For some, the assassination of JFK will be vivid in their minds. They were there watching when the shots were fired. They watched as their beloved President died before their eyes (I know, speculation about when he actually died, but lets face it, half you brains on lying on the backseat of a car, the outcome isn't going to be in your favor).
For me, there are two specific dates and memories that bring on a weird feeling of sorrow and tragedy. I am not alone I know. 911 is one of those dates. I stood there watching as others did as the Towers were hit, and then that horrible feeling as they began to crash to the ground. You could almost hear the screams from thousands of miles away. I am weird in that I also felt them.
The other date, that will always stick with me forever, is January 28th. The day the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded with 7 men and women on board.
Why do I remember it so vividly? I was working as the Inventory Supervisor for Tom Peterson's (free is a very good price). The company had just purchased the Standard TV on Foster. We were moving in that day, taking inventory.
We all got to stop work long enough to watch the launch. The ladies from the office, some of the sales people, and warehouse guys, we all stood in front of 200+ televisions and chatted idly as the shuttle prepared.
We became silent as we watched, the engines roar, the rockets blast, and then liftoff, smiled and made a few jokes about monkeys?
And then, before our eyes, and all around us on every screen in the showroom, it happened....
Some where asking, what happened? Some were saying it was just the rockets dropping away from the shuttle. But I knew immediately. I knew this wasn't normal. I knew the shuttle did not continue on its way. I knew at that moment, what had happened. I walked away and went back to work. I didn't need to keep seeing it over and over on the screens. It as imbedded in my head, in my memory.
And today, I am reminded again.
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