Where were you on this day in '86

[mustangdriver]

I was home having lunch with my mother. I was only 6, but can remember watching the Shuttle launch, and then the explosion. My mother sobbed the entire afternoon.

[Jiggersfromsphilly]

I was in the gift shop at the Air and Space Museum on the Mall in DC in line when the customer in front of me mentioned something about the shuttle trouble. There was a nice display in the rockets hall with several TVs set up for the lesson from space broadcast. I wen t over to it and spent the next hour watching the replay of the disaster and all the assorted coverage. It wasn't long before the camera crews showed up for coverage. There were 3 Air Force pilots in uniform who were touring the museum. they were interviewed by several networks. Their professional responses and decorum were astounding considering the basic ignorance of the interviewers. One question was "Did they know how dangerous this flight was?" they were extremely polished in their treatment of this question from the CNN interviewer. Most of us standing there laughed out loud . Within the hour someone placed a bunch of flowers at the TV display only to be followed by several more almost immediately. I had to get back to work and I left around 1:30 PM and as I left I could only think about Gus Grissom, Ed Chaffee, and Roger White . God bless them all.

[mrhenniger]

I was in high school, but it happened during exams, but I didn't have an exam that day. A buddy of mine called to tell me. I dropped the ;hone to run to the TV. I didn't realize until later I had not hung up the phone. I spent the whole day watching the coverage.

I'll never forget the words, "Roger go at throttle up."

Mike

Last edited by mrhenniger on Sat Jan 28, 2012 12:58 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[ffuries]

I was at Lackland AFB, going through Basic Training, our TI's came in and relayed the news. We all thought it was some sick joke or something. Still remember reading the headlines from the news paper we used to shine our boots on, to keep the floor clean.

Mike

[cooper9411]

I was at work and we had a t.v. in the breakroom. When the story broke we brought the t.v. out of the breakroom and into the shop where everyone could view it. Very, very somber moment!

[RareBear]

I was at home, in bed sick. Was watching TV and remember the program being interrupted for the shuttle news.

Walt

[JohnB]

I was a young captain at Goodfellow AFB, the wing executive officer told me.

[Warhawk]

Was living in Broad Brook Ct at the time. I was riding home with a friend (73 Ford 4X4 pick up) and his truck crapped out. Walked about a mile to the home of a friend for help. It was bitter cold and windy and we were glad when we finally arrived. Our friend and his roomies were watching the coverage on tv. He told us the shuttle had blown up and we informed him that he was full of $&!# and could he give us a hand getting the truck home.

Needless to say it was awhile before we left to get the truck.

[HMFischer]

My young family and I were visiting my Aunt and Uncle, who were both retired air force officers, in Sattelite Beach FL. We drove a few miles north of their condo to the Patrick AF base officers club and wached from the beach. Not something I will ever forget. All I had for a camera was an Instamatic, although I took several pics we only got a few. We always thought we would go back to see another launch but it looks like it is to late now. Hugh

[Jesse C.]

My sister woke me up and told me that something went wrong with the Shuttle launch. She could not sleep and had turned on the T.V. and caught the launch and explosion of the Shuttle. I was actually late to school because I kept watching the news reports that morning and remember asking other students if they knew about the Shuttle and was told no and that I was full of it. Our principal came on the P.A. and announced it to the school. Some students held a prayer meeting at lunch and almost the whole school showed up!

I will remind my class at this years 25th High School Reunion! I know, it has been 26, we are running a bit late

[DaveG]

I had just finished school in December and was working as a waiter at the Bowling Green Country Club in KY...one of the diners commented on it and that was the first I had heard of it. I hurried into the kitchen and they were talking about it on the radio and a couple of the kitchen guys were already cracking jokes about it

I turned my table over to another waiter and found a tv and stood transfixed for the next hour or so, watching the coverage and what passed for analysis in the immediate aftermath.

[p51]

I was a junior in high school but was at home that day. Neither me not my Mom can recall why now that I wasn't at school, we both agree it was likely a teacher planning day that day because I wasn't sick. We didn't have the TV on and we were doing something in the living room and the radio said there, "Had been an explosion aboard the shuttle," to which I replied to Mom that it was probably an O2 tank or experiment or something like that. We turned on the TV and it was a few minutes before they showed the explosion again. To me, that was a bigger thing on my life than 9/11 later was (and I had just left active duty at that point). To me, that's the big, "Where were you on this day?" date, like JFK's assasination was to the previous generation or Pearl Harbor was to the one before that.

[rwdfresno]

I was in second grade. My teacher had brought a TV into the classroom so we could watch the launch. I remember there was a lot of talk about that launch regarding Christa McAuliffe who was to be the "first teacher in space." Everyone in class was of course stunned by the outcome.

[planenutti]

I was asleep as I was teaching Advance First Term Avionics on second shift down at NATTC Memphis. My wife woke me up and said the shuttle had exploded. I didn't believe until she made me get up and watch the replay. Was a darn dark day for the rest of the week.

[Kyleb]

I was a Junior at Georgia Tech. I overheard a snippet of a conversation on the way back to my dorm after class. I had no idea that we had lost a shuttle and crew until I turned on the TV in my room. That was a rough day.

And I can attest that it was incredibly cold in the Southeast that day. There was ice on the inside of my dorm room windows - the only time in 5 years that happened.