- Joined
- Jul 28, 2003
- Messages
- 2,790
The bombing of Pearl Harbor, John F. Kennedy's assassination, the first Apollo landing, and the Challenger were all before my time.
The first disaster I remember was in first grade. I came home and was playing with these little K'nex toys and I had the news on my archaic Sony TV in my bedroom when I saw footage of a big burning building and people being carried out on stretchers. The Oklahoma City building, as I now know it was, had happened earlier in the day and it was the focus of the news. They kept mentioned "John Doe", which I misheard as "John Dole", and, not knowing that John Doe is just a generic name for a male suspect led myself to believe that our neighbor's brother John Dole had bombed a building. I also seem to remember hearing something about the OJ Simspon trial being on TV that same day.
As for September 11th, I was in Math class of 7th grade when a guidance counselor came into the class and told us that a plane had hit the World Trade Center. I didn't even know off the top of my head what the World Trade Center looked like, until later someone used the term "Twin Towers". To give you an idea of how seriously we took it (remember, at this point all we knew was that a plane hit the building), some kids were asking if anyone in the building got hurt. When I got home, I told my mom what happened and she told me that she knew and that they had both collapsed.
My best friend had just left a sleepover at my house in the 8th grade when I flipped on the TV and saw white streaks across the TV screen, and I learned of the Colombia's demise. That one didn't affect me nearly as much as the Trade Center, as it was an accident, only a handful of people died (as bad as it is to judge these things on quantity), and I also thought the astronauts were more aware of their possible death than some poor paperworker on the upper floor of a skyscraper.
The first disaster I remember was in first grade. I came home and was playing with these little K'nex toys and I had the news on my archaic Sony TV in my bedroom when I saw footage of a big burning building and people being carried out on stretchers. The Oklahoma City building, as I now know it was, had happened earlier in the day and it was the focus of the news. They kept mentioned "John Doe", which I misheard as "John Dole", and, not knowing that John Doe is just a generic name for a male suspect led myself to believe that our neighbor's brother John Dole had bombed a building. I also seem to remember hearing something about the OJ Simspon trial being on TV that same day.
As for September 11th, I was in Math class of 7th grade when a guidance counselor came into the class and told us that a plane had hit the World Trade Center. I didn't even know off the top of my head what the World Trade Center looked like, until later someone used the term "Twin Towers". To give you an idea of how seriously we took it (remember, at this point all we knew was that a plane hit the building), some kids were asking if anyone in the building got hurt. When I got home, I told my mom what happened and she told me that she knew and that they had both collapsed.
My best friend had just left a sleepover at my house in the 8th grade when I flipped on the TV and saw white streaks across the TV screen, and I learned of the Colombia's demise. That one didn't affect me nearly as much as the Trade Center, as it was an accident, only a handful of people died (as bad as it is to judge these things on quantity), and I also thought the astronauts were more aware of their possible death than some poor paperworker on the upper floor of a skyscraper.
) and said that it was really happening. Well, I went to the electronics section, and the entire store was there watching the news. It was very scary, as the store was in a major flightpath, and we thought a plane was going to crash at any minute, some people thought that terrorists were going to burst into the store at any time, looking back on it now, it was a very valid concern then! I remember when the sporting goods managers began taking all of the guns to the back storeroom, they thought there was going to be some real SHTF! I called my parents to see if my siblings had gotten picked up, and found out that they weren't, and the roads were packed with people going home, and my father asked me if I could get them. Well, I told my manager that the schools were being closed, and I had to get home, she said sure, go. I-83 was a ghost town, no cars at all! I did about 100 mph to get to the school, took my little bro and sis out of class, and took them away from the school, up to the park. They played while I sat under a tree and waited, my mother said that she was going to meet me at the school. Well, while we were waiting, I'll never forget this, a commercial jet liner went overhead, flying very low, accompanied by two fighter jets 
. I had no f#$%##ing idea what was going on, but I stayed put. Watching Tom Brokaw, probably the only newscaster I have had some trust and respect for, crying on national tv really solidified the crisis for me, it was all a little bit much to take. Lots of friends from the area went up to NY and the Pentagon to help out, and I was worried about them, falling into a crevasse created by the wreckage etc. I remember that it was some time before WM started selling guns again, I don't know why, I guess they were afraid that locals could get hurt. To all of the old timers, is that how Pearl Harbor felt? To all of the veterans, EMT/EMS, cops/state troopers and active and retired veterans, thank you for what you've done for me and mine. 
