He provided his own quick wit and sense of command and used absolutely everything he'd ever learned.
That is truly heroic.
He had confidence that SOMEBODY could drill a hole and get them out of there hence the 17 day long period of iron discipline.
He was right!
I liked the Chilean President's speech to the man ~ a whole speech addressed to a single individual ~ You don't see that often anywhere.
A friend of mine was once trapped in a cave in Southern Indiana for about a week. It'd rained a lot, the water rose, and he got cut off. People knew he was in there but could do nothing. He said he met angles, and Satan, and Jesus, and others, and he was without any kind of light for most of the time. He ended up starting college a couple of years late as a consequence of that event ~ but, he survived, and that was but a week. Imagine 17 days ~ 1/2 mile underground in solid rock. Someone gave you the right boss.
He provided his own quick wit and sense of command and used absolutely everything he'd ever learned.
That is truly heroic.
He had confidence that SOMEBODY could drill a hole and get them out of there hence the 17 day long period of iron discipline.
He was right!
This sounds like the underground version of the Shackleton expedition to the South Pole during WWI!
Shackleton and a few of his strongest men went far across the southern sea to find rescue help. But a great deal of credit goes to Frank Wild, who kept morale and spirits up on desolate Elephant Island. To the remaining men he would say daily, "any day now" they should get ready, the rescue ship would return. And return it did, with not a man lost.
Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing, is an incredible book. I would not be at all surprised to learn the shift supervisor had read it.