The 15th anniversary of the Upper Big Branch Mine disaster took place on April 5. I wanted to share my personal experience with it, with my readers. This story is divided into three parts, with this being the final one.

The governor’s assistant picked up a bullhorn.

“Just keep doing what you’re doing. We’ll start in about 15 minutes. We want to make sure everyone’s here before we begin.”

He was stalling, waiting for the governor.

The tension was unbearable.

“Just start,” I thought. “These people have suffered enough.”

Beside me, a woman looked lost.

“Did you just come from the mine?” she asked.

I had been standing beside her for some time. She didn’t even remember that I was the one who had refused to give her an extra bottle of soap after she and her sister had come back five times in 20 minutes.

“I haven’t,” I told her.

“It looks bad, doesn’t it?” she whispered.

Before I could answer, Massey CEO Don Blankenship spoke.

“Well, I guess I can start before the governor arrives,” he said. “I want you to know that you are entitled to full death benefits.”

I clenched my fists. Jerk.

This was the last thing they needed to hear. They wanted to know if their loved ones were alive or dead.

Four miners were still unaccounted for. Every family there was clinging to the hope that their miner was one of them.

The woman beside me kept asking what I thought. Her eyes were swollen from days of crying. She probably hadn’t eaten or slept.

A mine supervisor spoke next. “There’s been no real change. We’re hoping for more news later today.”

The woman on my other side broke down completely. I turned and held her as she wept.

That night, I stayed up until midnight, waiting for updates.

The news came late.

The miners were found.

All dead.

I wasn’t there with the families when they received the news which was very disappointing.

On April 25, 2010, I attended the memorial service for the 29 miners in Beckley, where President Barack Obama delivered a eulogy. From a distance, I could see the compassion in Vice President Joe Biden’s eyes.

None of the family members noticed me, and I knew we would never see each other again — just as they would never see their miners again.

The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) released its final report on Dec. 6, 2011, uncovering extensive safety violations. They issued more than 369 citations and imposed over $10 million in fines and penalties.

In March 2012, former Superintendent Gary May pleaded guilty to conspiring to impede safety enforcement efforts. A month later, the mine’s owners agreed to permanently close the site.

In 2015, former Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship was convicted of willfully violating safety standards. He was sentenced to one year in prison.

In memory of the 29 miners.

Donna Joy, of Shepherdstown, is in her second term on the Jefferson County Board of Education. Her comments are personal, and do not represent the Jefferson County Board of Education as a whole. She can be reached at aumpeace@msn.com.