The body knows that as the carbon dioxide builds, time is running out, resulting in an involuntary breath in most cases flooding the lungs with water ending any chance of survival. “A spasmodic breath drags water into the mouth and windpipe, and then one of two things happen. In about ten percent of people, water-anything-touching the vocal cords triggers an immediate contraction in the muscles around the larynx. In effect the central nervous system judges something in the voice box to be more of a threat then low oxygen levels in the blood, and acts accordingly. This is called a laryngospasm. It is so powerful that it overcomes the breathing reflex and eventually suffocates the person.” (Junger: P.181) “The panic of a drowning person is mixed with an odd incredulity that this is actually happening. Having never done it before, the body-and the mind-do not know how to die gracefully. The process if filled with desperation and awkwardness, “so this is drowning,” a drowning person might think. “So this is how my life ends.Along with the disbelief is an overwhelming sense of being wrenched from life at the most banal, inopportune moment imaginable. “I can’t die I have tickets to next weeks game,” is not an impossible thought for someone who is drowning.”(Junger: P.180) To be optimistic, in such a situation, the lessons learned on how to prevent an event as drowning at sea from happening again is the only benefit from an incident of this sort. The men of the Air National Guard and the Coast Guard are the most beneficial of those who may take part in such an occasion. They learn from each attempted rescue they perform whether it is successful or not. These men also put their lives on the line. I find their work more understanding opposed to the fishing industry because of the training they endure. The Perfect Storm tells a true story of disaster. It brings to one...
