SOUTH POLE RESCUES SHOW OUR WILL TO SURVIVE

Between February and November, flying to the South Pole isn't advisable. It's winter down there -- temperatures 65 degrees below zero this time of year -- and the sun doesn't shine.

But against these odds, two planes in separate rescue attempts last week successfully reached their destinations and safely returned.

In one flight, a New Zealand air force plane evacuated 11 Americans from a research station on the frozen continent. Just 24 hours later, a small twin-engine propeller plane safely returned to Chile with a sick doctor rescued from the research station at the South Pole.

In times of dire need, the human ability to rise above near-impossible circumstances to save lives and give aid and comfort is astounding. In a matter of mere hours, we saw two shining examples in the nether parts of our world.