As he was digging, other helpless parents arrived, clutching their hearts, saying: "My son!" "My daughter!" Other well meaning parents tried to pull him off what was left of the school, saying: "It s too late! They re all dead! You can t help!

Go home! Come on, face reality, there s nothing you can do!" To each parent he responded with one line: "Are you going to help me now?" And then he continued to dig for his son, stone by stone. The fire chief showed up and tried to pull him off the school s ruins saying, "Fires are breaking out, explosions are happening everywhere. You re in danger. We ll take care of it. Go home." To which this loving, caring American father asked, "Are you going to help me now?" The police came and said, "You re angry, anxious and it s over. You re endangering others. Go home. We ll handle it!" To which he replied, "Are you going to help me now?" No one helped. Courageously he went on alone because he needed to know for himself: "Is my boy alive or is he dead?" He dug for eight hours...12 hours...24 hours...36 hours...then, in the 38th hour, he pulled back a large stone and heard his son s voice. He screamed his son s name, "ARMAND!" He heard back, "Dad!?! It s me, Dad! I told the other kids not to worry. I told em that if you were alive, you d save me and when you saved me, they d be saved. You promised, No matter what happens, I ll always be there for you! You did it, Dad!" "What s going on in there? How is it?" the father asked. "There are 14 of us left out of 33, Dad. We re scared, hungry, thirsty and thankful you re here. When the building collapsed, it made a triangle, and it saved us." "Come out, boy!" "No, Dad! Let the other kids out first, cause I know you ll get me! No matter what happens, I know you ll always be there for me!"