The Coast Guard responded to the call and had a helicopter and a C130 coordinating the search effort and at 1130 am, they officially called off the search. They presume the crew members did not survive. My heart aches for their families and friends here on the island as both were known well by the community.
The gale force winds were fierce and the waves were boiling the last few days. The temperature was down to 4 degrees and no walking anywhere. It was hard to stand up straight and even making a trip to the post office is dangerous and maybe not so necessary right now.
But, the sun continues to come up and display an array of colors in the cloudless sky. Then, by nightfall, every star in the sky is out and the landscape is still and beautiful all over. Despite the tragedy that befell here, we are still reminded of how beautiful, rugged and ferocious this place can be.
Our Creator knows what we are going through and has provided us today, a cloudless sky and no winds. It is still a beautiful Aleutian day.
