... I was talking about in re: North Korean-Russian relations. Kim honors 101 killed from North Korean Army contingent during the defense and liberation of Kursk Oblast. Watch first 20 or so minutes of this program to see the ceremony.
You can skip the concert--pretty standard North Korean event. But then there are other things which inevitably change already the North Korean society. It is not just Russian investments, market, technology and other things. North Korea for the first time experienced (visits by K-Pop groups a few years back do not count) a real rock-concert. They DO listen to Shaman and sing his songs, especially Встанем (literally Get on Your Feet), but here they have been able to see him live.
And, boy, did he rock to the core even Kim himself )) The packed palace roared. This was broadcasted by NK's Central TV. Well, what can I say--it was a triumph. And yes, Shaman can say now--Live in Budokan? Try live in Pyongyang. Will Kipelov or Aria now roll in? That could be a riot, literally)) That is some cultural exchange, I say. They will, inevitably, "thaw" on a societal level.
For people of any serious professional regimen, be that military, police and civilian pilots, heroism could be defined in a very dry way. Carrying out own professional duties under the circumstances which drastically impede carrying those duties out is heroism. I recall, Chesley Sullenberger and his crew beating everything deadly what the fate threw at them that day of 15 January, 2009 when their professionalism saved lives of 155 people. Miracle on Hudson was both miracle and skills, incredible skills of those who flew the plane. But apart from elation when seeing on live TV all ferries on Hudson rushing to save those passengers from Hudson's cold waters, it was Sully's incredible humility which struck me then--that humility was a true measure of a true Man. That he, and his crew, were heroes we knew already the moment we could see the doors of US Airways A-320 popping open and people getting out to aircraft's wings.
Yesterday Russia got her own miracle in the corn field. Simply stunning and simply no words of the humility of this crew, which, led by their incredible first pilot, did almost impossible--saved 234 people.
Yet again, the true measure of a Man--humility. "I just did my job". Hell no, you didn't--you told death "fvck you" and refused to surrender lives of men, women and children on-board. This is pure heroism. The similarity, despite obvious dramatic differences--water against hard ground--is startling in a sense of timing: few seconds to make the only correct decision, in case of Ural Airlines A-321, not to lower landing gear and get the aircraft into the field on its belly, as in case of Sully--splash down, don't even try to get to the nearest airport. This is "Carrying out own professional duties under the circumstances which drastically impede carrying those duties out". They succeeded and people lived. I would also be dishonest if I will not point out that in both cases these were Airbus 320-321 series aircraft which turned out to be tough mofos. Kudos to Airbus. Meanwhile, I cannot describe in words the wave of inspiration drowning Russia out now, same as it was 10 years ago with Miracle on Hudson. That is what real heroes do to people--they give them their faith in humanity back. Damir Ysupov and your flight crew--you did just that. Congratulations to both pilots on the highest honor of Heroes of Russia and cabin crew with their Orders of Courage--well done, heroes.
Remember me writing about heroism of simple people doing their job when it is impossible to do it? Who in America today remembers T-4 Truman Kimbro? Who remembers today exceptional heroism of USS Samuel B. Roberts? Acts of ultimate sacrifice, such as Sasha Prokhorenko, burn themselves into national psyche. They make us recall what real men are. This week Russia honored her latest hero--Major Roman Filipov. Tens of thousands people came to honor him in a sign of spiritual and moral revival of Russia:
But it was this American former Air Force man who transcended borders by his pure humanity and did his small, in reality huge, part in conveying America which still is out there, which is down to earth, which understands:
Russian response was overwhelmingly positive and... human and it made all major networks' news. These are REAL news.
We all ask ourselves if we would have guts to do as Filipov did. As long as we question ourselves this way--we remain men.
