Atlanta Journal Constitution: Gwinnett News
“Where were you when..” (fill in the blank with any historic or momentous event)?
Have you ever been in a conversation and someone asked that question? Growing up the most common event referenced in that conversation between the “adults” was the assassination of then President John F. Kennedy.
Other such events mentioned might be Woodstock, Elvis’ death, Neil Armstrong’s walk on the moon and the birth of Woody Bass III. (I’m kidding!)
While most of those events didn’t even happen in my lifetime, I do have a few examples I can share from the last (coughs) years that I believe will be forever burned to memory.
Space Shuttle Challenger – It was 1986, I was in class at Walker Junior High School watching the launch live on TV and saw it explode shortly after take off. I lived in Orlando no more than about 45 minutes from Cape Canaveral at the time.
Operation Desert Storm – I was in class in college and my professor was asked to step out of the room, and about 5 minutes later she came in to inform us that the U.S. had just gone to war in the Middle East. She excused us all and we were invited to the library where TVs had been set up to watch the live news reports.
O. J. Simpson Trial – I was working in Marietta at the time, and quite literally the entire office was crammed into the break room, shoulder to shoulder, and watched as the final verdict was released.
9/11 – I was in the process of packing for a camping trip at Cloudland Canyon State Park and received a call saying that something bad had happened and to turn on the news. It was then I learned that the first commercial airliner had hit one of the Twin Towers in New York City. Shortly after, live on TV over the shoulder of the reporter, I witnessed the second airliner making its way to the Twin Towers.
These events are the sorts of horror you, unfortunately, can never forget. However, the events don’t always have to be a disaster or some other terrible event – they can also be very profound and historic.
This week we will have one such once in a lifetime opportunity to witness history in the making.
In honor of the Inauguration of the United States first African American President, Barack Obama, I thought this would be the perfect time for my readers to share their own stories of life changing events, share where you think you might be during the inauguration and discuss how this may (or may not) be another such life changing event.
Woody Bass III 