Dec 26, 2018 4 min read

Thirteen times Dave Koin Mikluscak has made the 100-mile trek south to Sago, W.Va., in early January. Next month, on the anniversary of the 2006 Sago Mine disaster, will be number 14.

The 67-year-old Brownfield resident does it without any ties to the small mining community, now infamous as the location of a mine explosion that trapped 13 miners on Jan. 2, 2006, of which only one survived.

And he does it without any expectation of reciprocity of the goodwill he shows survivors of the men who lost their lives in the tragedy.

Mikluscak does it simply to play a few country songs on his acoustic guitar and help ensure the memory of the miners lives on.

“The point that led me into it was an overwhelming situation, where if I didn’t answer what was calling me, then I wasn’t doing something right. I felt like I had a job to do, even if that was to brighten someone’s day,” Mikluscak said of his first trip to Sago, six days following the disaster in 2006.

Since then, he has returned every year on the anniversary to mourn with the community in a memorial service at Sago Baptist Church, where a memorial was constructed to honor the 12 miners who died in the disaster.

In the middle of the annual ceremony, which is bookended by a sermon and a dinner at the church, Mikluscak plays a handful of songs on his guitar, including an original work he wrote about the victims and debuted three years ago called “Modern Day Disciples.”

A retired welder and mechanic, Mikluscak has sung and played guitar on stages around the country for decades.

Mikluscak describes the ceremony as “spiritual,” but he also tries to bring lightheartedness to the occasion.

“I know there’s a lot of people all waiting for a man to come home, but they ain’t coming home. I’m sure it’s emotional for them,” he said, admitting that the experience is emotional for him, as well, as he has befriended members of the community over the years.

“They didn’t know me, and I didn’t know any of them,” he said of his first arrival at Sago. “But I’ve come to know a lot of them.

“My main intention is to keep this ceremony happening, get some laughter and take them out of that (sadness) for a little bit of time.”

Mikluscak, a U.S. Navy veteran who served for two years during the Vietnam War, said his own troubles stem from his service aboard the USS Coral Sea, leaving him with post-traumatic stress, which is abated by his travels to Sago.

“I got a spiritual calling to go down there and help the survivors with the healing. I feel like I’m healing, as well. I think I’m just paying it forward. It feels good to pass it on,” Mikluscak said.

When the disaster occurred in 2006, five members of Greene County’s Enlow Fork Mine Rescue Team entered the mine in an attempt to rescue the 13 miners who were trapped 260 feet below the surface after the early morning explosion. The rescuers discovered the miners’ mine cars and breathing apparatuses before exhausting their oxygen supply and being forced to turn back for fresh air.

Only Randal McCloy Jr. was discovered alive when rescuers finally located the miners.

Nearly 13 years later, Mikluscak feels compelled to return annually to keep the memory of the fallen miners alive.

“My goal is not to be recognized for tragedy. It is to help (the community) and to help keep the memorial from being forgotten,” he said.

But even if it’s just him and his guitar on Jan. 2, Mikluscak will play on for the 12 people he feels are always listening.

“If nobody was here, I’d still play for these guys.”