Miner Profiles

The names of the twelve Sago mine employees that sadly lost their lives in the tragic mine explosion have been officially confirmed by their employer, International Coal Group, and are as follows:

• Terry Helms, 50, Fire Boss/Mine Examiner, 29 years experience
• Martin Toler Jr., 50, Section Foreman, 32 years experience -
• Alva Marty Bennett, 50, Continuous Miner Operator, 29 years experience
• Fred Ware, 59, Continuous Miner Operator, 37 years experience
• Jesse Jones, Roof Bolter Operator, 16 years experience
• Dave Lewis, 28, Roof Bolter Operator, 1 year, 8 months experience
• Jerry Groves, 57, Roof Bolter Operator, 28 years experience
• Tom Anderson, Shuttle Car Operator, 10 years experience
• George Hamner Jr., Shuttle Car Operator, 26 years experience
• James (Jim) Bennett, 61, Shuttle Car Operator, 25 years experience
• Marshall Winans, Scoop Operator, 23 years experience
• Jack Weaver, 52, Section Electrician, 26 years experience

Funerals for the deceased miners are planned to begin on Saturday. According to The Record Delta in Buckhannon, WV, a hate group based in Topeka, Kansas, is making plans to picket the funerals. I'm not going to link to their press release, feeling that such an unconscionable group doesn't deserve our attention, but you can find it linked to from the previously mentioned article.