Felipe

I regret not having written about this sooner, but in the wake of the tenth anniversary of September 11th I was reminded that Chile had been suffering the entire week prior as well. On September 2, 2011 (just over a week ago) around 6pm, a military plane carrying 21 people crashed into the Pacific Ocean while travelling to San Juan Fernández Island, also known as Robinson Crusoe island. Aboard the plane were journalists and staff members of the news station TVN and the program "Levantemos Chile." Also aboard were members of a non-profit group dedicated to the economic stabilization and rebuilding of infrastructure after the 2010 Earthquake that devastated Chile as well as members of Chile's Ministry of Culture and the Chilean Air Force. 

credit:http://www.lacopucha.com/wp-content/uploads/el-
ultimo-vuelo-del-alcon-Felipe-Camiroaga.jpg

All of these people were on a mission to assist in the  redevelopment of the island in the aftermath of earthquake's tsunami. To put this tragedy in perspective for those not familiar with Chile's celebrities, losing Felipe Camiroaga, the anchor and face of "Levantemos Chile" is like losing Matt Lauer, Jay Leno, and Brad Pitt on the same flight. Some would say it's more like losing Oprah.  Felipe, as he is affectionately called, was known for using his celebrity for public service and charity. My host mother couldn't go but a few hours without mentioning his name for at least a week, and confided that she cried upon first hearing the news. The only positive she could think of to brighten the situation was that now we wouldn't have to hear about the student protests, strikes, or talks with the president for a few days or weeks. Moreover, on September 11th, there was not one blip of news about the memorial services occurring in the United States nor the nearly 3,000 people that died in the terrorist attacks ten years ago, but my host mother assured me that Chile felt the pain of that day as well. I felt a bit lost, outside of my country with no one to discuss my emotions with nor easy access to news coverage, but I reflected quietly upon my experience on that third day of middle school at a new school where all I could remember was confusion and replaying that horrible footage late into the evening. It seems too easy to allow something so painful to become a pacified, accepted memory of the past; Chilean news also spoke little of the September 11, 1973 coup that overthew Chile's democratically elected president Allende and placed military dictator Pinochet in power, who went on to kill and torture thousands. However, my host mother emphasized that 9/11 is a horrible day for us all, but the wounds of September 2, 2011 are still raw. They just found parts of Felipe's body yesterday.