Small Town Hero 1

“Greater love than this no man hath, than to lay down his life for his friends.”

National and international articles are not the forte of The Journal, but certain subjects reverberate as many residents can empathize with the plight of other small town Americans. The residents of Underhill, VT, like those of towns such as Oakland, Franklin Lakes and Wyckoff, are struggling with the everyday concerns raised in today’s world of rising costs and shrinking revenues. Underhill, VT is expecting drastic falls in revenue, including a projected 43 percent slide in non-property tax revenue. They recently approved a new budget with a 0.7% increase that was attained through 9 percent declines in general and highway funding, and increases in employee contributions to health insurance plans.

But the pedestrian worries of budgets and cutbacks have been tempered by the plight of one man in this small town of less than one thousand families. Captain Richard Phillips was taken hostage by Somali pirates after sacrificing his own safety in effort to secure the freedom of others. It was a danger he and the crew were well aware of with second in command, Shane Murphy, previously reporting on his Facebook page that,””These waters are infested with pirates that highjack ships daily… I feel like it’s only a matter of time before my number gets called.”

The selfless act of bravery Captain Richard Phillips displayed by initially agreeing to become a human shield for the pirates in return for the safety of his ship and crew was not the last. In the middle of the night, Captain Phillips jumped off the small pirate boat in an attempt to escape. The surprise maneuver did not allow enough time for American military personnel to respond, and he was quickly re-captured by the criminal gang.

The case of Captain Richard Phillips reflects the modern day equivalent of Barbary pirates whom the United States defeated in the 1800s. It was under the leadership of Thomas Jefferson that the United States took the lead in destroying the infrastructure of the Barbary Coast pirates who had plagued American and European ships for years. This was the first time Americans executed a war overseas and is referenced in the US Marines anthem, “…to the shores of Tripoli.” While Jefferson was not originally in favor of building a military force capable of waging war overseas, he eventually concluded that, “…”it will be more easy to raise ships and men to fight these pirates into reason, than money to bribe them.”

America and the world has been dealing with a similar issue off the eastern coast of Africa with regards to Somali pirates.The recent capture of a boat loaded with military armaments highlighted the potential threat to sustainable peace in the area. This is in addition to the loss of life, the suffering of innocent sailors, and the payment of millions of dollars regularly. Taking cues from terrorist organizations and organized crime, the mercenary pirates win local support by funneling money into charitable organizations within their geographic strongholds.

Pressure is now being applied to United States officials that decisive action must be taken to eliminate this threat on international waters. The Alabama was the sixth ship to be hijacked off Somalia’s coast in a week, and it is believed to be the first American-flagged merchant vessel to be attacked by pirates since the early 19th century.