THE EPITOME OF LEADERSHIP

(the real gold within the San Jose mine of Chile)

The incredible ordeal of survival and rescue of thirty three miners entombed several thousand feet below the surface is a tribute to human endurance, courage, and faith, in the face of extreme circumstances and constantly lurking death.

And the above ground efforts to mobilize every possible resource to find, sustain, and ultimately rescue those miners was truly a magnificent accomplishment. It was an event that testified to how a well-led and managed national effort can accomplish miraculous feats of collective ingenuity and collaboration. Something many other countries, including our own, should take note of.

More importantly, it shows how far Chile has come from some very dark times in its recent past. It was truly one of its – finest hours -.

But the real gold throughout this event was not the San Jose mine’s minerals. It was simply the epitome of leadership demonstrated by one man….the Foreman….Luis Urzua, who with his quiet and steady manner assumed command of the situation, holding them all together, in the face of despair, terror, and extreme physical stress. Without his leadership, it is clear that the above ground rescue efforts might very well have been for nothing. In every sense of the word, he is a hero among heroes.

For those of us who have had to lead and command men under the difficult and deadly circumstances of combat and war, Foreman Urzua’s example is a model of what true leadership is all about. Were he a military person we would probably be decorating him with all sorts of honors. 

As it is, all we can do is honor him with this accolade – welcome, sir, to a sacred band….of brothers.

CENTURION