Exceptional A recollection of historical events Where were you when ... by jmdg1954

Where were you when... In November 1963, President Kennedy driving in an open motorcade thru Dallas, Texas was assassinated? What were you doing that July evening, in 1969, when Neil Armstrong bounded from the last step of the Apollo lunar module and imprinted man's first shoeprint on the moon's surface? In the late morning of January 1986, when the space shuttle, Challenger, exploded and disintegrated seventy-three seconds into its flight? Of more recent memory, the morning of 9/11 when every newscast announced the news of an airliner had crashed into The World Trade Center. Do you remember what you were doing, or where you were?     Maybe the 1980 "Miracle on Ice" when the U.S. hockey team, comprised of amateur and collegiate players, defeated the team from the Soviet Union, considered the best hockey team in the world. How about, June 1994, and the "low" speed chase of O.J. Simpson's white Bronco going down the California interstate? Then approximately one year later, nearly half the population of the United States focused on the television for the verdict.     Historical moments seemingly evolve around death. Deaths caused by a catastrophic natural disaster, a hostile event or disastrous events concerning NASA. Seldom do "happy" events make the list. They tend to be memorable due to the television coverage given at the time.     With the ninth anniversary of September 11 behind us, I wanted to share where I was at the time of three significant events which impacted the course of history. What's your recollection? November 22, 1963 : I was eight years-old, in the third grade at Columbia School, East Orange, New Jersey. My teachers name escapes me, but I remember her receiving a phone call in the classroom from the school's office. Her exact words were, "Oh, my God, oh, my God! Okay, I'll prepare the children." In her own soft-spoken way, she told us that the President of the United States, President Kennedy, had been assassinated. From that point, I remember the entire school in an eerie manner. Everything, everyone was quite, solemn, somewhat dark. But as an eight year-old, the tragedy of the news wasn't meaningful, yet. Not until I got home and watched everything transpire on the television.       "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country."        -President John F. Kennedy, Inaugural Address July 1969: This was a planned event, not a spontaneous event that would have taken everyone by surprise. I was fourteen, a high school sophomore on summer vacation hanging out over my buddy, Alex's house. At that time, we were both tropical fish enthusiasts, with a variety of fish tanks in his basement and tanks in my bedroom, we had pumps cycling water, air filtration systems in tune with the pumps, and bicycling to the pet store daily to see if any new fish had arrived. Two aficionados whose hobby was breeding guppies. We were in his basement simply watching the fish swim around the tank, when Alex's mother, in her broken English called us to the parlor.     "Alex, coma uppa-stairs. Datta tinga, gonna landa ona da moon." We were waiting all day for this moment. Over at my house, then his house, we watched television on and off all day long. We rushed upstairs, from the cool confines of the basement to the near sweltering first floor apartment. The next thing I heard was, "canna you imagine, dey takea da Merva Griffina offa da T.V. to see dis. Dissa tinga gonna landa ona da moon. Bigga deal."     Once we got past the calamity issue of Mrs. P. not able to watch her show, we lay on the floor and watched the most awesome sight ever witnessed by the human race, Neil Armstrong's first step on the moon.       "One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind!"        -Neil Armstrong September 11, 2001: Like most people in the tri-state area, I was en route to work, when shortly after 8:46am, Captain Jack, the morning DJ from a local FM station, interrupted the broadcast with a live feed saying that an airliner collided into one of the World Trade Center towers. At this point in history, the word "terrorism" was not on the tip of everyone's tongue. During the next few hours, that would change. I was glued to a television in the Customer Lounge of a Toyota dealership where I was employed and in continual communication with my wife who also was at work. My hometown of Tinton Falls is flanked by both Fort Monmouth and the Earle Naval base. With Army and Naval communication centers within a few miles from our home, we were concerned about other potential attacks. As civilians, we thought the worst. Within the hour after the first collision and the other attacks, helicopters were dispatched covering the air space. What a chilling sight and frightening sound. This went on for days, 24/7. On September 11th schools and some local businesses closed early. I arrived home before 5pm and hugged my wife and children. We were never in harm's way, but this was something we had never experienced or thought could happen in the U.S. From our backyard deck, we were able to see, high in the sky, smoke from the terrorist attack in NYC, on American soil!     "America was targeted for attack because we're the brightest beacon for freedom and opportunity in the world. And no one will keep that light from shining."       -President George W. Bush; Address to the Nation, September 11, 2001 Recognized Author Notes I began to think on the anniversary of 9/11 of other historical, significant events that I witnessed first hand and wanted to share them.

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