Where Were You When?

Twenty three years ago today, I remember crying for the first time about something that did not involve myself. Twenty three years ago today I realized that there was more important things than life. Twenty three years ago today seven people gave there lives for something bigger than themselves. Not willingly, I'm sure. However they knew the risks.

I sat in the living room of my home, eight years old and brimming with enthusiasm of youth. I regularly watched all of the shuttle launches, fantasizing of what it would be like to experience the raw thunderous power of the launch and the weightlessness of space. I played with my toy space shuttle as the large clocked counted down to zero. My imagination took me there. The television merely a portal transporting me from California to Florida. I watched as the rockets lifted that beautiful bird into the sky, taking it where no living bird could fly.

Imagine my shock and disbelief when the first booster blew, followed quickly by the other. Maybe a part of my dreams died that day, maybe a part of me realized that sometimes good people were sacrificed in the pursuit of excellence. Regardless of what happened to me, seven brave people died in the name of science and exploration. Seven people died, advancing the United States and the world.

Thank yous go out to Jay and Tam