A Korean tragety

A young Korean couple came to Tinian for their honeymoon. They had waited until they were older (the husband was 29) so that they could save enough money to have the wedding and honeymoon they had always dreamed of: the perfect start to their life together; on a tropical island, where they could walk alone together on secluded beaches, party in a casino atmosphere, and go fishing at night with friends...

It was planned out in every detail. United in love, they would begin a life filled with fun and joy. They had taken the 'honeymoon' package at the Dynasty casino, had friends on the island to guide them around and celebrate with, and had plans to go fishing...

Cliff fishing is a very popular pastime in the CNMI. There are many sheer cliffs around the islands that drop straight into the water, making it easy to fish in the deep water without a boat: just drop your line down into the water. Many large fish can be caught from these areas. The danger is the cliff itself: the drop into the water can be anywhere from 20' to 150' (the east side of Tinian has cliffs that have to be 200' high). Care must be taken when walking or standing near the edge of the cliff...

Three or four couples had joined the newlyweds last night in their fishing adventure to the west side of Tinian. The cliff-line on this side is perfect for cliff fishing-- the cliffs are about 30'-50' high, and the water below is another 50' to 100' deep. Just right for catching large fish trolling the shoreline! While four of the men stood at the edge of the cliff fishing, the rest of the group sat and talked, ate and drank, and continued the party atmosphere that had begun on their wedding day.

I don't know what happened, but I can 'imagine' the wife looking with love and joy at her new husband talking and laughing with his fishing buddies, and then turning to share a moment of laughter with her own group... When she turned back there were only three men standing on the cliff line...

It took a moment for it to register in her mind; even the other fishermen standing nearby had not noticed... but then there was that sudden realization: her husband was gone!

The cliff was high, and the water was deep, and it was dark: there was nothing they could do! They called the Tinian emergency dept., who quickly put a boat into the water and raced to the site of the accident. Even then, it would take 30-45 minutes to arrive, and the same to return to the hospital by boat. Once there, it did not take long to find the husbands body, floating face-down in the water.

Terri got the call late last night, not long after we had gone to bed. It didn't sound good. Although the Tinian emergency dept. performed CPR all the way back to the hospital, there was really nothing they could do. Fate had already made its decision. All Terri could do was to try to console and treat the devastated wife.

It is hard to imagine: the couple's life together had begun only two days before... and had ended with the young wife on the floor of the emergency room, her hand clutching at her husbands lifeless form, her joy and future dreams spilling out on the floor through her tears...

Our thoughts and prayers go out to this young widow. There is still a lot of pain to endure. The body must be prepared, and then shipped home; the families must be told; the funeral planned and attended; and future plans and dreams washed away and new ones built... unimaginable!