The Unsung Hero of Rolling Thunder Mine

KANAWHA COUNTY, West Virginia -- Steve Lipscomb was a son, a father, a husband, a Marine, a man of faith, and a coal miner.

Ten days ago, Lipscomb and his crew encountered an unknown pocket of water when a "sudden and substantial" flood sent millions of gallons into the Rolling Thunder Mine. Lipscomb lived up to his life of service, faith, family and community by ensuring his entire crew made it out safely.

Officials said that as Lipscomb finished evacuating his crew, rising water filled the shaft so rapidly that he, the last man remaining, had no way out.

It was the last time he was seen.

After five days of round-the-clock, hazardous search efforts, a two-man crew found Lipscomb's body in the mine at 7:37 a.m. Nov. 13.

Gov. Patrick Morrisey (R-W.V.) announced his death outside the Rolling Thunder Mine.

"This is really a very sad day in West Virginia," Morrisey said. Lipscomb was the fifth coal miner to die this year in West Virginia.

As a reporter who has visited several coal mines, I can attest to the enormous amount of precision and safety that goes into every step a miner takes. I can also say from experience that once you're 1,000 feet underground, the most unpredictable danger you face is the Earth.

Morrisey said he grew close to Lipscomb's family during the rescue and that his prayers turned from hope of survival to sorrow for their loss.

"The first lady and I are praying for the family of Steven and Heather, and we know that Steven was a good man," he said. "One thing I learned about today is that Steven was in the Marine Corps. He actually got a Purple Heart."

"I had a chance to talk with Heather, and I'm gonna say all of West Virginia's behind this family," Morrisey continued. "We know how difficult it was to go through this. We know that Stephen is the quintessential West Virginian, first serving our nation in the Marine Corps, and then by all accounts, listening to the people that were there, really seeming to want to do everything to save the lives of the other miners."

Lipscomb's tragic death marked the 29th fatality in the mining industry this year, according to Coal Zoom, a mining trade organization with the Mine Safety and Health Administration, which details mining fatalities, nearly half of which are due to equipment failures. By state, West Virginia has the most mining fatalities this year at five.

Morrisey issued all flags flown at half-staff, not just for Lipscomb but for all five of the West Virginia coal miners who lost their lives on the job in 2025: Steven Fields, Billy Stalker, Eric Bartram, Joey Mitchell and Lipscomb.

Mitchell died last week in the Mettiki Mine in Grant County, marking the second mining fatality in November.

Driving across West Virginia reveals more than government buildings, such as post offices, municipal centers and county courthouses. There are also schools and hundreds of homes scattered across the rolling hills and small towns of the nation's only state located entirely within Appalachia.

The history of coal in West Virginia dates back to the 1800s. Government and family records indicate that settlers of what was then Virginia (West Virginia seceded during the Civil War and became its own state) resided in a region rich in abundant reserves of bituminous coal. In fact, of the state's 55 counties, only two do not have coal seams.

It wasn't until the railroads arrived that coal, previously used only for heat and fuel, became the backbone of a booming commercial industry in the 1880s.

After descending into mines in Pennsylvania, including one that crosses into West Virginia, it's clear that the work is punishing and the workers are purposeful. Many miners say that what they do feels patriotic, as it provides the energy that powers the country, the steel that builds its infrastructure, and a vital layer of national security.

The men and women I have interviewed in the mines have a camaraderie that matches that of men and women in battle. They all have one another's backs, as Lipscomb showed in his heroic efforts. Morrisey said Lipscomb was a selfless person, which is why he emphasized the importance of also celebrating the life he led.

"Our spirit cannot be broken," Morrisey said.

West Virginia governors have stood outside of mines after tragedies for hundreds of years. Former Democratic Gov. Joe Manchin was the symbol of grief and hope in 2006 when I covered the Sago Mine disaster, in which 12 miners died after an underground explosion.

Initially, the trapped miners survived by hunkering down with limited oxygen supplies, which quickly ran out. For days, the country watched anxiously, hoping they would make it out alive. Early reports mistakenly said only one miner died and that 12 survived. At the Sago Baptist Church, where families gathered, the news sparked jubilation, which collapsed into agony when it became clear that the reports were the result of a tragic communication error.

Manchin, who grew up around mining, was 21 years old when Farmington No. 9 in his hometown exploded, killing his mother's brother, Uncle John.

In 2010, when the Upper Big Branch disaster took the lives of 29 miners, Manchin requested a nationwide shutdown of mining operations. Later, he and then-Rep. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.V.) passed a bill to set stricter standards on air quality and require safety tents for miners that also had oxygen.

At the time, Manchin said miners' families "should expect them to come home safely at the end of the day."

Lipscomb's service was held on Nov. 22. If you are so inclined, send the family a note and thank them for his service. In his Elkview community, Lipscomb will always be a hero. To his family, he will never be forgotten. For the men whose lives he saved, his name will be the first and last they speak in their prayers. Sadly, in our wider culture, few will ever know who Lipscomb was. Yet somewhere, a light burns tonight that would not be burning had it not been for a coal miner like him.

Salena Zito is a staff reporter and columnist for the Washington Examiner. She reaches the Everyman and Everywoman through shoe-leather journalism, traveling from Main Street to the beltway and all places in between. To find out more about Salena and read her past columns, please visit the Creators Syndicate webpage at www.creators.com.

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