Like They Didn't See This Coming?

[Goofyernmost]

Sorry if this is TMI... but at one point, out of what was likely an excess of curiosity, I counted back from my birthday (8/14/64) the average number of days in a pregnancy -- and found my most likely date of conception was Nov. 22, 1963! What a way to mourn, huh?

Then again, I may have miscalculated, as I was using human gestation, not wombat. :)

Could have been in the morning of the 22nd. The Kennedy thing didn't happen until around noon EST. I was always more "frisky" in the morning then at night. I know, To Much Information.

I do remember where I was...my second year of High School...English class with Miss Stickney. It was announced over the intercom. First that the President had been shot and about 20 minutes later, that he was dead. They sent us all home. I remember the hallways/locker areas were full of people that were usually making a lot of noise. It was totally quiet. The next three days on TV absolutely nothing was on other than the news coverage of that event. When Oswald was shot it was so strange. It took awhile to realize that we had just witnessed an actual murder. That didn't sink in until later. It's common now but that really did end the age of innocence for us.

[Shorty82]

Since others have mentioned where they were I thought I would too.

Kennedy Assassination: He was killed 20 days shy of exactly 21 years before I was born.

9/11: I woke up to it. The first tower had been hit at this time. I was living with my mom and going to Pensacola Junior College at the time. I put off leaving for school as long as possible and listened to the news on the radio on the way. I go into the Student Center and the TV in there was tuned to CNN and there was a large crowd of people around it. This was the first and only time I ever saw this TV on any channel but BET.

My first class was a computer class and the entire time we were all trying to access CNN and other sites to find out what was going on. CNN was pretty much unaccessible at the time because of everybody else in the world doing the same thing. Later on we heard that the campus would be closing at noon. At noon I go through the Student Center to get to my car and most of the lights were out, the deli and bookstore were closed, and the rec area (where the TV was) closed off. They wanted everybody to leave and not hang around.

My mom was a little scared by the fact there are a number of important military bases in this area and she thought that one of those might be a target.

9/11 really hit home with me. I had been in NYC a few months before on a school chorus trip and we visited the WTC. Due to weather the observation deck was closed and I was wanting to go back one day to see the view.

It was scary seeing pictures and videos of places I remember visiting a few months before and seeing them covered in ashes. One scene I remember vividly is that of people covered in ash getting onto a bus to evacuate the area and in the background was a church. I remember walking right by that church. The Brooklyn Bridge was behind the camera. I said it that day and I'll say it again here: 9/11/2001, another day that will live in infamy.

I remember that every channel that has a news shows on TV were broadcasting 9/11 news non-stop and most every other channel was either broadcasting their own news or simulcasting another channel. I remember watching TLC who was simulcasting the BBC (the real one, not BBC America) and the British viewpoint was interesting.

[felinefan]

Nov. 22, 1963: My younger sister and I were home from school, recovering from the chicken pox. My older brother and sister were at school. Dad was at work, mom was home with us and our youngest sister. My younger sister was wheeling our youngest around the living room in her stroller. Mom had been talking to a neighbor, who told her she'd heard something on theradio about Kennedy getting shot. Mom came in and turned on the T.V. There was the motorcade, Jack waving to the people, and then, the shots. To this day I cannot hear gunfire without remembering that scene, hearing those shots.

Dad heard about it on the radio at work. My older brother and sister were in the cafeteria, when the principal came in to make the announcement; the teachers all started crying. I don't recall if they were released early or not. We watched the funeral on T.V., I remember the soldier leading the horse Black Jack, symbolizing the fallen rider, having trouble with Black Jack, the horse was acting skittish. We may have seen the murder of Lee Harvey Oswald. I'm not sure.

Sept. 11, 2001. I was on the bus going to Bible College, and there was a guy on the bus who was saying he heard that planes had crashed into the WTC. But he sounded like an ignorant hick who was just talking, so I ignored him. But when I got to college, everybody was in the hallway between the chapel and the library; a couple of T.V.s had been set up and were showing the news. A sofa had been pulled to face the T.V.s, and several of my classmateswere sitting there, watching quietly. We had a special chapel service, praying for those involved--first responders, victims and their families, etc.. We had another chapel service the next day, and that afternoon I went to two more, one at city hall and at church. People were comparing it to Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941--another day of infamy. I was always afraid something like the 9/11 attacks would happen, because with all the military base closings, plus everything being on the East Coast, it was pretty vulnerable.

[Big Wallaby]

I was in school and when we heard the announcement I saw my best friend crying and I thought "What a hypocrite." She was always badmouthing Kennedy and making fun of him.

I didn't like Clinton, and I won't like Hillary if she comes into office. However, had anything happened to Bill or if anything should happen to Hillary during her time if she is elected (or Obama, or Edwards, or anyone else that I don't care to see as President), I would be quite upset... while maybe not for the person in the position, definitely because it is the person in the position of the President. I would be upset with the upheaval caused to our country and for the things which would follow in the days to come.

Then, I would need to go beat up a Westboro Baptist Church member.

[mechurchlady]

FelineFan I have lived near a tank farm all my life. The first 5 years was next to the cities water tower/tank. I have thought of 9/11 before that day and always knew it was possible. As for Kennedy I cried and there was one other kid who cried.

Can we thinnk of happier things.

[BRWombat]

Sorry for not changing the subject yet, Churchy... No one's mentioned this so far, but hearing about the space shuttle Challenger blowing up shortly after take-off was the same kind of event. I was in a theater class in college, and my instructor announced it in an almost off-handed way and then went on with the class. I realized even at the time that she was pretty shaken by the news and was just going ahead the best she knew how. I was also on the campus radio station at the time, and as soon as class was over I went back to the news room and pulled the printouts off of the wire feed, knowing they'd have some historical significance. I still have them.

As for the other shuttle disaster, the Columbia, that's a weird story. Living in north Texas, if I'd been up and out I could have seen it, but I was still in bed that Saturday morning, although I did 'witness' it in a sense. I was half-awake, just kind of dozing, when I heard a long, sustained rumble of thunder. I remember thinking it was odd, because there wasn't any rain forecast that day. Later that morning I was with my boys at church playing basketball, and someone had a TV tuned to the news and told me what had happened. When I heard when and where the breakup had happened, it dawned on me that I'd heard it. Truly a strange feeling.

[Princess Susi]

Sorry for not changing the subject yet, Churchy... No one's mentioned this so far, but hearing about the space shuttle Challenger blowing up shortly after take-off was the same kind of event. I was in a theater class in college, and my instructor announced it in an almost off-handed way and then went on with the class. I realized even at the time that she was pretty shaken by the news and was just going ahead the best she knew how. I was also on the campus radio station at the time, and as soon as class was over I went back to the news room and pulled the printouts off of the wire feed, knowing they'd have some historical significance. I still have them.

As for the other shuttle disaster, the Columbia, that's a weird story. Living in north Texas, if I'd been up and out I could have seen it, but I was still in bed that Saturday morning, although I did 'witness' it in a sense. I was half-awake, just kind of dozing, when I heard a long, sustained rumble of thunder. I remember thinking it was odd, because there wasn't any rain forecast that day. Later that morning I was with my boys at church playing basketball, and someone had a TV tuned to the news and told me what had happened. When I heard when and where the breakup had happened, it dawned on me that I'd heard it. Truly a strange feeling.

I watched the Challenger from a TV in the Radio Station, I was working for a News station at the time and everyone except the announcer in the booth were in their offices with their TVs on. We had TVs everywhere to watch breaking stories along with the wire service machines. That was just hearrtbreaking to see as it happened. Just as 911 was.

I think it is important to remember these events in our history for they shape who we become after them. Our nation changes and we must change with it or be left behind. The future of our nation is based on how we (our political leaders) respond to these attacks and events. It is especially important for young people who will some day govern this nation to see how historical events affect the nation as a whole and themselves individually. It is good to talk of these events among friends and associates because we discuss our separate, yet shared experience and it gives us different perspective. We come together as a group of individuals with different takes and emotions on the events and it is good to talk about it and learn how others think as well. I think it also offers some comfort to each other to share our feelings and discuss where we were when we heard...such and thus happened. I know it makes me feel closer to the others here by hearing their takes and feelings and how they experienced it. It gives me a little more insight into the other people, I also share jokes and Stupid Guest stories with. Not such a bad thing, that?

We can change the subject if eveyone wants to move away from this discussion...

[GRUMPY PIRATE]

I like friendlys ice cream, and french fries!!

[Whazzup]

Good effort, Pirate. :)

[BRWombat]

I like friendlys ice cream, and french fries!!

A lot of folks in Texas looooooooove Blue Bell ice cream, but I've never been that great a fan. (Excuse me while I duck to avoid flying rocks.)

Give me Baskin-Robbins any day. Mmmmmmm...