Where were you when…

I tried to post this yesterday. You now, when it was actually Friday. But my hosting company apparently hates me and my site was down.

I’ve decided to participate in this week’s Friday Flashback, along with Sweetney, Mrs. Flinger, Whoorl, Her Bad Mother, Mamalogues and Oh the Joys.

Where were you when…? Our parents’ generation can recall exactly what they were doing when JFK was shot – it’s a cultural moment that defines a generation. What big cultural event occurred during your childhood/youth that you recall clearly, if juvenile-ly? What was its impact on you?

I remember where I was at when the Challenger blew up (in my fifth grade class when it came over the loudspeaker). I remember when the Berlin Wall fell. I remember OJ’s long drive in the white Broncho. I remember where I was at when I heard the verdict (the computer room at work). I remember watching the first television footage of the car accident that killed Princess Diana when Lee and I were out to eat on a ‘date.’ I remember when Clinton gave his “I did NOT have sexual relations with that woman” and “It depends on the meaning of is” speeches. I remember first hearing of the terrorist attacks on 9/11. And I remember the fear in my heart when I heard of the big blackout in New York because my mom was back working in NY.

I was a junior in high school when Operation Desert Storm began. Just that year my high school had installed televisions in every room. The TVs were supposed to be used for Channel One, but we could watch other things if our teachers allowed us. It was rare for the teachers to let us watch TV. I guess they figured Scooby Doo would interfere with their daily lessons or something. But when the Gulf War started the TVs were on all the time. We usually turned down the volume while the teacher was talking, but we would always spend the last few minutes of each class catching up. I think we were all just shocked to be in the middle of a war. War was something that happened in our grandparent’s time.

During the war I remember telling my mom that my generation was really seeing a lot of historical events happening right before our eyes. In my teenage everything-revolves-around-me mindset I truly thought no other generation had experienced so much history. But then my mom told me about the JFK assassination and the first man on the moon and I realized we all have our history.

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