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Our View
Worthy program
s everyone is most probably aware by now, there
was a tragic accident at last week’s DARE Show JL Ju‘98. The DARE program has come under much criticism as a result. Media accounts of the incident have reported that people in neighboring counties have harshly come down on the DARE program for traumatizing the children who attended. '
Wait a minute. Dr. Miles J. Merritt, who lost his life in the crash, was a personal friend of many of the DARE officers who organized the show and who work with the program every year. He lost his life doing something he firmly believed in — no doubt it was much more traumatic for those who knew him to witness the accident.
Speaking of accidents.... they happen. Certainly that is no reason to discount all the positive work the DARE program has done and the even more positive results they have achieved. After talking to officers who were there that day it turns out that many of the thousands of children there did not even see the accident. They were at least 1/4 mile away and couldn’t see things on the ground very well at all since it is very flat there. Many children were visiting other exhibits on display and talking with officers, fire and rescue personnel, pilots, military personnel, etc. — the role models they admire and respect.
The plane went down behind an area of tents. There was no explosion or fire. Kids have since told officers here that they saw more on the television news later that night than they did at the event.
What would be a tragedy is if this accident has a negative lasting impact on a program that does so much to help kids focus their energies in positive directions.
DARE Show accident should not
overshadow organizations positive work
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