Well Trace at least we know where you stand.
No one knows "if they couldn't help."--There is always hope. Yesterday a woman was pulled from
the rubble in Haiti after 14 days. The government had called off search efforts days ago.
Some people will help, others, like yourself would not. A personal choice indeed.
Mdb,
Everyday people try to rescue others. Everyday people make decisions about who they can help and who they can't. In great disasters like in Haiti, rescue workers, doctors and nurses cannot save all. Patients who will otherwise die without immediate surgery, but who may live, are given precedence over others who are strongly believed to be beyond help. We hear stories of miracles every day, but when resources are scarce and over-burdened, prudence often dictates that you lose one miracle survivor, to help several live.
People can still search through the rubble despite the official termination of a search. They are not in immediate danger. They may take risks, but they are breathing and do not expect to die. Their deaths aren't certain. Certain death changes things.
You mentioned medics in Vietnam. Yes, I grew up admiring Vietnam vets and war heroes. I still do. But, dead medics can't save live soldiers. As a platoon leader, I would greatly admire a medic for shielding a wounded soldier, for going to help anyone in danger. But, I also would have to look out for all my men, our purpose in a mission, and
how the decisions that affect the men in each squad will effect the lives of the other platoons and the company. There would be situations in which I would have to hold the medic back if it were possible to get him to stay put. For example, when dealing with a sniper who is using a wounded man as bait. The medic may want to go, but someone needs to think about the entire situation.
If BabyDuck made the decision to shut off gas on her partner for the benefit of their shared child, is she a hero or a villain? Is she a hero because she is a woman and we men can be chivalrous? Is she a hero because she is a woman with a child and we would admire the courage it would take for her to kill the man she loves to live and be a mother and raise that child? I would bet she would receive a great show of support because men are expected to die, women are expected to live, and men will often be willing to die for the mothers of their children and their children.
We grow up in a society in which we watch movies that glorify violence while reviling it. We grow up watching The Lone Ranger, John Wayne, and movies about heroes. Some of us experience heroism first hand. In the film,
The Guardian, about USCG rescue swimmers which glorifies the heroics of the men and women who serve our nation in that occupation, Kevin Costner as a rescue swimmer instructor tells Ashton Kutcher's character, "Save the ones you can, Jake. The rest you have to let go."
As an instructor who teaches lifeguarding, sport rescue, advanced rescue for the professional rescuer, and technical rescue courses, I am saying, "Save the ones you can."
That's where I stand in this thread.
As someone who has made a lot of rescues on the surface and under the water, for real, I have gone 100% of the time and never let go yet. But, I also know that I should let go if I need to let go.
I don't know if I ever would let go of a victim, but as a pro rescuer, I like knowing my options and how to achieve them.
I'd rather dive with someone who tells me, "I may shut off your gas if we don't have enough to make it out," Not only will I be more careful about not getting into a situation where my buddy may sacrifice my life for his, but it will give the the opportunity to say, "I may let you," and believe one of us will make it out. My death is unfortunate (although I'm sure some here would be thrilled!), but my buddy dying for me to no good end would really anger me at the complete waste of it all.
At the end of
The Guardian, Ashton Kutcher says, "I won't let go." Costner replies, "I know."