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Honoring The Shuttle Columbia
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It was one year ago that a damaged wing brought down the Space Shuttle Columbia, just minutes away from a landing in Florida. The crash led to the biggest recovery effort the country has ever seen. And it was centered on one small town in east Texas, where residents struggle to find some good in the face of tragedy. |
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SCRIPT:
When the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated over east Texas, people in the tiny town of Hemphill faced a grim task. This is where most of the remains of the seven astronauts were found, along with thousands of shuttle pieces.
Bob Morgan / Volunteer Fire Chief: “Suddenly, the house started shaking.”
United Methodist Bob Morgan was chief of the Six Mile Volunteer Fire Department. He spent days on the front lines of the recovery efforts, searching through dense woods and swamps, sometimes in rain and sleet.
Bob Morgan: “It was just so exhausting that I know I could not have done it without my faith and without the Lord’s energy.”
Morgan and his neighbors wanted to bring closure to the astronauts’ families.
Bob Morgan: “People that do that kind of thing are impressive. They are unique. They deserve honor.”
They were honored—by a community that banded together for support, helping each other cope months after the disaster. And those who combed the countryside, or rose early in the morning to cook breakfast for the hundreds of searchers, developed a special bond.
Pastor Sherry Crenshaw / First United Methodist Church, Hemphill: “In doing that, they got to know each other in a way—in a different way—that brings them closer together.”
One year later, life goes on in Hemphill, where the locals still play dominoes under the old cedar tree outside the courthouse. But the town and its people are different now. They feel a deeper connection with each other and with the heroes of the Space Shuttle Columbia.
TAG:
Hemphill residents are now making plans for a $5 million memorial to the shuttle astronauts. It will be located where a 500-pound section of the shuttle’s nose cone was found.