The Challenger Heroes

It was January 28, 1986.

I was home and in bed with some sickness. Don't remember what.

But I do remember watching the Challenger lift off on television, so very snug and safe in my bed.

God, it was a beautiful blue clear day. Picture postcard perfect. The kind every Florida chamber of commerce puts in its ads to lure more people to Florida. It was also a very cold day.

And everything looked perfect. After problems during the previous days, January 28th was the day. Maybe it wasn't the right time, and maybe safety precautions were not enforced. And just maybe there truly are acts of God.

The count down was completed, not halted as had happened so many times before. The shuttle rose...and it looked gorgeous. I was getting ready to walk outside so I could see it as it cleared the trees on my property. But before I did-73 seconds after liftoff-Challenger blew up and took seven heroes with it.

I had seen so many of these launches that I guess I was a little jaded and I knew booster rockets weren't supposed to take off in the pattern they did.

I still remember the shock and the numbness as I watched.

It was only a little later that I felt the incredible sadness.

Twenty years later, I still remember it all.