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Aron Ralston
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Aron Ralston
Ralston in February 2003
Born
Aron Lee Ralston
(1975-10-27) October 27, 1975 (age 42)
Marion, Ohio, United States[1]
Alma mater
Carnegie Mellon University (B.A.)
Occupation
Motivational speaker, mountaineer, mechanical engineer
Notable work
Between a Rock and a Hard Place
Spouse(s)
Jessica Trusty (2009–2011)
girlfriend Vita Shannon
Children
2
Aron Lee Ralston (born October 27, 1975) is an American outdoorsman, mechanical engineer and motivational speaker known for having survived a canyoneering accident in southeastern Utah in 2003 during which he amputated his own right forearm with a dull pocketknife in order to extricate himself from a dislodged boulder which had him trapped in Blue John Canyon for five days. After he freed himself, he had to make his way through the remainder of the canyon, then rappel down a 65-foot (20 m) sheer cliff face in order to reach safety.[2]
The incident is documented in Ralston's autobiography Between a Rock and a Hard Place and is the subject of the 2010 film 127 Hours where he is portrayed by James Franco.
Contents
[hide]
1 Background
2 Accident
3 Aftermath of accident
3.1 Mountaineering and adventuring
3.2 Domestic violence charge
3.3 Media appearances
3.4 127 Hours
4 References
5 External links
Background[edit]
Aron Ralston was born on October 27, 1975 in Marion, Ohio. He and his family moved to Denver when he was 12. He is a graduate of Teccs in Ducan, Colorado. He received his college degree from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, finishing with degrees in mechanical engineering and French, with a minor in piano. At Carnegie Mellon, he served as a resident assistant, studied abroad, and was an active intramural sports participant. He left his job as a mechanical engineer with Intel in Phoenix, Arizona, in 2002 and moved to Aspen, Colorado in order to pursue a life of climbing mountains.
He had the goal of climbing all of Colorado's "fourteeners" — peaks over 14,000 feet (4,270 m) altitude, of which there are 59 — solo and during winter (a feat that had never been recorded before). He subsequently achieved this goal in 2005. In 2003, Ralston was caught in a Grade 5 avalanche on Resolution Peak, Colorado with his skiing partners Mark Beverly and Chadwick Spencer. No one was seriously injured.
In August 2009, Ralston married Jessica Trusty. His first child was born in February 2010[3][4][5].
Accident[edit]
On April 26, 2003, Aron Ralston was hiking alone through Blue John Canyon, in eastern Wayne County, Utah, just south of the Horseshoe Canyon unit of Canyonlands National Park. While he was descending a slot canyon, a suspended boulder became dislodged while he was climbing down from it. The rock smashed his left hand, and then crushed his right hand against the canyon wall. [6] Ralston had not informed anyone of his hiking plans, nor did he have any way to call for help.
Assuming that he would die without intervention, he spent five days slowly sipping his small amount of remaining water, approximately 350 ml (12 imp fl oz), and slowly eating his small amount of food, two burritos, while trying to free his arm. He wasn't able to free his arm from the 800 lb (360 kg) chockstone. After three days of trying to lift and break the boulder, the dehydrated and delirious Ralston prepared to amputate his trapped right arm at a point on the mid-forearm in order to escape. After having experimented with tourniquets and having made exploratory superficial cuts to his forearm, he realized, on the fourth day, that in order to free his arm he would have to cut through the bones in it, but the tools available to him were insufficient to do so.
After running out of food and water on the fifth day, Ralston decided to drink his own urine. He carved his name, date of birth and presumed date of death into the sandstone canyon wall, and videotaped his last goodbyes to his family. He did not expect to survive the night. After waking at dawn the following day he discovered that his arm had begun to decompose due to the lack of circulation. Ralston had an epiphany that he could break his radius and ulna bones using torque against his trapped arm. He did so, then amputated his forearm in about one hour, with his multi-tool, which included a dull two-inch knife. The manufacturer of the tool was never named, but Ralston said "it was not a Leatherman but what you'd get if you bought a $15 flashlight and got a free multi use tool."[7]
After freeing himself Ralston climbed out of the slot canyon in which he had been trapped, rappelled down a 65-foot (20 m) sheer wall, then hiked out of the canyon. He was 8 miles (13 km) from his vehicle, and had no phone. However, while hiking out of the canyon, he encountered a family on vacation from the Netherlands, Eric and Monique Meijer and their son Andy, who gave him food and water and hurried to alert the authorities. Ralston had feared he would bleed to death; he had lost 40 pounds (18 kg), including 25% of his blood volume. Rescuers searching for Ralston, alerted by his family that he was missing, had narrowed the search down to Canyonlands and flew by in their helicopter. He was rescued four hours after amputating his arm.
Ralston later said that if he had amputated his arm earlier, he would have bled to death before being found, while if he had not done it he would have been found dead in the slot canyon days later. He believed he was looking forward to the amputation and the freedom it would give.[8]
His severed hand and forearm were retrieved from under the boulder by park authorities. According to television presenter Tom Brokaw,[9] it took 13 men, a winch and a hydraulic jack to move the boulder so that Ralston's arm could be removed. His arm was then cremated and the ashes given to Ralston. He returned to the accident scene with Tom Brokaw and a camera crew six months later, on his 28th birthday, to film a Dateline NBC special about the accident in which he scattered the ashes of his arm there, where, he said, they belong.
Aftermath of accident[edit]
Mountaineering and adventuring[edit]
Ralston in the mountains of central Colorado, near Independence Pass, Aspen, in 2009
After the accident occurred, Ralston continued to climb mountains frequently, including participating in a 2008 expedition to climb Ojos del Salado in Chile and Monte Pissis in Argentina.[10] In 2005, Ralston became the first person to climb all 59 ranked and/or named Colorado's 'fourteeners' solo in winter, a project he started in 1997 and resumed after the amputation in Blue John Canyon.[11][12][13]
While Ralston says he intends to climb Mount Everest, he did not go along with polar explorer Eric Larsen on his "Save the Poles" expedition in 2010, as was previously reported.[14]
Domestic violence charge[edit]
In December 2013, Ralston and then-girlfriend Vita Shannon were both arrested in Colorado and charged with domestic violence after an incident at their home. The couple's two-month old child was present at the time of the incident. Charges for both were later dismissed.[15] [16]
Media appearances[edit]
After the accident, Ralston made numerous appearances in the media.[17] On July 21, 2003, Ralston appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman.
On September 10, 2004, Ralston's story was featured on a two-hour edition of Dateline NBC called "Desperate Days in Blue John Canyon".[9] Ralston has appeared twice on The Today Show, Good Morning America, and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.[17] He has also appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, CNN's American Morning with Bill Hemmer, Minute to Win It, Anderson Cooper 360°, CNN Saturday Morning, and CNBC with Deborah Norville.[17] On September 28, 2004, he appeared on the radio program The Bob Rivers Show and described his ordeal as "six days of terror and horror."[18]
In 2006, Ralston was featured as a panelist in Miller Lite's "Man Laws" ad campaign.[17][19] He also starred on the Australian interview show Enough Rope.[20] Ralston was a contestant on the U.S. television show Minute To Win It, where he won $125,000 for Wilderness Workshop.[21] The episode aired on February 23, 2011, on NBC.
Ralston provides his voice on The Simpsons episode "Treehouse of Horror XXII" as the voice on the other end of Homer's phone when he calls for help after getting trapped in a similar situation to Ralston himself.[22] The episode aired on October 30, 2011.
He took part in the reality show Alone in the Wild, where he had to 'survive' in the wild with a video camera and a bag of supplies. The episode was aired November 9, 2011, on Discovery UK.
As a corporate speaker, Ralston receives an honorarium of about $25,000 per domestic speaking appearance, and up to $37,000 for international speeches.[23] On May 4, 2007, Ralston appeared at the Swiss Economic Forum and gave a speech about "how he did not lose his hand, but gained his life back."
Ralston documented his experience in an autobiographical book titled Between a Rock and a Hard Place, published by Atria Books on September 7, 2004. It reached #3 on The New York Times Hardcover Non-Fiction list. It hit #1 in New Zealand and Australia, and is the #7 best-selling memoir of all-time in the United Kingdom.[17]
Ralston delivered the commencement speech on May 15, 2011, at Carnegie Mellon University for the graduating class of 2011, and again on May 19, 2013, marking the first time the University ever hosted a commencement speaker twice.[24]
Ralston at the Toronto premiere of 127 Hours
He has also appeared on the Comedy Central show Tosh.0 in a sketch with host Daniel Tosh and another climber in 2012.[25]
127 Hours[edit]
Main article: 127 Hours
British film director Danny Boyle directed the film 127 Hours about Ralston's accident.[26] Filming took place in March and April 2010, with a release in New York City and Los Angeles on November 5, 2010. Fox Searchlight Pictures funded the film.[27] Actor James Franco played the role of Ralston.[28] The movie received standing ovations at both the Telluride Film Festival and the Toronto International Film Festival. Some of the audience members in Toronto fainted during the final amputation scene.[29]
The film received universal acclaim by critics and review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 93% of 197 professional critics have given the film a positive review, with an average rating of 8.2 out of 10.[30]
At the 83rd Academy Awards in 2011 the film was nominated for six Oscars, including Best Picture (won by The King's Speech) and Best Actor for Franco (won by Colin Firth for his role in The King's Speech). 127 Hours was also nominated in the categories for Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Original Score, Best Original Song, and Best Editing.
Of the authenticity of 127 Hours, Ralston has said that the film is "so factually accurate it is as close to a documentary as you can get and still be a drama," and he jokingly added that he thought it is "the best film ever made."[31]
References[edit]
Jump up ^ Ohio Birth Index, 1908-2011
Jump up ^ Duncan Campbell (2003-05-03). "Mountaineer trapped by boulder amputated arm with pocketknife". London: The Guardian. Retrieved 2010-12-13.
Jump up ^ Inbar, Michael (2009-12-08). "Hiker who cut off arm: My future son saved me - TODAY People - People: Tales of survival". Today.msnbc.msn.com. Retrieved 2010-10-19.
Jump up ^ "Pick Me Up CATCH-UP". Pick Me Up magazine. Archived from the original on September 1, 2010. Retrieved 2010-10-19.
Jump up ^ "Aron Ralston Interview – The Man Who's (sic) Real Life Story Danny Boyle's upcoming Movie '127 Hours' Is Based On". Flicks and Bits. 2010-10-08. Archived from the original on 11 October 2010. Retrieved 2010-10-19.
Jump up ^ "The Daily Mirror". Los Angeles Times. 2010-11-07.
Jump up ^ Kennedy, J. Michael (May 9, 2003). "CMU grad describes cutting off his arm to save his life". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Archived from the original on 28 April 2007. Retrieved 2007-03-21.
Jump up ^ Rollings, Grant (January 4, 2011). "'I smiled as I cut off my arm. I was grateful to be free'". The Sun. London. Retrieved July 7, 2013.
^ Jump up to: a b "Desperate days in Blue John Canyon". msnbc.com.
Jump up ^ Howell, Peter (2010-11-11). "Between a rock and a happy place". The Star. Toronto. Archived from the original on 15 November 2010. Retrieved 2010-12-12.
Jump up ^ "My Summit Problem". Archived from the original on 2010-09-02. Retrieved 2007-03-21.
Jump up ^ "14ers.com". Archived from the original on 19 November 2010. Retrieved 2010-11-07.
Jump up ^ Mutrie, Tim (2005-03-11). "Ralston sends it: First solo winter fourteener project complete". The Aspen Times. Retrieved 2011-03-08.
Jump up ^ "Explorers eye poles, Everest on climate mission". NBC News. Associated Press. September 21, 2008. Retrieved December 10, 2017.
Jump up ^ Payne, Will (December 9, 2013). "Real 127 hours climber who cut off his own arm has domestic violence charges dropped against new Harvard graduate girlfriend he met on a plane". Daily Mail. Retrieved 9 January 2015.
Jump up ^ "Real-life '127 Hours' amputee's Harvard graduate girlfriend is cleared of punching him in the head". Daily Mail. February 20, 2014.
^ Jump up to: a b c d e "Aron Ralston - Speaker Profile". Keynotespeakers.com. 2005-09-01. Retrieved 2010-10-19.
Jump up ^ Ralston, Aron (September 28, 2004). "Aron Ralston, cut off own arm to save his life". The Bob Rivers Show. Retrieved May 1, 2016.
Jump up ^ "Catching Up with Aron Ralston". Disaboom.com. Archived from the original on 7 October 2010. Retrieved 2010-10-19.
Jump up ^ "Perseverance Hall of Fame". Assurantemployeebenefits.com. Archived from the original on 2010-12-24. Retrieved 2010-10-19.
Jump up ^ WENN. "James Franco - One-armed Adventurer To Take Part In Game Show - Contactmusic.com". Contactmusic.com.
Jump up ^ "Fox Details ‘The Simpsons,’ Oct. 30 Episode: ‘Treehouse of Horror XXII’". 2011-10-24. mediamarketjournal.com, Retrieved 2011-11-01
Jump up ^ Pushing the Limit NY Times, March 31, 2009
Jump up ^ Speakers & Honorees-Commencement Weekend - Carnegie Mellon University Archived May 13, 2011, at the Wayback Machine.
Jump up ^ "Web Redemption - S**tty Rock Climber - Uncensored". Tosh.0.
Jump up ^ "Spend 127 Hours with Danny Boyle". Dreadcentral.com. Retrieved 2010-10-19.
Jump up ^ Xan Brooks (2009-11-05). "Danny Boyle climbs on mountaineer epic 127 Hours". London: Guardian. Retrieved 2010-10-19.
Jump up ^ Siegel, Tatiana (January 6, 2010). "James Franco puts in 'Hours'". Variety. Reed Business Information. Retrieved June 19, 2010.
Jump up ^ Kellett, Christine (September 15, 2010). "Audience faints at 'realistic' amputation film". The Age. Melbourne. Archived from the original on 18 September 2010. Retrieved September 15, 2010.
Jump up ^ "127 Hours". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved March 3, 2011.
Jump up ^ Barkham, Patrick (2010-12-15). "The extraordinary story behind Danny Boyle's 127 Hours". The Guardian. London.
External links[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Aron Ralston.
Official website
Redux: A Climber's Survival Tale
Aron Ralston: in his own words
Authority control
WorldCat Identities
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LCCN: n2004018100
ISNI: 0000 0001 2025 7477
GND: 1074441079
SUDOC: 087879247
BNF: cb14631820f (data)
BIBSYS: 11067429
NDL: 00995288
ICCU: IT\ICCU\LO1V\377191
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Aron_Ralston&oldid=823358916"
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text:
George Jung
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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This biography of a living person needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (November 2017) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)
George Jung
Jung (left) and Anthony Curcio
in La Tuna prison in 2010
Born
(1942-08-06) August 6, 1942 (age 75)
Boston, Massachusetts
Other names
Boston George, El Americano
Occupation
Drug trafficker and Smuggler
Criminal status
Released on July 3, 2017 from halfway house due to parole violation
Children
Kristina Sunshine Jung, step daughter Clara Pearson
Parent(s)
Frederick Jung and Ermine Jung
Conviction(s)
Drug trafficking and smuggling
Medellín Cartel
Pablo Emilio Escobar Gaviria
Roberto de Jesús Escobar Gaviria
Gustavo de Jesús Gaviria Rivero
George Jung
Juan David Ochoa Vásquez
Griselda Blanco
José Gonzalo Rodríguez Gacha
Carlos Lehder Rivas
Jorge Luis Ochoa Vásquez
Fabio Ochoa Vásquez
José Abello Silva
Gilberto Molina
v
t
e
George Jacob Jung (born August 6, 1942), nicknamed Boston George and El Americano, is a former drug trafficker and smuggler who was a major player in the cocaine trade in the United States in the 1970s and early 1980s. Jung was a part of the Medellín Cartel, which was responsible for up to 85 % of the cocaine smuggled into the United States. He specialized in the smuggling of cocaine from Colombia on a large scale. His life story was portrayed in the biopic Blow (2001), starring Johnny Depp. Jung was released from prison on June 2, 2014, after serving nearly 20 years for drug-smuggling.[1] On December 6, 2016 Jung was arrested and booked in Sacramento County jail for around a month, due to violating his parole. He was arrested while giving a speech in San Diego.[2]
Contents
[hide]
1 Biography
1.1 Early life
2 Work with Medellín Cartel
2.1 Most recent incarceration
3 Recent work
4 Relationship with daughter
5 See also
6 References
7 External links
Biography[edit]
Early life[edit]
George Jung was born to Frederick and Ermine (née O'Neill) Jung in Boston, Massachusetts, and raised in Weymouth, Massachusetts.[3] Though Jung did not excel academically, he was a star football player and was described by his classmates as "a natural leader".[3] His first arrest was by an undercover police officer, for solicitation of prostitution. After graduating in 1961 from Weymouth High School, Jung went to the University of Southern Mississippi. He studied for a degree in advertising but never completed his studies.[3] Jung began recreationally using marijuana and sold a portion of everything he bought to break even.
In 1967, after meeting with a childhood friend, Jung realized the enormous profit potential represented by smuggling the cannabis he bought in California back to New England.[3] Jung initially had his stewardess girlfriend transport the drugs in her suitcases on flights.[3] In search of even greater profits, he expanded his operation to flying the drugs in from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico,[3] using airplanes stolen from private airports on Cape Cod[4] and professional pilots.[5] At the height of this enterprise, Jung and his associates were reportedly making $250,000 a month (equivalent to over $1.6 million in 2017 dollars, adjusting for inflation).[3] This ended in 1974, when Jung was arrested in Chicago for smuggling 660 pounds (300 kg) of marijuana. He had been staying at the Playboy Club, where he was to meet a connection who would pick up the marijuana. The connection was arrested for heroin smuggling, however he informed the authorities about Jung to get a reduced sentence.[5] After arguing with the judge about the purpose of sending a man to prison "for crossing an imaginary line with a bunch of plants",[4] Jung was sent to the Federal Correctional Institution, Danbury.[3]
Work with Medellín Cartel[edit]
At FCI Danbury during his marijuana trafficking sentence, March 1974, Jung's cellmate was Carlos Lehder Rivas, a young German-Colombian man who introduced Jung to the dominant and powerful international drug-trafficking Medellín Cartel; in return, Jung taught Lehder about smuggling.(Miguel El Cartèr/Associate) In April 1975, When Jung and Lehder were released, they went into business together. Their plan was to fly hundreds of kilograms of cocaine from Pablo Escobar's Colombian ranch to the U.S., and Jung's California connection, Richard Barile, would take it from there.[citation needed] Jung had a security man who would accompany him to the exchanges, where Jung would give the man the keys to a car and half the cocaine, and then leave.[citation needed] A day or two later, they would meet again and exchange keys to cars.[citation needed]
Though only the middle man, Jung made millions off the operation.[citation needed] He came up with the idea to steal single-engine airplanes for his transportation and charge $10,000 per kilogram, with five planes going from Colombia to California, carrying 300 kilograms per plane: this equated to $15 million per run for Jung. In the 1970s Jung was earning 3 to $5 million per day.[citation needed] To avoid 60 % surcharges,[clarification needed] as well as a need to launder his earnings, he kept his money in the national bank of Panama.[citation needed]
By the late 1970s, Lehder had effectively cut Jung out, by going straight to Barile. Jung continued to smuggle, however, reaping millions in profits.[citation needed]
In 1987, Jung was arrested at his mansion on Nauset Beach,[6] near Eastham, Massachusetts. With his family in tow, he skipped bail but quickly became involved in another deal in which an acquaintance betrayed him.
Most recent incarceration[edit]
After working some "clean" jobs, Jung began working in the drug industry again. In 1994, after reconnecting with his old Mexican marijuana smuggling partner, he was arrested with 1,754 pounds (796 kg) of cocaine in Topeka, Kansas. He pleaded guilty to three counts of conspiracy, received a 60-year sentence,[5][7] and was incarcerated at Otisville Federal Prison, in Mount Hope, New York, then was transferred to Federal Correctional Institution, La Tuna, in Anthony, Texas. Jung later testified in the trial of his former accomplice, Carlos Lehder, in exchange for a reduction in sentence.[5][7] According to the Federal Bureau of Prisons website, Jung (Inmate #19225-004) was most recently serving time in the Federal Correctional Institution, Fort Dix, New Jersey, with a scheduled halfway house release date of June 2, 2014, though he completed his halfway house and was fully released from custody on November 27, 2014.[8][9]
After being released in 2014, Jung spent two years on the outside before being arrested for a parole violation on December 6, 2016. Sources close to Jung said in an interview that he had been arrested for making a paid promotional appearance that had been arranged by his manager, but not cleared by his parole officer. [10]
According to statements on social media from his current partner, Ronda Clay Spinello Jung, Jung was released from a halfway house on July 3, 2017; thus completing his punishment for his 2016 parole violation.
Recent work[edit]
In September 2014, Jung contributed to "Heavy" with T. Rafael Cimino, nephew of film director Michael Cimino. "Heavy" is a fictional story that details how Jung escaped from a Cuban prison and fled to Guatemala.[11]
Relationship with daughter[edit]
Jung's relationship with his daughter was at the emotional core of the film, Blow. After being released from prison in 2014, he began patching up his relationship with Kristina Sunshine Jung[12] but the relationship had fizzled as of 2017 due to his daughter's inability to forgive him[13].
See also[edit]
Cocaine Cowboys (2006 documentary)
Blow (2001 film)
Illegal drug trade in Colombia
Norman's Cay
The Wonderland Gang
T. Rafael Cimino
References[edit]
Jump up ^ Zach Schonfeld (June 6, 2014). "'Blow' Drug Trafficker George Jung Released From Jail". Newsweek. Retrieved April 24, 2015.
Jump up ^ unknown (December 8, 2016). "George Jung is Back in the Can After 2 Years of Freedom". TMZ. Retrieved July 6, 2017.
^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h Graham, Renee (July 7, 1993). "Weymouth's Wayward Son". The Boston Globe. p. 49.
^ Jump up to: a b Pearson, Patricia (July 24, 1993). "Up and down on a mountain of cocaine". The Globe and Mail.
^ Jump up to: a b c d "Frontline interview with George Jung". Frontline. PBS. 2000. Retrieved November 10, 2007.
Jump up ^ "True Crime Authors". History Channel. March 14, 2008.
^ Jump up to: a b "George Jung". Sourced from Frontline interview. January 27, 2002. Retrieved April 30, 2014.
Jump up ^ Daily Mail Reporter (3 July 2017). "Drug smuggler who was inspiration for Johnny Depp's 'Blow' is released from prison after 20 years". Daily Mail. London. Retrieved 2 September 2015.
Jump up ^ "Inmate Locator: Find an inmate". Federal Bureau of Prisons. Retrieved April 30, 2014.
Jump up ^ "George Jung is Back in the Can After 2 Years of Freedom". TMZ. Retrieved July 4, 2017.
Jump up ^ "Blow sequel book Heavy". TMZ. June 6, 2014.
Jump up ^ "George Jung -- Patching Up Relationship with Estranged Daughter". TMZ. Retrieved 2017-07-09.
Jump up ^ Simpson, Neal. "Infamous cocaine smuggler George Jung returns home to Weymouth". The Patriot Ledger, Quincy, MA. Retrieved 2018-04-13.
Porter, Bruce (1993). BLOW: How a Small-Town Boy Made $100 Million with the Medellin Cocaine Cartel and Lost It All. HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0-06-017930-4.
External links[edit]
"Official Website".
"cocaine cowboys: Documentary about the Medellin Cartel". rakontur.com. Retrieved April 30, 2014.
"George Jung - Interview with Ted Demme, Part 1". awesomestories.com. Retrieved April 30, 2014.
Dominic Streatfeild (June 21, 2000). "Interview with George Jung". Archived from the original on October 14, 2013. Retrieved April 30, 2014.
Authority control
WorldCat Identities
GND: 123336988
ISNI: 0000 0004 4883 248X
LCCN: n92121181
NDL: 00871760
VIAF: 41043535
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=George_Jung&oldid=842242173"
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