Here is a letter written by Dr. Julian Judson whose father Datuk Dr. Judson Sakai Tagal died in a helicopter crashed in 2004. Copied from The Borneo Post on line.
Quote here :
DR Julian Judson, the only son of Datuk Dr Judson Sakai Tagal who
died in a helicopter crash in the thick jungle of Ba Kelalan in Lawas on
July 12, 2004 reaches out and offer words of comfort and encouragement
to the families of those aboard MH370, particularly Maira Elizabeth and
the family of chief steward Andrew Nari from Sarawak.
AS I
write this letter, dated March 27, 2014, planes and ships are scouring
an area 154 square miles in size in the Indian Ocean, 1,500 miles from
Perth, at coordinates 90° 25’ 19.20” E, 44° 41’ 24” S.
Their objective: locate a debris field of roughly 120 floating objects, the largest being 75 feet in size.
What
the debris could be: wreckage from Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, the
red eye flight bound for Beijing on March 8 that never arrived.
I
have been following the news of the search ever since the story broke.
Nothing else has dominated my conversations with colleagues and friends
as much over the past three weeks. I have been hoping every day that
each new lead would be ‘The Right One’, and have felt crushing
disappointment when day by day — as hours turned into days, and days
turned into weeks — the realisation that the chances of recovering any
survivors were growing slimmer and visibly taking a toll on all
involved.
And then, the news that everyone was dreading was
delivered on March 24 by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.
Based on satellite data, the investigators concluded that MH370 had
ended in the Indian Ocean. I know first-hand, the devastation that must
have swept through the families of those on board as well as the
collective grief of nations that had lost citizens and had spared no
expense in manning one of the largest search and rescue operations in
aviation history.
I know first-hand, the grief caused, because my
own father, Dr Judson Tagal, whom I loved and adored, was in a
helicopter crash that took his life, and the life of six other good men —
Lawrence Th’ng, Roger Wong, Datuk Marcus Raja, Jason Eng, Ling Tian Ho
and Samsuddin Hashim — who had been flying reconnaissance above the
valleys of Ba Kelalan, plotting sites for electrical lines.
Their
crashed helicopter was only found 18 days later, by brave VAT 69
commandos who had rappelled from a police helicopter over the suspected
crash site. As our families and Sarawak united in grief, the following
days were a misty haze of activity, funerals, and condolences. What
stood out vividly in my memory, were the kindness and understanding of
relatives, friends, and complete strangers.
Friends who cried with
me and who just sat and listened to my hurt and pain. Complete
strangers who reminisced about my father and grieved alongside us. Those
who held us in their thoughts and prayers, and who let us know, both in
word and in deed. I was comforted in the fact that my family and I were
not alone, with a God above, who knew everything — and people around
us, who felt the same, as we did.
And in the same way, I would
reach out to the stricken families of the souls on MH370, and especially
to the families of chief steward Andrew Nari, particularly Maira
Elizabeth and say — you are not alone in your grief.
We grieve
together with you in this time of pain and sorrow, and we are so sorry
that despite the heroic efforts of the search and rescue teams, it has
all come to naught. We remember you and the loved ones you have lost in
our prayers, and we ask God for his comfort and peace that transcends
all understanding and tragedy to uphold you in this time.
The days
ahead will be painful, and often, will be filled with heartache that
may seem beyond what you may be able to bear. And should you reach a
point where the pain and sense of loss overwhelms all else, fall then,
on God and the comfort that only He can bring. Be comforted by the
presence of those around you who love you, and are loved by you. Be
comforted by the happy memories that you have had with your loved ones,
and continue to honour them by striving to live a life of kindness and
love towards others, as they would have wanted you to.
Remember them, in the way a dear friend of my dad remembers him.
“My
dear Judson, now that you have been taken from us, we miss you and
there is a deep pain in our hearts. We miss you in Bario, we miss you in
Pa Lungan, we miss you in Ba Kelalan, and we miss you in all the other
places among the hills and mountains of the highlands.
“We miss your smile, we miss your jokes, and we miss your presence and laughter.
“Remember the time we went fishing and boating in the ulu among the rapids and waterfalls.
“Remember the time on the golf course when you got a par or birdie.
We still remember your laughter and your joy.”
Remember them well.
Dr Julian Judson
Last evening the graduation party for The Marriage Course was held at Imperial Hotel, Kuching. This was the second course organized jointly between the Welfare, Women and Family Ministry of Sarawak and Alpha Malaysia. The Sarawak Alpha is headed by Dr. Wong Howe Tung and Gan Chuei Lian. In view of the raising divorce rate in Malaysia, the WWFM recognized the need to strengthen marriages.
