# American rescued from Turkish cave **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 12, 2023, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-rescued-from-turkish-cave/989994 "2023-09-12T16:05:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2023, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-rescued-from-turkish-cave/989994/1 "2023-09-12T16:05:52Z")
The rescue reminded me of the Thailand rescue in the summer of 2918. Mark Dickey is a very experienced caver. He got very sick at 3400 ft and couldn’t rescue himself. Experts from various organizations came together to carry him out. His girlfriend had to climb out for medical supplies and then return. > **['Amazing to be above ground': American rescued from cave in Turkey after...](https://www.cnn.com/2023/09/11/europe/turkey-cave-rescue-mark-dickey-intl/index.html)** > > A dramatic and complex international rescue operation to save an American man from one of Turkey’s deepest caves ended successfully on Tuesday – more than a week after after he fell seriously ill and became too frail to make his own way out. > **[Mark Dickey’s fiancé assists with rescue effort to save stranded caver](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/mark-dickey-fiance-turkey-cave-b2408840.html)** > > Jessica Van Ord is taking part in a daring rescue mission to save Mark Dickey > **[American rescued after more than a week in the depths of a Turkish cave](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/american-mark-dickey-rescued-turkish-cave-rcna104313)** > > Mark Dickey, a cave explorer, rescuer and expert from New Jersey, was exploring Morca below the Taurus Mountains when he fell ill and was unable to get out on his own. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2023, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-rescued-from-turkish-cave/989994/2 "2023-09-12T16:55:35Z")
It’s quite amazing how experienced people traveled from 8 countries to help with the rescue. I remember the same efforts for the teens trapped in the flooded Thailand cave. > [@](#): > > Medical base camps were set up along the shaft, where the stricken caver could rest during the slow and arduous extrication. > > Turkish authorities said 190 personnel from eight countries were taking part in the operation, which is expected to take up to 10 days. > > Mr Dickey thanked the Turkish government and rescuers in a video message on Thursday. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2023, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-rescued-from-turkish-cave/989994/3 "2023-09-12T17:52:50Z")
I recently watched a NatGeo program about the Thai cave rescue. I hadn’t known that while they were looking for the boys, they found four men, IIRC miners, trapped in an alcove, and used that as a template for the methods they used to get the boys out. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2023, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-rescued-from-turkish-cave/989994/4 "2023-09-12T22:53:43Z")
Wow, great Tyrolean set ups. That puts tremendous tension on the rope. I was on a ground search and rescued team, and on a practice, we ended up dragging a guy through a river. Rope was not tight enough, and depending on the rope, it will stretch. I can’t imagine how much rope they had to hump down into that cave. And kudos to his fiancée getting out to get help, on her own (not saying she’s not a great caver, just looks like you would need help) ---
**Author:** ![FrenchDunadan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frenchdunadan/32/5449_2.png) [@FrenchDunadan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FrenchDunadan)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2023, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-rescued-from-turkish-cave/989994/5 "2023-09-16T12:29:11Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > The rescue reminded me of the Thailand rescue in the summer of 2918. Time traveling a lot? 😆 ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2023, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-rescued-from-turkish-cave/989994/6 "2023-09-16T17:57:55Z")
This reminds me of a question which has been discussed on the Everest thread: if the guy wasn’t an American (or citizen of a similar wealthy country) how much effort would have been made to rescue him? While the Thailand cave rescue has been mentioned I think that was very much “the exception which proves the rule”. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2023, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-rescued-from-turkish-cave/989994/7 "2023-09-16T18:08:55Z")
I do not believe there is a real “rule” that says that not every effort will be made to rescue someone from a mineshaft/cave/mountain/shipwreck unless they have an American passport. Do you have evidence of this ever happening? Not to say that there have never been fuck-ups like the response to the _Kursk_ disaster. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2023, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-rescued-from-turkish-cave/989994/8 "2023-09-16T18:32:46Z")
In the Everest thread a few dozen mountain climbers walked past a dying porter. A lot of people feel that if instead it was one of the well off climbers (American, European…) a major effort would have been made to rescue him.