2. The start of the FIRST Gulf War – sitting in the barracks at NS Norfolk, VA, watching the end of the ABCEvening News. They’d just about finished another wrap-up from Baghdad, when Peter Jennings said “Wait. Can we go back?” And the skies were alight with tracers and explosions. And major dad was somewhere out there in the Saudi Desert with his Super Stallions.

3. The Space Shuttle Challenger exploded – working mid-crew at MCAS Iwakuni, Japan. I remembered “Oh, the space shuttle’s supposed to launch” and turned on the Maintenance Control radio, which was tuned to the Armed Forces Radio Network. There was a ton of chatter about Apollo 11, destruction and death and we all thought they were just emphasizing what a sh*tty, dangerous job it REALLY was. Then someone broke in “Repeating our top story” and we were stunned. Just stunned.

4. The Space Shuttle Columbia broke up during re-entry – “Lazing about in my family room, early on that morning.” Ditto Bingster on this one.

5. Reagan was shot – sitting with major dad in my uncle’s house in Carlsbad, CA. We’d just come in from gadding about and turned on the telly to see Frank Reynolds instead of a sopa opera and thought “Uh oh…what’s up?”

6. John Lennon was shot – don’t remember WHERE, but do remember wondering why someone bothered.

7. The Pope was shot – nope. Don’t recollect.

8. Berlin Wall came down – escapes me.

9. President Clinton was acquitted of impeachment – snoring somewhere, I’m sure.

10. Election night 2000 – up until they’d declared it for W., about zero-dark-thirty Weds. morning.

11. When Kennedy was shot (for my more mature readers) – In first grade in the third floor attic classroom of my little elementary school, alone with my two other classmates. We heard one of the teachers shriek in the stairwell and then a torrent of sobs, whispers and furtive glances over the landing rails at us. We thought the owner’s daughter had died. Finally, one of the ladies came upstairs, sodden hanky at ready and told us what they had heard on the radio in the kitchen. And that we should all get our things, as they were sending us home.

You poor misguided thing.

Hockey? Is that a sport?

2-Oddly, I don’t recall.

3-Sitting in class, watching it on TV. Pretty sad to watch.

4-Sitting in R&R Bar-b-que in Harrisburg, NC, eating a rare child-less lunch with the CAG.

5-Sitting in class again. Couldn’t believe it, and hoping they shot the scumbag who did it in tne knee caps.

6-In a car with Bingley and the parental untis, coming back from East Stroudsberg, PA, after a lunch of the bet fettucini alfredo that I have had, before or since.

7-Don’t recall.

8-Watching it on TV thinking “Ronnie showed ‘em this time!”

9-Eating pizza with a co-worker and thinking “He gonna get away with another…..”

10-Stayed up most of the night/morning watching it, but had the sinking feeling that it was not over when I did fall asleep.

11-Wasn’t even dreamed of yet….

2. The start of the FIRST Gulf War. I was living in Mountain Home, Idaho. I remember the start of it, I’m sure I was watching the news or something, but I have no distinct memories of what I was doing.

3. The Space Shuttle Challenger exploded. I was living in Colorado Springs. I must have been in school or something, but I don’t remember the actual event. I remember all the off-color jokes right afterwards though.

4. The Space Shuttle Columbia broke up during re-entry. Not sure. Again, I remember the event, but I can’t recall where I was or what I was doing.

5. Reagan was shot. Living in Colorado Springs. I have no recollection of hearing about the event on the news. I do remember my parents talking about it.

6. John Lennon was shot. Didn’t care. My parents weren’t big fans and it wasn’t really discussed in my home.

7. The Pope was shot. I remember this in the way I remember Reagan’s shooting. There was conversation, but I don’t remember seeing it on the news.

8. Berlin Wall came down. I was living in Mountain Home. It was a great event. I remember watching it on the news. I remember all the Pink Floyd stuff that followed. In fact, I was given a piece of the wall as a present (remember they were selling pieces?) but I gave it away years ago (stupid! stupid!).

9. President Clinton was acquitted of impeachment. I was following this, but I can’t remember if I was in Fort Huachuca, AZ or was at Fort Polk. I think I was still in AZ. I wasn’t avidly paying attention, but I didn’t, of course, want him to be acquitted. It was such a political circus at the time … I really wish we didn’t have to suffer that.

10. Election night 2000. I was at my brother’s house. The family and I stayed up and watched the pandemonium until about 1 a.m. or so.

11. When Kennedy was shot (for my more mature readers) Not yet a twinkle in my parents eye.

2. Heard on radio. Relieved that we were finally gonna take care of things. Dismayed in later weeks when GHWB left Saddam in power.

3. Came home from work for lunch, turned on TV some time after the explosion, first thing I saw was footage of the Y-shaped cloud. Took a few moments to realize what was going on.

4. Went to bed after work, turned on radio, caught live broadcast of the disaster.

5. Saw on TV. Not terribly worried; RR seemed to be relatively okay by press sccounts.

6. Another celebrity death.

7. Thought it weird that someone would shoot the Pope.

8. No memory. The press slowly caught on to the story of Communism collapsing in Eastern Europe in 1979, so it wasn’t as big a story as it should have been.

9. Probably heard on radio. Enraged that the Senate intentionally blocked the admission of actual evidence. Enraged that he wasn’t impeached for Kosovo (a NATO war against a nation that had not attacked a NATO member violates the NATO charter) or for the attack on a water tower during that war (no link – heard it on ABC Radio News, nobody seemed to think attacking the civilian water supply was scandalous). Worried sick about what future presidents would get away with because of this precedent.

10. Was at the GOP shindig in Dallas. Eventually went home, puzzled. In the following weeks I was scared that rioting would break out in several major cities, thinking back to the Los Angeles Riots. Relieved when it didn’t happen.

11. 3 years old, probably living in Metairie, LA at the time.

Apollo 11 (1969) – living in Gulf Breeze, FL. First continuing TV news coverage I can remember watching. Excited.

Nixon’s resignation (1974) – living in Corpus Christi, TX. Watched the live TV broadcast. Didn’t understand Watergate. Sad that a president would resign.

5. Reagan was shot — I was in middle school and it was after 3pm, so I was waiting outside under the covered walkway for my daddy to come pick me up & one of the other kids’ parents got there first and relayed the info to me.

6. John Lennon was shot — I think I heard about it the next morning on the radio going to school. I was dejected. I liked the Beatles and obviously there would not be a reunion.

7. The Pope was shot — I don’t recall much about it… probably saw it on the evening news… I do remember they did some serious work on the pope-mobile subsequent to that event.

8. Berlin Wall came down — I was at Gaineville College at the time. I mainly just remember my History Professor, I can’t quite remember her name, talking w/the class about it.

9. President Clinton was acquitted of impeachment — I felt from the beginning that this was not going to end well for the Republicans… I just knew he was going to be free and clear w/the help of his spinmeisters and the MSM. So I did not invest much time in it. I remember Neal Boortz broadcasting from DC w/the saying that he’s not leaving until the U-Haul trucks load up and leave the Whitehouse..
10. Election night 2000 — well, I had taken a voluntary severance from the railroad recently and was in between jobs, so I didn’t have to worry about going to work the next day, anyway,… I’m in my southside of Atlanta apartment and I watched that thing all night… I remember the Gore was on the verge of conceding, but held off while waiting for more info out of Florida.. come daylight I think I gave up watching and went to bed.
11. When Kennedy was shot (for my more mature readers) — happened a little over 3 years before I was born.