30 Years Ago Today

I was in Washington D.C. visiting my friend Ben who was going to college there. Along with our mutual friend Jim, who joined me in the trip, we were eating at a restaurant when word was going around that there had been a plane crash nearby. We found out that is went into the Potomac River. After we were done eating, the 3 of us took a walk to the crash site. It was snowing hard and cars were at a standstill. When we arrived at the area where the plane crashed, we could go no further. We were at the bridge where the plane hit before crashing into the river. I'll never forget the blank look on the faces I saw there. I knew then just how bad of a situation it was. Walking back from the crash site, I remember seeing the monuments. It was surreal. When we arrived back at the dorm, the news was showing rescue efforts of the survivors. It was shocking. That same day, there was a Metro Subway crash in Washington D.C. that killed a few people. The plane crash has become famous for the fact that there wasn't proper deicing on the plane and thus causing it to crash. Many years later on September 11, 2001, when I heard that a plane crashed at The Pentagon in Washington D.C., it reminded me of this day. I'll never forget January 13, 1982.