Iconic Image 7

Welcome back viewers

This month's Iconic Image is...

The Kiss of Life

Intro

This photograph depicts two construction workers dangling from a power line. One of them is completely limp, while the other man is holding him in his arms. He is holding his head and giving him CPR. The image would become a symbol of human determination and companionship. 

Part I

The photograph was taken on July 17, 1967. On that day, Rocco Morabito of the Jacksonville Journal was heading to document a strike by railroad workers. When he was about half way to the strike, he noticed two Jacksonville Electric Authority linemen working on the poles on West 26th Street. Rocco figured that a picture of linemen silhouetted against the sky would make a good picture. He decided that he would return to West 26th Street once he was done with the train strike, he would circle back to the linemen.

After taking a few pictures at the railroad strike, Rocco quickly returned to the linemen. As he got closer he began to hear screams and calls for help. He quickly rushed to the scene and saw something that took his breath away. One of the linemen was dangling from his safety belt while completely limp. Rocco quickly raised his camera as another lineman ran over to the telephone pole and began climbing to his co-worker. He snapped a couple of photographs as the rescuer grabbed his co-worker and began to perform CPR. 

Part II

Both men in the photograph have been identified. The hero of the image is J.D. Thompson. The man being rescued was named, Randall Champion. Thompson was working on a pole adjacent to his colleague when he heard the unmistakable noise of electricity short circuiting. He looked and saw to his horror, that Champion had accidentally grabbed a hot wire. The wire sent more than 2400 jolts of electricity through the latter's system burning out his left foot and knocking him unconscious.

Fearing the worst, Thompson quickly descended from his pole and climbed up to Champion (another linemen quickly cut the power to the wire). When he reached him, Thompson noticed that Champion was turning a deep grayish blue. He quickly cradled his colleague's head in his left arm and proceeded to breath directly into Champion's mouth. He did this while pounding the latter's back with his right arm. After doing this for nearly a minute, Thompson saw Champion's chest starting to rise. Seconds later, he regained consciousness. 

Moments later, an ambulance arrived and rushed Champion to the hospital. By then Rocco Morabito had captured the whole moment in a burst of photos. Little did he know, that one of them would become a major icon in the history of photography.

Epilogue

When Rocco Morabito submitted his photograph of J.D. Thompson giving CPR to Randall Champion, it instantly made the front page headlines of newspapers all around the world. It was labeled, "The Kiss of Life". People called it, "an incredible act of heroism, a life or death moment, all captured by Rocco in a split second". Ten months later, Rocco Morabito's image won the coveted Pulitzer Prize.

Although Randall Champion had suffered severe third degree burns on his left foot (and needed skin-grafts), he made a full recovery from the incident. He and J.D. Thompson remained close friends until his death in 2002. Thompson still lives in Florida. Despite being called a hero many times, he continually downplays his actions that day. When interviewed in 2017, Thompson was quoted as saying, "If other people were there, if I hadn't got there first, they would have done the exact same thing I did. It's been done many times before; peoples' lives were saved. But there were no pictures."

Rocco Morabito also remained good friends with both Champion and Thompson. He continued to work for the Jacksonville Journal until his retirement in 1982. He passed away on April 5, 2009, at the age of 88. Today, the Kiss of Life continues to awe and inspire millions of people all over the world. It is remembered as a great moment of friendship and humanity.

https://www.jacksonville.com/news/20170716/50-years-later-kiss-of-life-photo-still-stops-people-in-their-tracks

https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/kiss-of-life-hero-reflects-50-years-after-iconic-moment/65-454108459

https://mdorfster.wordpress.com/2011/02/17/critical-analysis-the-kiss-of-life/

https://allthatsinteresting.com/kiss-of-life

Hero of the Week 109

Welcome back viewers

This week's hero is...

Charles Gould

Intro

Charles Gilbert Gould was born on May 5, 1845, in Windham, Vermont. When he was a child he was severely burned on his legs when hot water spilled was spilled on him. He was unable to walk properly until he was six. But despite this setback, Charles was determined to serve his country. When war broke out between the states, he answered the call to duty. Little did he know, he would play a significant role in one of the most important battles. 

Part I

By 1865, the longest siege in American history was finally coming to an end. The Union Army of the Potomac had been attempting to break through the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia's trenches around the city of Petersburg ever since June 15, 1864. A series of battles had been fought around the city with tens of thousands of casualties on both sides.

Despite the heavy casualties, the tide of the war had slowly turned in the Union's favor. The Union armies and Navy had scored many important battlefield victories in Tennessee, Georgia, and the Shenandoah Valley. These coupled with President Lincoln's reelection in 1864, renewed the Union war effort and inspired many more young men to enlist and fight. On March 25, the Confederacy attempted to breakout from Petersburg by attacking a Union outpost at Fort Stedman. Although the Federal garrison was caught be surprise and initially forced to retreat, they were able to launch a successful counterattack that retook the fort.

The successful defense of Fort Stedman inspired General Grant to launch a new assault on Petersburg. Since the previous two assaults on the city had failed miserably, he chose to change tactics for this third attack. Instead of launching a direct frontal assault on the Confederate trenches in the light of day, the Union regiments would attack in the dead of night. The men who would be in the first wave were all from the 1st Vermont Infantry Brigade. And the man who would be spearheading this attack was, Captain Charles Gould.

Part II

Early in the morning of April 2, the men of Vermont Brigade crept out of their trenches. Captain Gould was in command of the 5th Vermont Infantry Regiment. Under the cover of darkness, they slowly advanced towards the Confederate line. When they approached the first enemy rifle pits, Gould ordered them to fix bayonets. He ordered a couple of soldiers to kill the Confederate sentries in the rifle pits. They did so, and the regiment continued it's advance. When they were near enough, Gould ordered them to charge.

Despite catching the Confederates by surprise, the attack quickly hit a snag. A number of unseen obstructions slowed down their advance and made them easy targets for the defenders. Just when it seemed that the attack would fail, Captain Gould ran ahead of the regiment. He drew his sword and charged directly into the Confederate trench. He was almost immediately confronted by enemy defenders. He is believed to have personally killed at least three Confederate soldiers before he was bayoneted in the left side of his face (the scar is visible above). Gould grabbed the enemy soldier's bayonet and pulled it out. He than stabbed his attacker through the neck and killed him. However, another Confederate soldier stabbed him in the back while another clubbed him in his head. 

Just when it seemed that Gould was going to be killed, his comrades burst into the trench and began to engage the Confederates. Inspired by Gould's valor and leadership, the men of the 5th Vermont overwhelmed the defenders and successfully captured the trenches. Once this line was pierced, the whole Confederate line began to break as more and more Federal soldiers poured through. 

Epilogue

For Robert E. Lee and the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia, the Breakthrough at Petersburg was the beginning of the end. More than 5,000 of his army was either killed or captured in the fighting. Among the dead was one of his best generals (Ambrose P. Hill). He was forced to pull what remained of his army out of Petersburg and retreat to the west. The very next day, the Union Army entered Petersburg and hours later, Richmond (the Confederate Capital). A week later the Union Army caught up and surrounded Lee at Appomattox Court House. With no hope of escaping the encirclement, General Robert E. Lee and the Confederate Army surrendered. 

For his incredible valor in leading his regiment into the trenches, Captain Charles Gould was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. When he returned to Vermont, he received a hero's welcome. He spent the rest of his life working to help fellow veterans and the families of those who did not return. He died on December 5, 1916. Today, Captain Gould is credited with leading the final charge that would win the American Civil War. He truly is someone to be held in high regard.

https://emergingcivilwar.com/2015/04/02/breakthrough-at-petersburg-first-man-over-the-works/

https://pamplinpark.org/the-common-soldier/

https://www.thisiswhywestand.net/single-post/2017/08/15/blood-and-fury-americas-civil-war-captain-charles-gould-at-the-battle-of-petersburg

Hero of the Week 108

 Welcome back viewers

This week's hero is...

Elfego Baca

Elfego Baca was born on February 10, 1865, in the town of Socorro,  New Mexico Territory. He grew up in Topeka, Kansas before returning to New Mexico in 1880 after the unexpected passing of his mother. He was inspired by his father to become a lawman. Four years later, Baca was appointed deputy sheriff of Socorro Country, New Mexico. Little did he know, that bringing law and order to the state was going to test him beyond all limits.

In October of 1884, Elfego Baca spotted a local cowboy who was wanted for public drunkenness. When he approached to take the man (Charlie McCarty) into custody, the latter refused to comply and grabbed one of Baca's guns from it's holster. When Baca drew his second gun, a couple of other cowboys (who were McCarty's companions) drew their guns on him. Baca was forced to retreat. When one of the assailants attempted to pursue him, Baca shot his attackers horse causing it to fatally throw its rider.

After a judge dismissed the charges against Charlie McCarty, he ordered a local rancher named Bert Hearne to round up a posse, apprehend Baca, and bring him in for questioning about the gunfight. However, Hearne (who was a racist) had no intention of taking Baca alive and resolved to make an example of him. Hearne told his posse that Elfego Baca was leading a Mexican uprising in New Mexico and that he was better off dead. 

Hearne and his posse rode into the small town of Frisco and cornered Elfego Baca in the local jail. When Baca refused to come out with his hands up, the posse opened fire. Baca returned fire and killed Hearne with a gunshot to the torso. The rest of the group continued to pour fire into the prison. Baca continued to return fire. With his superior marksmanship, he successfully killed three more of his attackers and wounded eight.

In order to end the bloodshed, a newly appointed deputy from Socorro approached the prison and convinced Baca to surrender. At his trial for the murder of Bert Hearne, Baca's defense attorneys entered into evidence the doors and walls of the prison where the latter at taken cover. During the shootout, more than 400 bullets were counted in the door alone. After being shown how determined the posse was to kill Baca, the jury voted for acquittal. 

After being released, Elfego Baca resumed his career as a lawmen and rose to the rank of Sheriff of Socorro County. He quickly established a reputation of convincing outlaws to come quietly without resisting. Due to his fame after the Frisco Shootout, most outlaws chose not to test him. For the rest of his life, he worked as a marshal, a lawyer, a school superintendent, and a district attorney. He died on August, 27, 1945. Today he is remembered as one of New Mexico's most revered and influential lawmen.

https://www.legendsofamerica.com/we-elfegobaca/

https://www.elpasotimes.com/story/life/2016/11/01/nine-lives-elfego-baca/92907392/

https://truewestmagazine.com/legend-elfego-baca/