Thursday, August 12, 2010
Gulf Oil Spill : Workers Find Mom's Message To Dead Son In A Bottle
London (August 11) - When Sarah Adams dropped a glass bottle containing a heartfelt tribute to her dead son into the sea in January of this year, she had no idea whether it would be swallowed by the ocean or washed up on some faraway shore. Now, seven moths later, the British mother's touching letter to the son she lost in Afghanistan has been found by workers cleaning up the Gulf of Mexico oil spill - uniting two countries in rememberrance of this young soldier's life.
Adams' 21-year-old son, Pvt. James Prosser, waas killed last September when the armored vehicle he was driving was hit by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan's Helmand Province. Unable to face a traditional Christmas at home without him, Adams and her family traveled to Barbados. That Caribbean island held a special place in her heart, Adams said - it reminded me of James generosity and kindness.
"In 2004, he won me a holiday through a local radio competition," the 44-year -old medical worker from the small Welsh town of Cwmbran explained. "So we all decided it was appropriate for us to go back to the island."
The idea of placing a message in a bottle came to Adams as she sat on a Barbadian beach, looking out to sea. "It was just so beautiful, and I was thinking about how James would always get involved in the water sports when we used to go on holiday," she said. "I was looking out there and wishing he could be included. And the only way I could do that was to write to him.
And so Adams, her daughter Emma Prosser, 25, son Josh Newman, 16, and Emma's boyfriend Tom Betts each wrote a letter to James that they rolled up and pushed inside a sambuca bottle - James "favorite drink" how much we loved him and how much we missed him," Adams said. "I was just chatting with James."
Betts, meanwhile , broke the news that he had proposed to James sister a few days earlier on New Year's Eve and explained how they planned to marry next year (2011).
On January 5, the family hired a boat to take them as far off the Barbadian coast as it could go. Thay drank a toast to James and then placed the tightly sealed bottle into the clear blue water. At the time, Adams suspected the bottle woul sink to the bottom of the Alantic, never to be seen again.
"The boat's driver seemed to think it would move toward Africa," she said. "But we really didn't think about where it would end up or whether anyone would find it. It was simply a cathartic thing for us to do."
However , over the next seven months, ocean currents carried that bottle for 1,300 miles, and eventually it washed up on Horn Island off Mississippi - where it was discovered by workers cleaning up the BP spill. The cleanup team carefully removed each letter from it's wrapping and read it out loud, Patty Kraft, who works for the U.S. National Park Service, Told the South Wales Argus, (Adams) local newspaper.
"He was so young, it could be any of our brothers or neighbors. It was so heartfelt. We were just sad for the family and what they were going through, but at the same time we were excited to be part of it," Kraft,45, told the Argus. "When we read it, we wanted to respond; it was like she was reaching out to someone. Even though we're far away, we wanted to say there are people in the world that care."
After a quick Internet search, the cleanup team found Adams details mentioned in an Argus story about how her children Emma and Josh planned to run a half-marathon in the Welsh city of Cardiff in October to raise money for ABF The Soldiers' Charity'. The oil spill workers contacted the paper and asked if they could deliver a message to the family. And on August 4, Adams received that letter from the Louisiana workers.
"Words cannot express our heartfelt sympathy for your family over the loss of James," the note read. "We extend our grayitude to James for the service he did in Afghanistan, and we recognize the courage, the strength and the bravery it requires to serve in the arm forces....As we are certain he did before his death, James has continuted to touch the lives of many people in a positive way. Finding that bottle is something we will never forget."
Adams said that she's touched by the oil workers' kind words, and that James life has united the strangers from either side of the Atlantic. "It's strange that the bottle left a family dealing with a tragedy and was found by a group of people dealing with a different kind of tragedy,"she said.
But she also hopes that the attention generated by the bottle's journey will lead more people in Britain and America to think about sacrifices made by soldiers like James, and those still serving in Afghanistan.
"It's easy to forget about this horrendous war when it's not on your doorsteps," she said. "I know that James will always be remembered, but I don't want any other soldier of any nationality to be forgotten. We need to spend time thinking about what these guys are doing for us."
My spin : What a loving tribute to Sarah Adams and family gave to her son James Prosser ... and the letter in a bottle have brought a lot of people together , it has formed frindships across the Alantic and now the world....."Have you watched "A Message in a Bottle ?" If not , it's worth taking a look and adding it to your movie library, the movie has 4 and a half stars. Starring "Kevin Costner and Robin Wright .'
Kicking back and keeping it real.
How ya doing? I can imagine how much fun you had with the twins and hated for them to go home.
ReplyDeleteHow's Nana ??? I bet she got a kick out of them and they made her laugh.
Did Brian help them play jokes on you ???
We had a lot of fun. We tried to dream up a new ad for Hyundai. Brian's was dull.He has no imagination. We just played all day and enjoed each other.
ReplyDeleteHi cutie
ReplyDeleteBrian is going to use the boy's copy and use their drawings too in his ad campaign.
ReplyDeleteIt's hot up here. But my relatives in europe are swltering and say a lot of people are dying from the heat . France seems to be the worst.
ReplyDeleteBrian says he deals with Hyundai all day and just wants to forget it when he's at home.[giggles]
ReplyDeleteI think the rain made it hotter.
Temperature of 104'- 106' farenheit in Paris.
ReplyDeleteNow brian is putting a new twist on things..what a good idea to use the boys drawing...it will be a hit.
ReplyDeleteWe have them dying here also. The casinos had a fan drive, they collected a bunch...but fans just push the hot air round, but it's better than nothing.
The Danube River has shrunk so much a Nazi fleet, sunk during the war has been revealed. The Nazi's sank their own fleet including a hospital ship with badly wounded German soldiers on board at the end of the war.
ReplyDeleteHow are you holding up? You are more used to this weather than we are.I guess you stay inside more this summer than usual.
ReplyDeleteIt's been over a 100 off and on for at least a week or so.
ReplyDeleteYes I stay n the house as much as possible..had my meeting yesterday and was so glad the A/C was really working good.
ReplyDeleteI had 2/3 people call me about this post and know of some that found the bottle.
ReplyDeleteDo you still meet in Gil's board room?
ReplyDeleteYes...we still meet there, we are 105 strong now. It's a very large room ...it has sliding panels you can open up to make it larger.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your rising numbers.Sounds like you are getting through to a few people. Good work.
ReplyDeleteI told Lois we will have to buy more chairs, the kind that connect.We are going to Sears and see if they will donate us some and sell them to us cheap. They have been very good to us by giving us the discontinued furniture or selling it real cheap.
ReplyDeleteThe best thing you can do right now is raise awareness.
ReplyDeleteMaybe they are just getting out the heat. We had more than that there ...but it's 105 on the rolls.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea to ask Sears. Lois sounds like she is your right hand.Good that she's become so useful. Does she believe in the cause or is she doing it to advance her husband?
ReplyDeleteYou are so right...raise awareness is the best thing...we had 4/5 people joined that was wanted to make people aware of the wildlife on the gulf coast.
ReplyDeleteI guess your schools are air-conditioned. Our schools are not. They have never had to be. The kids get out of school before it gets hot and they go back in September when the heat is over. This year they think the heat will continue well into September.
ReplyDeletelois believes in the cause...she know I have no pull in Gil's office...but of course you know I give him my opinion. I think she know it takes time.
ReplyDeleteShe asked me once what Gil says about her hubby and I told her Gil don't bring his office business home.
Did I tell her the right thing...you know he bounce things off me to see what I think.
Jakey never gets worn out when we have him. I feed him lots of healthy carbs. I have found that keeps his energy up. He needs lots of small meals instead of three big ones. They looked rested and happy when they went home
ReplyDeleteYes the schools are A/C but if it's hot I'm going to keep mine home after I enroll them, the stupid teachers will let them go outside and you know kids don't know when they get overheated.
ReplyDeleteI am sure you give him your opinion lots of times, even when he doesn't want it...HA!
ReplyDeleteYou are right not to get involved in his office politics.You gave her the perfect answer.
I know you said you were going to let Jakey sleep in but I bet he was up with Sammy.
ReplyDeleteJakey and I are a lot alike...I eat a lot of carbs and 4/5 small meals during the day.
I wish you and Brian could keep Jakey...you know how to help build his immune system, sometimes thats better that meds.
You're right about that kids get overheated and they can get ill from it. The brain gets overheated too, not good for it. Gives you a headache.
ReplyDeleteWhen I help out in the office, I just do what I'm suppose to do and they say they like for me to come and help out.
ReplyDeleteI would like to keep him.I know J cares for him and takes him to the very best doctors but I would take more care of his over-all health and try to build it up. A wholistic approach would work better and he would have more stamina to fight his condition.
ReplyDeleteOh shit, you just reminded me that long ass bastard haven't given me my money for working, they are suppose to cut me a check and I need my money...when I log off I going to kick his musty butt.
ReplyDeleteI just noticed that Dave L. wears spats.I used to kind of like him but I don't anymore, although I like some of the guests.What an arrogant prick . He seems to have been forgiven by the public.
ReplyDeleteI just noticed that Dave L. wears spats.I used to kind of like him but I don't anymore, although I like some of the guests.What an arrogant prick . He seems to have been forgiven by the public.
ReplyDeleteI know J is a great mother and doing her best...Sammy is so active and she trys to do the best for both boys..
ReplyDeleteRemember...J's immune system is not in the best of health.
How far do J lived from you ??
She might let you keep him, but she knows what you have on your plate.
Hey, the Swine Flu is officially over today, According to the World Health Organization. I guess we can all relax now...HA!
ReplyDeleteThere is a new super-bug out there now which is resistant to all antibiotics.
ReplyDeleteThe wife/public have forgiven him, but not all, I still dislike him with a passion.
ReplyDeleteJulia Roberts is a guest tonight.
Last week they said the swine flu was coming back stronger than ever, they are so wishy-washy.
ReplyDeleteAt the first sign of illness at the schools I will pull mine out.
Glad they are going to the same schools .
Do you really believe the wife has forgiven him??
ReplyDeleteIf I was his wife and stayed with him after all that fucking around( and I know I wouldn't)I would make his life a living hell.
I liked the message in a bottle post.Very nice. Good to remind people there are still nice folks in the world.
ReplyDeleteI don't know, I wondered why she's still there, he damn sure is no prize just got some money and I notice that a lot of womwn will seel their souls to the devil for a man with money no matter how awful they are treated.
ReplyDeleteThree people called me and said they liked it very much.
ReplyDeleteI cried as I was writing it because we have lost so many to this war, I hope they didn't givr their lives in vain.
would you believe the bottle traveled 1,300 miles in 7 months.
ReplyDeleteSo true sister.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of that subject I read today that Mel busted into Oksana's house and terrorized her and shoved her around while she was holding the baby. Oksana was so frightened she ran to the bedroom with the baby and locked herself in while he tried to kick the door down.
I will do the article but I don't know if she had any witnesses
ReplyDeleteDo the article, it has to be true I wondered how long before that dirty snake would rare his ugly head.
ReplyDeleteMen like Mel/DC always get these timid women, they should get a baseball, cut the handle off some and knock the shit out of them.
ReplyDeleteThat man has worked himself up into such a crazy rage that I believe he may come to the point of murder.
ReplyDeleteDo you Agree??
ReplyDeleteActually I think DC would enjoy the baseball bat up his ass.
ReplyDeleteWhat about little Jacie Evancho ?? What a voice she has and why do people always pic-nik about stuff. Of course it Jacie voice.
ReplyDeleteDC grosses me out completely. When I heard he kept a seperate house just to store his porn collection of vintage sex movies and Penthouse magazines. I felt sick. He must just sit in there and play with himself. Ugghh.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you. If I was Oksana I would get as far away from him as possible. At this point Mel might do anything including murder, hell he thinks he can buy his way out of this .
ReplyDeleteYes I think DC would like the bat, he may enjoy the bat better than the beads.
{giggles] You know Heidi knew everything about him.Do you think maybe she was kind of freaky ??
ReplyDeleteThey had Javier Bardem on Jay. He was julia Roberts co-star in her movie Eat Pray Love.
ReplyDeleteHe is one macho Spanish guy. I like. Up till now he has only played bad guys.
HEidi knew he was kinky but she didn't care. Hers was a hate love.Right to the end she loved him in her odd way. That's why she was so hurt.
ReplyDeleteShe confided in me that when someone hurt her, she never forgave them and she always got even.
Excuse me a minute to see what the hell Dad's yelling about...he better not wake up the girls.
ReplyDeleteI'm back...did she have your e-mail address? That may have been before my time, she never confided in me I guess I was just to wild for her.Hahaha
ReplyDeleteWell Heidi may come looking for me because I would e-mail her some pretty harsh words when she was trying to take over FTBB.
ReplyDeleteYou can get the address out of premissions. She gave me hers' when I would sent her stuff about DC.
No way would I give her my email address. I didn't trust her as far as I could throw her.
ReplyDeleteYou are one of a very few people I have given my Email address to that I have met online. And only after I had known you for about a year and a half.
Did she have your email address??
ReplyDeleteDad is going to get on my nerves waiting this time of night to ask me some crap.
ReplyDeleteIf she had muderous intentions about DC, and I believe she did, she could just have easily taken a dislike to you or me if she thought we had insulted her and turned her murderous thoughts to us.
ReplyDeleteYes she kept it whan I sent her the articles on DC about the train wreck and him leaving Liza.
ReplyDeleteShe could get it from permissions. I'm glad I went back end and just put her as author after she got the cartoon of DC you drew and posted it on DCR.
Heidi may have been crazy but she was no fool. She knew who to mess with. I don't think she would have did anything to DC if she had come face to face with him.
ReplyDeleteAs for me , I would eat her ass up alive.
I don't think she could ever figured you out.
Can't find Craig tonight
ReplyDeleteShe tried so hard to get into the US. Even tried to sell herself as a mail order bride.she settled in the Mexican town the closest to the California border to be close to DC.She definitely wanted to hurt him somehow.
ReplyDeleteI knew she was in Baja but I didn't know if it was California or Mexico. I asked Gil when I first started talking with her , what did he think and he said she was doing more harm to herself. You know he had her checked out.
ReplyDeleteThey got the damn golf on in Craig's place here.
ReplyDeleteI never used to think she wanted to really kill him .I just thought she used words as her weapons.
ReplyDeleteLater I wondered, if she thought she would get away with it, would she? She would want to see the fear in his eyes or hear him apologize or beg.
Do you like golf??Let me tell you before I forget...dad asks did you get his note he wrote yesterday???
ReplyDeleteSweetie...I think if we hadn't stayed with her ...especially you Heidi would have killed herself just like Paula Abdul's stalker did down the street from her.
ReplyDeleteShe was in Mexico. She could not go back to the US legally.She would have been arrested at the border. She had run away when she was charged and there was a warrant out for her.
ReplyDeleteWe used baja as our old email because it was Brian's initials and my initials put together.
I saw the note briefly when I logged on tonight and will answer when I read it through.
ReplyDeleteI know you had your first but you both had the 1 on your name. See I didn't forget.
ReplyDeleteHe know you had your twins yesterday and waiting to see what a good time you had.
ReplyDeleteI wanted to send you an e-mail from Vegas... Gil told me it may not be secure to send, he don't trust outside e-mails, and you had been hacked.
We have the golf on here too.I like golf occaisionally. I used to watch Tiger sometimes. My dad was an avid golfer.
ReplyDeleteCraig is on now...see the gator, Craig has the drawl almost down pat.
ReplyDelete{giggles] now that is a creole gator .. see he know how to cuss.
ReplyDeleteI better fold up my tent and creep away.I have a very early morning. A round of appointments with Nana's doctors and blood tests and an appointment at her bank with her financial advisor who she intends to scream and yell at about her investments. I pity the poor woman. Then she wants to go shopping. I hope she is up to all that activity.
ReplyDeleteThis weather has me so lazy , it's to hot to pop the choochie...hahaha
ReplyDeletePIC... I told Nan if my man wanted some I would just lay down wnd say help yourself and let me know when you finished. Hahaha
ReplyDeleteSooooo, I bid you goodnight and have a cool restful sleep.
ReplyDeleteOur kids don't go back to school until Sept. 7th. So they have quite a bit of holiday still.I may get a couple more days with them. They get another week with Bio.
See you when the fricking 'sun from hell' goes down and the nice cool evening is at hand...Be a good girl and don't hassle Long Shank for your wages. Just go out and buy something expensive and charge it to him...Ha! LUV....PIC
Oh boy...what a day and fun you will have with Nana tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteGive them hell Nana.
I will see you later and have a good night and tell the Rock he can be frisky if he wants to...I will have a talk with Maxy.
GOODNITE SWEETIE...HUGS & KISSES...PIC
Kiss the Rock.
My choochie is out of commission due to bad weather and it is considering taking a cruise to Alaska with some girl friends.
ReplyDeletePS: Good idea...just don't get on the bridge to nowhere...HA !
ReplyDelete