Essay

Humanitarian mission gone wrong
We commonly talk about heroes and the impacts they made in society or in ones individual life. But seldom do we talk about those who are heroes but aren’t given that fame of a hero. Daily there are people volunteering their time and efforts to help others. There are organizations whose primary purpose is to give back to the less fortunate. Yet we don’t take the time to acknowledge them well at least not while their living.
It has become a common habit of society to not really take into consideration people until their gone. I guess its like that old saying, “you never know what you have until its gone.” Rarely do we mention humanitarian workers and the huge impact that they are making in other countries, until we hear of some tragic ending to their mission.
Humanitarians are heroes that we do not acknowledge and we really should. They are doing great things and representing our country in a helpful, caring, educative way. They do not have the fame to follow them but they tend to do things that should be recognized more than what we recognize them.
On August 24, 2008 a humanitarian mission went wrong. Unfortunately a plane crashed in Guatemala killing 5 individuals on a humanitarian mission for the organization named Choice Humanitarian. The plane crash took a total of 10 lives amongst those ten were those five Americans on a humanitarian mission for the choice organization. According to the New York Times the Americans on the plane were traveling to a village near El Estor. The Choice Humanitarian group was going to this village to build homes for the village people. The Choice Humanitarian group is based in West Jordan, Utah (The associated press,2008).
To make matters worse a family is destroyed by this humanitarian mission. A young girl named Sara Jensen lost her father and brother on this mission and her mother faces severe burns (the associated press, 2008). It is inspirational to hear that an entire family took part in this mission. You commonly hear of families taking trips to Disney world or some type of adventurous trip but seldom do we hear of family trips to other countries to make a difference. It is extremely sad to hear that things had to end this way for the family but they truly are in my eyes and I am sure in many others a heroic family. I am sure they could have taken a trip anywhere else in the world but chose to do this one for the better of others.
This isn’t the biggest issue that happened this year or better put it is not the one most talked about this year. Because it truly has an impact of its own, yet we do not hear much about it. Perhaps it is because we tend to focus on other things that seem to affect the greater amount or because a small plane crash is not that entertaining or appealing to the audience. Yet small issues like these are the ones that deserve the biggest attention. These were ordinary people like you and me, volunteering their time and dedication to help those less fortunate. And it really is tragic to hear that their lives had to end this way.


Works Cited Page
The New York Times. 24 August 2008. The New York Times. 21 November 2008. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/25/world/americas/25guatemala.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
Choice Humanitarian Tribute Site. 2008. Choice Humanitarian. 21 November 2007. http://www.choicehumanitariantragety.com
American Aid Workers Mourned After Plane Crash. 26 August 2008. You Tube/The Associated Press. 21 November 2008. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tKTlAQOiVs