Thai Cave Boys Leave Hospital and Apologize for All the Fuss

“Coach Ek is a very good-hearted man who sacrifices everything,” Colonel Phak said. “Ek would let the boys eat until they were full by sharing his portion with them.”

The boys and Mr. Ekkapol will soon ordain as Buddhist novices in order to atone for the death of Mr. Saman, the former Navy SEAL, they said. In Thai tradition, boys often enter the monkhood for brief periods to meditate and perform charity work.

In the news media conference, the Wild Boars explained more about their ill-fated expedition to Tham Luang Cave. They were only planning to explore its caverns for an hour, they said, and had packed no snacks.

Mr. Ekkapol had explored Tham Luang’s recesses before, he said, including the ledge where they were eventually found. A flash flood sent waters rising nearly 10 feet in less than an hour, he said, forcing them to retreat deeper into the cave.

Following the news conference, journalists have been asked to allow the Wild Boars to return to the business of being normal boys — something that will be impossible if the media glare around them continues.

The search and rescue operation drew journalists from around the world, who descended on the small town of Mae Sai, near Thailand’s border with Myanmar, hungry for a rare tale of mortal danger that ended with an uplifting conclusion.

On Wednesday, three of the Wild Boars said that when they grew up they wanted to become Navy SEALS tasked with saving others.

“We are so happy that I don’t know how to describe it in words,” Thanawut Wibulroongreung, the father of Chanin, the youngest Wild Boar, said before Wednesday’s news conference. “All we can do is to say thank you to the rescuers.”