so we didn't). Then they held a memorial service at the Emery County High School. They were going to have some of the national MSHA officers there to speak, but due to the bad snow storm back east they were unable to make it. They had a few other speakers there, one of the guys from back there made it in and spoke. He actually flew out and was in charge of watching the chemical levels inside the mine while the rescuers were in there trying to find them. It was neat to hear him recount those days and what everyone went through. Then they had a lighting ceremony. They had 21 mining hard hats lined up across the stage with everyone's name on it. They turned out all the lights and as they read the names of those lost they turned on their mine light. Afterward they gave the hats to the family members that were there. It was such a neat experience and I am so glad we were able to make it down for it. I really wish that I could have met Justin's dad, Vic. From what I hear from stories he was such an awesome guy and everyone seemed to really love him. In a way he is still around and defintiely not forgotten. We have decided to name this baby after Justin's dad, and I know that means a lot to Justin. Below are the pics of the hat that had Vic's name on it.