WHERE WERE YOU? 22 YEARS AGO TODAY: RONALD REAGAN BECOMES PRESIDENT, IRANIAN HOSTAGES RELEASED!

FREEPers Everywhere! ^

[Recovering_Democrat]

Hard to believe: 22 years ago today, Jimmy Carter finally had to let go of his miserable Presidency, and the Golden Era of Reagan began. Iran's fundamentalist islamists, knowing they would be turned into ash if they kept up their illegal behavior, released the 52 Americans they'd held for 444 days.

Where were you on this glorious day?

[angcat]

Working at my after school job in Shopwell Grocery Store in Yonkers. I was 16 years old.

[ladylib]

I really don't remember. However, I do remember that on election day, I was driving my brother somewhere and I threatened to drive off the road (I swerved my car sharply to the right) if he didn't promise to vote for Reagan.

Carter was such an embarrassment and I was so annoyed at the inflation and everything else. He can never make up for it no matter how many peace prizes he wins.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

I was the manager of a coal mine, our business hammered by two years of Jimmy Carter's newly created Dept of the Interior, Office of Surface Mining. Almost daily, pickup loads of inspectors would interfer with our business, writing supposed violations for water, dirt, dust, vibration, etc. The threats and fines mounted up to the hundreds of thousands of dollars--their clear intent was to finance the expansion of their government agency by becomming a part of our weekly payroll. And we weren't alone. In the 1978-1980 period of Carter's new law, which usurped state regulatory authority, some 95 percent of family owned coal mines were closed in the United States. We began looking for a buyer--but who would buy a business blacklisted by the federal government ?
When Ronnie was elected the mine inspectors overnight, became less arrogant and threatening. We began to think there was a future for a small mining operation (60 employees). It truly was Morning in America Again for us.

[Straight Vermonter]

I was at an assembly in my elementary school watching the president make the announcement. One of the hostages had been a school board member in my town.

[xsmommy]

You are not going to believe this. i was a liberal law student, depressed out of my mind that Reagan was president, my sisterinlaw still has the letters i wrote to her, outlining my depression and my fears regarding the 'warmongering' president. Goodness, my misspent youth!

[KansasConservative]

I was a freshman in highschool. We were all gathered in the lunchroom watching it on tv. It was a great day!

[Jambe]

I was driving back to South Bend, Indiana from a day of business in Detroit. Listened to the radio news the entire way home.

That evening I was watching an ABC News Special on the release of the Iran hostages. They were doing profiles on selected hostages and I was shocked when I recognized of them.

Lt. Cmdr Robert Engleman (USNR) was one of the hostages and had been a Naval Attache at the time of the takeover. I served with Bob when he was a Lt. Jg in the early 70's aboard a submarine based out of New London, Conn. We shared several interests including sports cars and New England car rally's. Remember Chicane III?

It put a lump in my throat to see his picture on the TV that night - I was so thankful that Ronald Reagan was our President. The nightmare was over.

One of those things whose details will always be burned into memory.

[RIGHT IN SEATTLE]

Laughing at Jimmy Carter, Praising President Regan

---

at my jobsite.

[rogue yam]

I was at The University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. I was just beginning the second semester of my junior year in the Engineering College. I also worked at the student radio station. Inauguration day there was a time of great sadness as the place was crawling with lefties. My only regret is that I was then one of them.

[pgkdan]

I was at the Inauguration and that's a memory I'll cherish forever. I went to school in D.C. and feel blessed because of it. I was in the crowd lining PA Ave cheering my lungs out when the Iranian hostages came to the White House several weeks later. I have the sense of awe and respect for our curent President as I did back then. I never felt that way about any leader before Reagan, and have never felt that way since...until now.

God Bless Ronald Reagan!
God Bless George W. Bush!
God Bless America!

[Paulus Invictus]

I was hard at work at marketing. I spent many a lunch time arguing with two RATS who could not believe that Carter had been beaten. They were in tears. I was so happy that Reagan won, I soon became their "nasty office Republican."

It was so great to have seen "20% interest rate" Carter booted I could not help celebrating every time we met after that. My colleagues never got over their RATness either. Sad cases!

[Tadhg]

In class at a Jesuit(liberal)College. I had "Reagan Country" posters all over my dorm room. The resident Jesuit kept telling me to take them down, but they stayed up all year.

[Ciexyz]

"And I beg all good Americans to skip Clooney's movies."

I fail to see Clooney's appeal. He puts the "H" in the pejorative "Ham". He overacts terribly, he's just pathetic.

Twenty-two years ago, I was at work as a federal employee. My union encouraged everyone to vote Democratic. But I went against them and voted Republican. I wasn't sure about Reagan, I was neutral about him when he was first elected, but I was very excited that Bush was VP. I remember those days of 15% and 20% interest rates under Carter. When Carter was voted out, the country uttered a collective sigh of relief, Repubs and Dems both.

[grammymoon]

I was driving to upstate NY in a brand new Caddillac, listening to the inauguraion and the news of the realease. I almost couldn't drive from the excitement & joy.

I also heard a guy say that day that Carter lost because he made a mutt of this country and people here just won't stand for that!

He is still trying though isn't he?

[Howlin]

Burn them. You may be appointed to something some day and have to be vetted. Burn them!

[x1stcav]

I was lucky enough to be there and right in front of the Marine band. It had been pretty cold for the few days before, but that morning was tolerable. Until literally the moment the swearing-in ceremony began and the clouds parted, the sun came out, and it was as though the Almighty smiled on the event.

The crowds were enormous, stretching quite a ways down the Mall. RR's speech was carried by loud speakers located along and down on the Mall, and the people there heard it almost instantaneously, but their reaction of course traveled the speed of sound, so that the effect was rolling waves of applause and cheering.

I've got an official White House photo taken from our vantage spot. Looking at it all of these years later, one can see the facade of the Capitol was in need of quite a bit of repair (this was prior to the renovation carried out in the late 80's). As indeed was the country. But help was on the way.

[Blood of Tyrants]

In the delivery room with my first born. He was born at 10:20 a.m. and WAS NOT going to be born while a Rat was still president.

[sushiman]

"The prior November, I voted for my very first time -- for Ronald Reagan for President -- what a way to start out."

Me too , and I volunteered to work for the Reagan campaign out in Suffolk Co., NY . What a great day that was , 22 years ago . Wow ...

[skinkinthegrass]

HAHAHAHHAHAHHAHA - ROFLPIMP :) wonderful post

[skinkinthegrass]

In an Apentment, Screaming & yelling-work for his '80
& '84 drives - 13% inflate, stag-flation