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I remember them both pretty clearly.

I was watching Challenger live at home in NJ, when it exploded.

I was listening to early, local Sat morn Talk Radio, on the way into work in PA, when the reports started coming-in that Columbia was MIA from NASA radar.

I had a real bad feeling. And then the report came-over that it’d burned-up.

I pulled into my Family Farm Business’ driveway to open-up the gates for employees and customers, knelt in prayer and lowered the American Flag on the front of my 20ac property.

Same for 9-11-01; arrived at my Farm Business after an early morning client mtg, and walked-in just after 1st Tower was hit with Dad glued to radio, and yelling about “terrorism attack”. (He’s a highly-decorated WWII US Army Sgt (88 now), D-Day, Battle of The Bulge w/ Patton III Corps, Army Corps Combat Engineers, 26th Infantry “Yankee Division, Metz, Lorraine, Bastogne, Ardennes and shot by Nazi sniper while rescuing down US Troops. He survived, and was shipped to England and then back to America. Now enshrined in ‘Legion of Honor’).

I raced to local Wal-Mart to get their last portable 17” B&B TV to bring back to office, set it up and we all watched replays of 2nd plane hitting and both Towers going down, PA field crash and Pentagon hit. PANG helos and SpecOps troops were using my large, back fields to rendevous, stage and leave. A-10s, F-16s, C-130s etc were flying low and the whole Farm Complex was shaking.

I sent all 28 employees and 200-250 customers home to be with their families on that day.

By now, I was loading AR-10 mags, AR-15 mags, 50cal mags, several tricked-out 12ga Remy 870 pumps & 1187 Autoloaders. I loaded range bags w/ ammo, ear protection etc. I carried Class III (select-fire & suppressed) for 2 weeks in Blackhawk or Eagle Bags, just in case it was an full-blown attack/invasion and TSHTF. I was was “extremely-prepped” at the business, way back then.

The area’s US Military was unbelievably active and ready for anything. (I’ve looked thru the old FR thread; it would have been nice to know about it for info, but I didn’t, and relied on meida websites’ info)

I could tell you tales of JFK’s Assassination... but I digress.