Where were you on.........?

Sitting here this Sunday morning, reading the Sunday paper and listening to practically every broadcast TV channel remembering 911.  Both newspaper and TV recounts the lives of most Americans and what they were doing when they first heard the news of the terrorist attacks.  In my lifetime, this is the third "Where were you when....." .

The first was in 1958 when Father John, our church Pastor retrieved me from 6th grade class at Cranbrook Elementary School on May 20th.  Under the pretense that my Mom was sick and needed me to help out, he took me home.  I remember riding in his 57 Chevy, blue and white in color and just doing small talk during the ride.  Upon arriving at home, Aunt Betty and Uncle Dean were there.  Aunt Betty was in the kitchen doing something and Uncle Dean was vacuuming the living room floor.  Mom appeared and took me into her bedroom and closed the door.  I was confused and inquisitive at the time, not expecting what was to come next. She hugged me and told me that Dad had been killed in a plane crash.  I remember most of the rest of that day.  Some parts I blanked out but Sister Pat filled me in on that.  Yea, over 53 years later I still remember where I was and what I was doing on that day.

The second time I experienced "Do you remember where you were when....?" was a little over 5 years later.  I was a senior at Whetstone High School.  The year was 1963 and it was early afternoon, November 22, and this particular class period I was in Audio Visual, being one of those guys that brings the film/slide projector or TV to a class and runs whatever the teacher wants to do.  There were two of us that period and we had no assignment so we were just watching TV, some soap opera when Walter Cronkite broke in with the news that the President of the United States had been shot and taken to the hospital in Dallas.  A few minutes later, he confirmed that the President had died.  I remember running at full speed to the school office and told the principal what had happened.  He followed me back to the AV room and the three of us watched in horror.  School let out early that afternoon, the mood extremely quiet and somber.  And I remember the next painful week in our history.  Joe Arthur, history teacher at the school (and soon to be my brother-in-law), said it was a horrible thing but if it had to happen, he was glad it happened in our lifetime so we could experience it.  Strange statement but I can appreciate it.  Yea, I still remember where I was and what I was doing over 48 years ago.

10 years ago today, being an early riser and a news junky, I was up early getting ready for work and turned on the TV.  There it was, the burning North Tower of the World Trade Center.  Shortly thereafter, the South Tower was hit by the 2nd plane.  Before I left for work, the South Tower had fallen before my eyes.  Terrorism had finally arrived inside our country on a massive scale.  Things would never again be the same.  Yea, I still remember where I was and what I was doing 10 years ago.