Jungle Cowboys

World Magazine ^ | March 19, 2016 | Sophia Lee

[Retain Mike]

BURMA—“Help!” Sahale Eubank, 15, screamed as she clung to a rock with one hand and held onto the reins of a panic-eyed horse with the other. River rapids dragged the poor beast toward jagged rocks.

David Eubank, 55, dashed into the icy waters without taking off his socks and hiking boots. Father and daughter splashed, grunted, and pulled until the horse—their main porter for baggage stuffed with medical and educational supplies for impoverished villagers—climbed trembling onto the rock.

Eubank, founder of the Free Burma Rangers (FBR), a humanitarian aid group, was on a two-day trek through the Karen State mountains of southeast Burma. His wife Karen, their three children, several FBR volunteers, and I were with him, hiking at 4,000 feet amid 90-degree heat and high humidity.

[Retain Mike]

I think of the last Rambo movies where he tells the people that if they are not bringing guns they are not going to be much help. That does not seem to be the case here. These are very different people; husband, wife, children, and the author.

The article says Eubank founded FBR in 1997 during the government’s bloodiest offensives against the Karen, Karenni, and Shan states. He had no long-term plan, team, or budget when he responded to a call for help from the Wa State in 1993. He did have a gut-spurred, prayer-led conviction. For such a need as this he had grown up as a missionary’s kid in Thailand and then become an Eagle Scout, U.S. Army Ranger, Special Forces soldier, Fuller Theological Seminary postgraduate, and ordained pastor. He and his wife Karen spent their post-honeymoon slogging through jungles and hauling rucksacks jammed with medical supplies and Bible teaching materials.

[Uncle Lonny]

Did some “Adventure travel” with the hill tribes in Burma in 1984, 85, and 86. It was a great adventure until I caught a resistant strain of Malaria and it almost killed me. What a long strange trip it was !

Thanks for the update.

[Retain Mike]

I might have been uncertain before, but was cured of ever wanting an Asian adventure the first time I performed the collateral duty onboard our ship of reviewing the controlled drugs our ship chief corpsman had. Penicillin was a controlled drug and it seemed every striker and rating to 2nd class in my division had taken treatment. The ship had just spent a lot of time in the Subic Bay Philippines.

[Uncle Lonny]

Was in Subic in 68. Olangapo City was quite a place for a young man back then.

I knew that “I was not in Kansas anymore” as soon as I crossed the bridge.

[Retain Mike]

My current Medicare doctor is Filipino and says Olangapo is the cleanest city in the country. I can only see dirt streets, and wooden sidewalks and smell that river.