Touching the Ancient One

August 29, 2006

Accidents like the Comair Flight 5191 crash in Lexington, Kentucky hits us hard and reminds us of the frailty of life. We grieve for the forty-nine victims and their immediate families. To someone not directly affected by a tragedy, empathy can be short-lived; it’s not that we’re insensitive; we can only absorb so much, and there is certainly a lot to absorb in this modern day and age.

Because of my history with our C-47 Survivor’s group, I tend to see each of those forty-nine circles of grief as being wide—and deep. Fifty-one years after the crash of our C-47 in the mountains of Alaska, people are still grieving for their lost ones. Two days ago I got a letter from the daughter of one of the victims in our crash. She wanted to feel a “connection” with her father whom she didn’t remember. I’ve seen this over and over in our group, a yearning to connect somehow, even if it’s just talking to someone who was with their loved one near the time of their death.

As you think of the families of the forty-nine on board Flight 5191, and pray for them, think broadly of all the friends and relatives, and think deeply about those too young, perhaps even unborn, who will someday want to know. In 2057 you can be sure there will be people still asking—and hurting.

First officer James M. Polehinke, who was apparently piloting the plane, and who was the only survivor, continues in critical condition. Pray for him, not only for physical recovery, but for the help he will most certainly need in dealing with this in other ways.
Rupert

August 27, 2006
The Huntington Herald-Dispatch ran an article by Justin McElroy about me and my book, Touching the Ancient One in today’s Sunday edition. I’m quite pleased with it. You may access the article, “Marshall grad tells story of survival” here, or in the Links of Interest module.
Rupert

August 26, 2006
On August 22, I had the honor of being interviewed by an icon of broadcasting. Ernie Tetrault, retired, but still active in public access TV, as well as many other community causes, invited me to SACC TV, Channel 16 studios to tape a half-hour session for his show. I came away knowing I’d been talking to a real pro.

He’s had a long and exciting career in broadcasting which many will find interesting. Click here to see a short bio on Ernie Tetrault.

Rupert

August 14, 2006
On Sunday, August 6, The Schenectady Sunday Gazette ran a review for Touching the Ancient One. The reviewer, John Rowen, did an excellent job, I thought. Mr. Rowen, a book reviewer for about twenty-five years, is quite respected in our area. I’d like to publish the entire review on this website, but hesitate to do that because of copyright laws. Here are a couple of excerpts, however:

  ". . . Rupert Pratt adds a twist to the disaster epic. Past masters of this genre, such as Walter Lord with “A Night to Remember” or Sebastian Junger with “The Perfect Storm,” devote much of their work to setting the stage for the disaster and then re-creating it. They devote less time to considering what happened afterwards. Pratt, a retired Schenectady teacher, describes a disaster with the best of them. But unlike Lord or Junger, he spends more time explaining what happens afterwards—to survivors and the family and friends of people who did not make it."

" . . . Pratt shows how six men took the gift of surviving a plane crash and made it more valuable by living life fully. The passage of time, he suggests, is a gift that helps people understand the lessons of their life."

I will also put these excerpts into Comments on the Book in the sidebar.

You can read the entire review on the Daily Gazette website, but you’ll have to pay a fee of $2 to do so.

Rupert

August 4, 2006 

I've updated the Featured Pictures link in the sidebar. See the big moose in the August feature.

Rupert 

August 3, 2006
MWSA Review Board Reviewer Joe Fabel has added his review to that of Bill McDonald. Use the Comments on the Book link in the sidebar or click here. You may also see the origional on the MWSA website.

Rupert 

August 1, 2006
    Bill McDonald, president of the Military Writers Society of America (MWSA,) has given Touching the Ancient One a very favorable review.
    I’ve had MWSA in my links for some time, so some of you may have accessed it—or you may already be familiar with the organization.
    On the MWSA website, visitors are greeted with the following explanation: “We are an association of more than five-hundred authors, poets, and artists, drawn together by the common bond of military service.  Most of our members are active duty military, retirees, or military veterans.  A few are lifelong civilians who have chosen to honor our military through their writings or their art.  Our only core principle is a love of the men and women who defend this nation, and a deeply personal understanding of their sacrifice and dedication.”
    Bill is committed to that principal. Membership is free. Anyone with any idea of preserving memories of service experiences should be a member. For those who wish to read about those experiences, the list of books represent a selection difficult to find anyplace else. Go to the MWSA website main page.
    I’m putting Bill McDonald’s review of my book in the sidebar under Comments on the Book. Or you can read it on the MWSA website, along with many other interesting items.

Rupert