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In real terms, three members of the RDC
survived the Wave
Dancer accident in Belize. In much looser terms, there
are many more survivors,
including 90 members of the Richmond Dive Club. They, like those
involved
in the 9/11 attacks, were forced to deal with the random,
incomprehensible and traumatic loss of so many friends and family.
After the accident, I was active on the ad hoc emergency board:
attended all the emergency meetings, handled the RDC Web site and
memorial page, liaisoned with families of the victims,
worked on the Memorial Service Committee and did pro bono legal
research for Steve Glenn, Bob Tata of Hunton & Williams, and the
law firm of Breit, Drescher, Breit. I culled through Christy's
travel files, organizing them for the legal team, and was privileged to
have had many
conversations with the survivors and family members of the victims.
Originally, I planned to write a book about the Wage Dancer Tragedy so
people would know the truth about what happened in Belize, but other
responsibilities always managed to get in the way. Instead, I donated
my research to the Richmond Dive Club archives. This Web site contains
much of the research I did and is my attempt to create meaning out of
the deaths of my friends.
Milly
Armao
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On my first dive after
the Wave Dancer tragedy, wearing some of Christy's dive
gear, I
placed a cross in memory of my friends on the hull of a shipwreck.
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