I started watching the second season Ice Road Truckers. Like last season, I am hooked once again. The television show, which appears on the History Channel, is about a group of truckers that haul loads across the frozen waters of North America during the winter months. Last year they hauled tons of heavy machinery and supplies to diamond mines by driving across frozen lakes in the Northwest Territories of Canada. This season, they are traveling over frozen ocean roads in the Artic Circle to deliver millions of dollars of equipment to outposts searching for new energy opportunities. With the threat of cracking through the ice a real and constant danger, it takes a man of courage to travel these roads.
This is where Alex Debogorski comes in. As one of the most experienced Ice Road Truckers, he is a main personality in both seasons. But his courage and know-how is not the thing you would notice first about Alex. It is his jovial, kind nature that lets you know that he is different from the rest of the truckers. As I was watching last season, it slowly became apparent what set Alex apart from the others on the series. It was his Catholic faith. As the episodes went on, he made reference to his religious beliefs more frequently. In the new season, there is no doubt that he is Catholic. So far this season; Alex had a Priest bless him and his family, he has prayed the Our Father in his cab during a storm (he even crossed himself), and he has made subtle corrections concerning the moral judgment of other truckers.
Beyond what I see on the program, I don’t know much about Alex. But I believe he should be highly commended for taking the opportunity that he was given, as a member of a hit show, to demonstrate his Catholic way of life. I have known of many others who have been in similar situations, but hid their beliefs hoping not to rock the boat. Alex is a brave man, even if he wasn’t traveling the Ice Roads.
If you would like to see a clip from the second season that introduces Alex go to: http://www.history.com/video.do?name=iceroadtruckers
Facts about Alex from the Ice Road Trucker website:
"Alex is larger than life, enormously capable and able to take on the hardest and most demanding jobs. He's a street intellectual who is also a Roman Catholic lay prison minister.
Alex is the first-generation son of a Polish military officer, known all around town, not least for having run for mayor (his campaign posters were pieces of old automobile bodies), and he is a beloved wit whose VHF diatribes have kept many a trucker awake and laughing through long winter nights. Juvenile delinquent, adult delinquent, he is the proud father of 11 children and 7 grandchildren."
Alex sent me an update on how he is doing and what he has been up to lately-click on link below:
http://www.catholicadventure.com/2008/08/catholic-people-spotlight-alex.html