Dormel Farms, located in Somerset, Pa., looked far different than it did July 28, 2002, when the nation watched as the nine coal miners were pulled from the depths of the ground and certain death.

Owned and operated by the Arnold family, Dormel Farms has become home to the Quecreek Mine Rescue Foundation and was the site of the first commemoration celebration.

The 50th Space Wing attended the event to mark a bit of history of its own: the first formal request for a satellite launch dedication.

The Global Positioning System was used extensively to find the trapped men in last year's rescue efforts. Therefore, in honor of the bravery the miners and rescue personnel showed during the 2002 saga, a GPS satellite launch was requested for dedication.

"Time was of the essence during the rescue," said Lori Arnold, of Dormel Farms. "We only had one chance to do this and the GPS signal gave them (rescue workers) a piece of mind and assurance that they were digging in the right place."

The launch selected for potential dedication, "Quecreek Special - 9 for 9," was launched March 31, 2003 by Lockheed Martin. The company dedicated the launch of the GPS Mission IIR-9 to the miners and created a patch depicting the rescue event to be worn by members of the 2nd Space Operations Squadron, which operates the GPS constellation.

"I try to explain GPS to my children by telling them to think of making a big wish, closing their eyes and sending it up to a place where it can come back down to you," said Arnold. The foundation is "honored and humbled" by the Air Force's participation, she continued.

News of the requested dedication was met with emotion and tears by the foundation directors and rescued miners; 2nd Lt. William Britton, GPS navigation payload engineer, presented the certificate of intent.

"I was proud and honored to have been able to talk with, and shake hands with, the miners that were rescued," said Britton. "Often, we are blinded by the duty to bring superior accuracy to the warfighter, when in fact GPS is being used everyday to save lives all over the world -- it's impossible to accurately describe the feelings I had upon meeting the men that GPS helped to save."

The anniversary of the rescue was marked throughout the weekend with events that included speeches from former Pennsylvania governor, Mark Schweiker, representatives from the 50th Space Wing among others.

The people who attended the celebration were happy to have a person in uniform among them, continued Britton. "Almost every person I talked to thanked me for serving my country."

The miners became trapped July 24, 2002 when a coal extraction machine tore through the adjacent and abandoned Saxman Mine, which was filled with an estimated 50 million gallons of water.

That evening rescue workers, with the use of GPS, were able to determine where the miners were and drill a 6-inch air hole into the mine. The 6-inch air hole is still visible today.

Rescue workers from all over the nation began to rally equipment and supplies to the Pennsylvania dairy farm in the hope that they could get to the men in time. The miners' families, the town's people and the nation kept vigil.

After disappointing set backs and the loss of much precious time, the miners were finally reached and brought up one at a time in a rescue capsule 22-inches in diameter.

A capsule, similar to the one used in the Quecreek rescue, the hammer the miners used to signal that they were still alive and many other artifacts of the rescue event were on display during the anniversary celebration.

"You are going to feel something here," Betty Rhoads, owner of Our Coal Miners Caf�, told visitors. "You are going to know that a miracle brought our boys back up. The feeling is overwhelming."

"I believe there was someone who had a higher hand in this rescue," said Blaine Mayhugh, one of the nine rescued miners who attended Saturday's events. "I believe it was the good Lord above."

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