The ultimate in human-interest stories culminated in the delivery of nine men from near certain death 247 feet underground in a coal mine in Somerset, Pa.

This story has everything that is good about America.

The nine men trapped in the wet and darkness kept reassuring themselves that they would make it out.

At the surface, heroic efforts involving hundreds of people working around the clock ultimately persevered. The families braced for the worst. It was an emotional experience that no one will ever forget.

What we witnessed was the ultimate American spirit in action.

Those who hate us can hijack planes, destroy buildings, set off bombs and kill hundreds of Americans. But as far as breaking the American spirit, they don’t have a chance. I am proud to be a citizen of a nation where common people, united in spirit, could pull off the type of rescue that ended in triumph in Pennsylvania.

Nathan Pitts

Cherryfield