COLUMN: My hero doesn’t have all the glitz and glamour

I was like most kids and heroes.

I wanted to be Jim Rice since he played left field at Fenway. Over the years, there were other sports players who I admired but as I was growing into adulthood I realized I should redefine what I needed in a hero.

That’s when I learned about Nando Parrado.

During my college days a friend and I went to the movie “Alive” based on the true story of Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571. A rugby team from Uruguay was flying to Chile for a game.

He is one of the 16 survivors of that plane that crashed in the Andes mountains Oct. 13, 1972. After spending two months high up in the mountains with the others, he, along with Roberto Canessa, climbed through the Andes mountains over 10 days to find help; which they did.

The plane crash depicted in the movie is still hard to watch for me. Probably the best movie reenactment of a historical moment I’ve ever seen. Investigation showed the pilot miscalculated the flight path and timing over the mountains and descended too early. It was too late to regain altitude.

Forty-five were on the plane. Seven died between the first moment of the crash until the fuselage came to a stop on the side of a mountain about 12,000 feet in elevation. The pilot was one of the fatalities. The co-pilot survived but was in critical condition. The plane’s radio was inoperable.

Search and rescue flights eventually followed. Because of the errors in the flight path and the elevation search crews were not exactly sure where to look. Besides, spotting a white colored plane body buried in white snow doesn’t help. Items from the plane spread out to get other pilots’ attention were not seen.

Parrado, 22, woke from being knocked unconscious after three days to learn that his mother had died and his sister Susana, 19, was severely injured. He tried to keep her alive but during the eighth day she died.

Survivors feared they were not going to be found. They were right. Food was minimal, only having snacks like on today’s commerical flights. Near 0 degrees weather at nights and avalanches from snows were constant threats. The survivors were not prepared for those conditions because they didn’t expect it. Parrado became the leader of the survivors.

The survivors didn’t want to give up but knew sacrifices would have to be made to continue to live. Discussions were held to eat portions of the dead bodies that were placed outside the fuselage. Survivors were influenced by their Catholic upbringing and what communion in the church represents to justify their suggestions. Agreements were made to use the bodies.

Parrado was one of the healthier survivors who agreed to somehow climb down the mountain to find help. He went with two others with a supply of their food source and material to somehow create a sleeping bag for the nights. One of the others turned around and went back to the plane.

Disappointment set in when getting over a peak, they only saw more mountain peaks. But disappointment turned to hope when they discovered a river. They all knew rivers lead down mountains. The lower elevation revealed warmer temperatures. Two days before Christmas, Parrado and the other found cattle in a pasture. Sure enough, a farm hand found the two. Explanations were given. The farm hand told them to stay put as he went for help. Those two were part of the 16 rescue crews tended.

I like Parrado’s story, and him being my hero, because it isn’t a perfect story. We can be tempted to romanticize a hero in their situation having no victims or casualties or prevents either. Parrado and the others were not like that. They had to be heroes because there were already victims and casualties. His work as hero was to prevent more of that based on the condition they were in. Parrado occasionally has public speeches about dealing with psychological trauma.

I don’t have the imagination to feel what Parrado and the others went through. I don’t want to either. I’d rather have the motivation and focus Parrado had to save himself and the others.