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Believe it or not.

1963 I was 3 and sitting wondering why the attendants were sobbing.

1981 Walking through Payless (They had an audio/video section then). Then came the announcement "President Regan has been shot" Man the guy in the tv section had every tv to a station for news...

1986 Challenger..Was asleep..I worked swing shift.

1995 Oklahoma City Bombing. Working at Tektronix printer division.

09/11/01  I was itting at home when Charlie Gibson was talking about the WTC building had been hit by a jet and he was talking to someone in the other tower when the SECOND plane came in. You could hear the guy he was speaking to scream "Another jet has hit the other tower!!"

It was the most shocking moment I have ever felt/experienced.

Went to work and by then all planes had been grounded..Scary and eerie for 3 days of no flights, except the air force now and then....

Finally, I had seen (Barely remembered) certain broadcasts of an incident I couldn't recall what was going on then. Later I watched the movie Apollo 13 and THAT'S when I remembered those news tidbits such as the basket ball, softball and piece of paper and the news guy firing off that torch simulating the re-entry. for the space craft.

1963
I watched in understanding as the shot was fired, and seeing the inevitable future conspiracy theories sat down to write a full expose... alas, at 9 months old My fingers were to small for the keyboards, the internet had not yet had Mr. Gores inspiration and I was stymied.

"Man Walks On the Moon"

My father worked long and hard to instill a strong work ethic into all of his children. Many was the time I saw my father, feeling like crap from some bug or the other heading out the door to go in to work, because it is what a Man does to feed his family... We were expected to show the same determination with our own responsibilities regarding school...
My father stayed home from work to watch that first step... We stayed home from school. A day I discovered there are always exceptions to rules... when the importance is relevant.

4 years later My father suffered a massive coronary, while at work...

1981
Was double timing to the mess hall when the sirens blared, entire base went into lockdown as it was announced that Reagan had been shot. There was no doubt in any of our minds that if we were needed... we would be called to fullfill our oath...
We remained on lockdown for 24 hours with no more information than the original message, siting in our barracks on our duffles... It was a long 24 hours.

Tuesday 11th of September, 2001
I had just logged off from chatting to my wife who was in Morningside Heights in Manhattan using Yahoo Messenger. She was going to head downtown to beat the morning rush because she wanted to buy a new pair of shoes. The store she was going to was about a block from the World Trade center... that was 7 am. I was 2 hours north of the city, on a small piece of land I had purchased to have a out of the city get away for when her classes got to be too pressing. I was cruising the internet, playing games when in flipping past my yahoo page I saw a report of the first plane hitting. as I started trying to get more info on the tragedy and was able to get a live feed... I watched the second plane hit. It took me fourteen hours to cross the George Washington bridge, at the time State police and national guard were letting No one cross... I talked my way across pointing to the trailer load of shoring equipment and tools while explaining the need for the materials with the whether prediction for imminent rain. I had had no contact with my wife since 7 AM.

Wednesday Sept. 12th 2001
The streets of Manhattan were empty... Not a sound. The sky glowed to the south.
 I pulled up to my wife's apartment where she had gathered the dozen or so Graduate students we called friends into her apartment. Each had been shuttling supplies throughout the day as she coordinated for either fight or flight... My wife Amazes Me.
I stayed at the apartment less than half an hour before she pointedly looked at me and stated... I know it's killing you... Go.

(I have been a member of volunteer fire departments in every area of the country I have lived that relies on a volunteer group for the purpose... It's what Dad would have expected)

The World Trade center... Ground Zero was a madhouse. I drove through deserted streets, stopping at Canal street to lock My Ford truck into 4 wheel drive. The ashes were over a foot deep. As I tried to work my way through I was redirected to Westside highway when I explained what I had loaded on the small trailor. I fireman that was with the officer was called over and I was given the name of a firechief.

 (Ok I just killed two paragraphs describing the how and whats of those first hours... Lets just say I was able to convince people I knew what I was doing and talking about... then spent the next 30 hours working to hard to remember (or forget).

I could go on for hours... days even... the little hopes... the disappointments...
We spent a little over a week doing whatever we could... whatever was needed before enough order was established to place some form of official stamp to everything. Sometimes it seems like it was just one long day... with everything burned into My mind...

It took me 9 years before I walked past the site again...

It still pisses Me off to this day to see that hole in the ground.

sometimes it good to get things off your chest too Jim..

it must have been a horridous thing to remember.  i do remember that day with such horror, but nothing like the experience that you have felt.

  xoxo nal

Sorry folks, removed this.

Jimbo,

Your reflections touched me deeply and i know sympathy is not what you are after. But know this.....i respect you more as each day passes that i get to know you. Your a man of many layers........and as each layer is uncovered you just keep getting better all the time.

I'm glad your part of my day to day world. Never be sorry....

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