September 19, 2003

All over but the shoutin'

We - personally - dodged a major bullet with this one.

No more major trees down in the immediate vicinity.

We lost electricity for a short time early this morning. NOVEC rocks!

To the north, Fairfax county lost power to it's water treatment plants, so folks have to boil their tap water before using. I think people are going door-to-door to pass the word because they still have widespread power outtages.

Update: Loudon county is also having water problems, as is the city of Alexandria. Now they're telling folks to drink bottled water, because natural gas has been turned off in areas around the counties.

Flooding is still our biggest worry, but we're sitting up pretty high that I'm not too concerned. Our basement stayed dry. Wonder of wonders. I estimate somewhere around 6" of rain fell. It's true people, prepare for the worst, and it won't happen to you.

More later. Gonna go take a walk.

Posted by: Ted at 07:45 AM | Comments (61) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

September 18, 2003

Just because I want them dead doesn't mean I don't like them

I had mentioned over at Serenity's that she needed a Spider Frame. It's really a neat little idea, and a perfect point of interest in the garden. Easy to make too.

While you're at it, try some of these other variations for your garden residents. A butterfly house can be very cool. There are simple plans here to build your own.

And if you really want to keep the mosquitos down, how about one of these? The bathouse shown at the link looks to be more elaborate than is really necessary, but the extras look functional.

Just to be conventional, here's a simple birdhouse plan. The key to a successful birdhouse is the size of the opening and the interior space. Ours followed this basic plan, with just a few variations.

First, our lid was solid instead of hinged, and provided an overhang on both sides as well as the front. Under the eaves were small ventilation holes.

Second, on our house, the bottom was screwed on with small drywall screws. They're self-tapping, and removing the bottom allows you to clean out the old nest during the late winter or early spring. It's a good idea to cut a couple of drainage holes in the bottom too.

Third, and this was the most fun for us, was we cut two windows in the sides of the birdhouse. What I mean is, most of the two opposite sides were made of clear plexiglass, so that you could see what was going on inside the house. The birds don't mind. You can get scrap plexiglass cheap at the hardware store.

Here's another simple birdhouse plan. You can use plain pine board, not redwood or cedar, but stain the outside to protect it. Never use pressure treated wood.

Our birdhouse lasted five or six years, and all we really did was clean it out every spring and hit the outside with a coat of redwood stain every few years. We had birds every year.

In the springtime, if we give the dogs a haircut, we'll take the trimmings out back and put them on the ground. The local birds will find the hair and incorporate it into their nests as padding. Little scraps of cloth and yarn work well too.

Posted by: Ted at 10:27 PM | Comments (60) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

Isabelle

Federal Government closed tomorrow.

First fatality reported. A car in Anne Arundel county was swept away by floodwaters.

I took a walk around the neighborhood and things are looking ok. We're about two hours from the eye band, and between the smaller rain bands. It's windy, but mostly dry for the moment. Lots of little branches down, but no more big ones that I could see.

Posted by: Ted at 07:57 PM | Comments (62) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

How big would the trap be?!?!?!

A rodent the size of a buffalo? Researchers say they have found fossils for a 1,545-pound giant that thrived millions of years ago in a swampy South American forest.

"Imagine a weird guinea pig, but huge, with a long tail for balancing on its hind legs and continuously growing teeth," according to scientists.

There's a book I remember reading several years ago that I got from the library, called The New Dinosaurs: An Alternative Evolution, by Dougal Dixon. Full of colorful drawings and imaginative text, the basic premise was the question 'What would the animal kingdom be like if dinosaurs hadn't died out?'. Very fun and interesting to read, especially if you read it to an inquisitive child.

Update: Daniel scooped me on this one by over two hours. That's what I get for napping this afternoon.

Posted by: Ted at 05:45 PM | Comments (61) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

I wonder why

By now, we've all seen the hurricane coverage, and I got to wondering about those two red and black flags they keep using as the background graphic. Read all about it here.

I love international standards. But if it were "Ted's Universe", the flag symbol for Hurricane would the the 'T' and 'F' flags.

Tango Foxtrot.

Update: The news has just reported a possible Coast Guard rescue attempt in the Outer Banks. Apparently, three people in a car are stranded on an island ordered evacuated a couple of days ago. Instead of a rescue, why not let nature winnow the herd by a few idiots.

Also, despite Metro announcing that they would suspend service at 11am this morning (which prompted the Federal Government to close for the day), there are still oblivious fools who didn't get the word. One old man stranded downtown smiled at the camera and said he'd walk home after work. "About an hour," he said. In a hurricane. Is it mean to think that it'd be fun to attach a GPS tracker to him and watch his hike on screen? I wonder which direction he lives in, the wind could shorten his trip to 20 minutes.

Posted by: Ted at 12:09 PM | Comments (63) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

Uh oh

Eleven AM, and the news just announced almost a quarter million people without electricity in Virginia already... Isabel isn't quite ashore in North Carolina yet.

Mookie just let me know the school district is closed tomorrow. She's been a trooper helping out around here. To show how much I appreciated her help, I told her that her older brother and sister were adopted. She liked that a lot.

Posted by: Ted at 11:00 AM | Comments (61) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

A couple of quickies

For the science inclined among us:

After eight years orbiting Jupiter, NASA's Galileo space probe will end its long mission on Sunday by plunging through the Jovian cloud tops and smashing into the giant planet -- collecting data as it goes.

I don't think our successes get nearly enough press. Pioneer, Galileo, Voyager, Hubble, and many more. Great programs all, but people don't remember them. This satellite lasted 6 years longer than expected. More from the article:

The end doesn't sound pretty.

"The spacecraft will reach the outermost layers of Jupiter's atmosphere, which is very dense," Lopes said. "There will be a lot of friction. (Galileo) will begin to burn and crush and disintegrate and then it will just vaporize and become part of Jupiter."

Unless of course, it hits something living in that thick soup of an atmosphere. Yeah, I read too much science fiction. However it happens, my thanks to the team of engineers and scientists who concieved, designed, managed and controlled this spectacular endevour.

It just struck me... nah, I need to think this one out a little (making a note)... this might become a separate post later.

Also on the home front:

New Apollo-Style Capsules Could Replace Shuttles

Some of the preliminary designs I've seen (artist renditions) make it look kinda like the old Soviet Soyuz craft, with pieces strung together like beads. Except whereas Soyuz was circular, Apollo is wedge shaped. Interesting ideas, there'll be more about this coming out, no doubt.

Betcha we hear something interesting come October 1st. The Chinese space program is modeled on the Soviet, so announcing a flight prior to it's actual success is somewhat rare. It's easier to deny a failure if nobody knows ahead of time that you're trying. Of course, they still hedge a little bit:

"As far as I know, all the preparatory work for the launching of Shenzhou V is going very smoothly," Science and Technology Minister Xu Guanhua told a news conference.

The Chinese have had four consecutive successful test flights with their booster and Shenzhou spacecraft, so this should be same-same, except that this time they'll have taikonauts aboard. The Shenzhou craft is an updated and improved version of the Soviet Soyuz.

Hey, I think we could use a little Space Race to spur things. Let's see (talking off the top of my head here), Russia couldn't afford to go it alone, but I'm not sure they would want to partner up with Uncle Sam. They might feel it less humiliating for them to team with China. In the other corner would be the U.S., Japan, Canada, Great Britain... Would Brazil join? Maybe. France? I'd expect them to say no, just to be French, and continue to concentrate on their little niche.

Update: Over at Scientific American Online (my favorite print magazine), they have a nice article about China's space program.

Posted by: Ted at 10:46 AM | Comments (57) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

Fluff is as fluff does

I usually don't pay much attention to the entertainment world, but this one struck a nerve.

Spike Lee, whose movies often have a political edge, says Americans need to think more about important issues and lay off the fluff.

Like suing because you think your first name is a trademark?

Fucking idiot.

Posted by: Ted at 10:05 AM | Comments (57) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

September 17, 2003

Just a couple of things

Before I try to get to sleep.

I saw Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring today for the first time. I've been holding off because I wanted to see them all at one time. Damn, it was goooood.

I also saw Fast and the Furious this week for the first time. A lot better than I expected.

The federal government in Washington DC announced it would be closed tomorrow. This kinda sucks because my policy is that if I take a day off, it's my leave. If Uncle Sam takes a day, I charge them 8 hours regular time (like for blizzards, etc). I've already let everyone know that I was taking the rest of this week off sick, dammit.

My wife has to work until noon tomorrow. Dammit.

We have a parking spot right in front of our townhouse that we usually use. My new neighbor is a nitwit, and has been bitching about us monopolizing that space. Tonight it was open so he gleefully pulled in and made a big deal about getting 'our' space. When it rains hard tomorrow, that space will flood, probably high enough to flood the inside of his POS. Dumbass. I made sure there are fresh batteries in the cameras, because I want to take pictures of him trying to save his raft.

Goodnight.

Posted by: Ted at 10:55 PM | Comments (58) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

I Love The History Channel

I was just watching a show about British warships. It wasn't about any specific thing, mostly general information and contrast between the old 'sail' navy and todays modern version. Among the interesting stuff I learned:

Admiral Nelson’s flagship at Trafalgar was the HMS Victory. Her main foresail from that battle was discovered in a forgotten sail locker 150 years later. It had 90 cannonball holes in it.

One of the most effective battle maneuvers was called crossing the ‘T’, where your ship would pass directly in front or behind the enemy. This allowed you to rake him, firing your guns down the length of his deck without him being able to respond. The HMS Victory raked a French ship at Trafalgar, and with one shot of a carronade (a type of anti-personnel cannon), put 25 enemy cannon out of commision and killed or wounded 300 sailors.

When a new captain took command of a ship, one of his first tasks was to have the ship’s carpenter build him a box that was hung as the captain’s hammock. It would be decorated with drapes and tapestries made by his wife or mistress. If the captain died, they’d nail on a lid and bury him at sea in it.

The British threw their dead overboard during battle to keep the decks clear. The French took theirs below and buried them amid the ballast after the battle, because a Catholic French widow could not remarry without proof of her husbands’ death. Imagine the smell.

The best of the furniture aboard would be bagged in canvas and put aboard the ships boats before battle. The boats would then be towed along behind the ship. The Portuguese, French and British navies had a gentleman’s agreement not to target each others furniture.

Jennifer posted a list of naval punishments, most being lashings with the whip. In the British navy, the person wielding the cat-o-nine-tails was required to clean the whip between each stroke because blood and flayed flesh would cause the tails to clump together, reducing the effectiveness of the lash.

Posted by: Ted at 12:31 PM | Comments (64) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

A great idea

Let's hope the implementation lives up to the potential.

(from Rec.Models.Rockets newsgroup)

Imagine if you will, someone looking up the name of a senator opposed
to improving the lot of hobby rocketry. This person would write
letters - not to the senator, but to the entities funding the senator.
This person would tell said entities how unhappy they were with the
senator's position. This person would tell said entity that they would
be boycotted until they a) quit funding the senator or b) got the
senator to change his or her mind.

So what? One person writing letters doesn't accomplish much.

But imagine what would happen if everyone here started writing
letters....

If you thought the senators were amazed at how many letters we
generated, imagine what the corporations would think!

Posted by: Ted at 09:07 AM | Comments (59) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

Yet another reason to hate politicians

Get a load of this.

I've bitched about this before, both here and on my old blogspot site, about how the Homeland Security Act has gotten way out of control, aided by some rather stupid members of congress.

I'll excerpt the part that's making my blood boil, you can read the whole report here.

Briefly, Senate bill S.724 was introduced by Senator Enzi in order to provide relief to hobbyists that were inadverdantly impacted by the Safe Explosives Act passed after 9/11. The key point being that the rocket fuel we use doesn't explode by any definition.

Excerpts are in italics.

As we head into the final months of the first session of the 108th Congress, the substitute Enzi bill, S. 724, is stalled in the U.S. Senate due to holds placed by Sens. Schumer (D-NY) and Lautenburg (D-NJ).

NAR/TRA met this week with the Chief of Staff and Chief Counsel to
Senator Lautenburg. While the meeting was cordial, it was clear that
there is little, if any, likelihood of persuading Sen. Lautenburg to
remove his hold. His concerns are not necessarily with APCP being used
to make a bomb, or with a terrorist actually delivering a payload with
an amateur rocket, but with the potential "mayhem" that such a person
could cause by misusing an amateur rocket or rocket propellant. A
specific example given was a person launching two or three large amateur
rockets in close proximity to Newark International Airport during a busy
flight schedule, the theory being that such an act would cause
widespread panic. Arguments about the low probability of such an event,
its actual impact, the fact that such an act is already illegal, etc.,
were not persuasive. We were told that the mere potential for such an
act warrants "heavy regulation regardless of the burden imposed" on
individuals. [emphasis mine]

The low-probability potential for an already illegal act is enough to cause these two to take away your freedoms. According to these guys, if the government doesn't specifically allow it, you can't.

Several calls to Sen. Schumer's office have not produced a return call or meeting, but we have nonetheless gone to the Senator's office to provide them with a direct rebuttal to the ATF "views" letter sent to Sen. Hatch in June.

And the other 'servant of the people' won't even talk about the issue. Hobby rocketry is small potatoes in the grand scheme of things, but they've already begun to make moves against RC airplanes and cars as well. It's the baby steps people, that'll get you every time.

Posted by: Ted at 08:49 AM | Comments (64) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

Update

I just wrote a long vitriolic rant about being sick and hating things in general, then deleted it before posting because I just needed to vent. Instead, here's the short version.

Today I'm going to see the dentist again to ask about getting my antibiotics changed. I think whatever infection I have is resistant to Amoxicillin (sp?), because the swelling isn't going down. If anything it's getting worse. I'm starting to have pain in my ear now, which makes me not want to drive in case my inner-ear is affected. It's starting to really annoy me. In addition, I have to have my wife call my client to explain why I'm not coming into work again, and my home office to let them know what's going on. My voice has gotten worse every day; I now sound like a cross between Elmer Fudd and a stuttering Sri Lankan schoolteacher trying to take class attendance. Damn near unintelligable. Oh yeah, Isabel is coming straight towards us again.

Wow. I just rewrote that rant... whattayaknow.

Update (to the update): I talked to my dentist - she answers her own phone! - and she immediately agreed to change my antibiotic and called it in to the pharmacy. My wife will be picking it up before noon. I admit it ladies, we guys would be lost without y'all sometimes. And as soon as I feel better, I'll deny ever saying such a silly thing.

Posted by: Ted at 07:00 AM | Comments (57) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

Yahoo Messenger

I just realized that I have Yahoo Messenger loaded on my PC - I don't think I've used it in a couple of years. If you want to IM me, look for:

What else would it be, eh? The '77' is the year I graduated high school, for all you curious whippersnappers.

Anyways, it'll be on from now on if you want to talk. Entertaining hate messages, amusing trolls, and obscene messages gladly welcomed.

Posted by: Ted at 02:16 AM | Comments (65) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

1 See, I was right. You're just a wee slip of a laddie.

Posted by: LeeAnn at September 17, 2003 09:55 AM (HxCeX)

2

Posted by: Ted at September 17, 2003 12:49 PM (2sKfR)

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September 16, 2003

Rocketing Around the Blogosphere

I can't talk much, but I can type.

Over at Ambient Irony, Pixy Misa talks about his nephew’s second birthday and how kids today soak up technology without even trying. He has some interesting insights.

Susie discovers yet another odd characteristic she shares with Instapundit. As much as she tries to hide it, I think there’s an attraction there. Worst kept secret in the world there, Susie.

Jennifer treats everyone to a historical briefing on herself. I can relate to the whole spider thing, but she’s, well... you know, from Wisconsin. Doesn’t that mean you have to wear frozen wedges of cheese on your head and sit in snowstorms to watch football? That goes beyond eccentric and into the scary.

Tuning Spork of Blather Review has a bit of a keyboard problem, which he manages to relate in the modern version of pidgin english. Meanwhile, Stevie seems to be having other-than-keyboard troubles.

“Life is tough. It’s tougher if you’re stupid.” Cherry relates several funny stories about people having a stupid tough time.

Victor and his girlfriend went to see the stage production of one of his favorite movies. He also makes it clear that he’s not a Steve Spurrier fan. He also had several rat birthdays this month. Our cup runneth over.

Mookie is doing a poll to select her new header graphic. She’s a nut for the Geico gecko (I have no idea why), and one of her fashion statements is a pair of these huge nuts – as in ‘nuts and bolts’ that she wears on a chain around her neck. She is so much her own person.

It’s ‘sit by the phone day’ over at Chez Cheese.

The little one is getting ready for hurricane Isabel. So are we. For some reason, this one is beginning to scare me. Might have something to do with it being my first hurricane. My wife went through Agnes back in the 70’s (she was a little kid), but I’m a west coast boy and I grew up with earthquakes that last a few minutes, not storms the size of Colorado.

Fellow Munuvian Daniel had a good weekend for his fantasy football team. He’s also featured in this weeks New Blog Showcase over on The Truth Laid Bear. Link to his entry, because he makes some great points in his article. Or link to him because, like myself, people will say “Wow, Ted must be smart to read such intelligent stuff”. Just make sure you hide the comic books when they’re around.

Mr. Green has a life.

Alphecca is one blog that I try to read every day. Jeff has interesting things to say, and he’s a helluva writer. He’s also part of a group of firearm enthusiasts who’ve started the Shooters Carnival. If you don’t already, you should stop by Alphecca and catch up with Jeff. Also, check out the Carnival, regardless of your personal position regarding guns. Without educating yourself about the subject, how can you have an informed opinion, eh?

Wanna get controversial? Dean Esmay, Average White Guy and Tasberry all take a look at aspects of racism, each in their own style.

Starhawk over at Freedom Lives has done a redesign of his site. I like it a lot!

A is a hockey fan. Enjoy Owen Nolan, he’s fun to have on your team.

I’ve mentioned this before, when grieving families decide to go for the bucks. Publicola shows the perfect example, where the family admits that they’d get nothing from the killers – who are in prison – so they go after the gun store where the guns were stolen from and two burglar alarm companies.

Paul is having staff problems. Is there a fact-checker in the house? Experience preferred. I'd suggest introducing yourself to his wife at the earliest opportunity to avoid embarrassment in case anyone is miked.

Serenity has completed her trek to Houston. Safe and sound. Read her trip report, it reminds me of a few cross-country drives I made when I was young and foolish.

The guys at Silent Running talk about a danger that we can’t detect and can’t defend against, coming at us from the stars themselves. A cosmic fart of the ‘silent but deadly’ variety.

John has summed up this summer nicely with this cartoon. My backyard has stayed wet enough to grow moss on the stepping stones.

I’ve seen references to this (thanks Kelly among others), and haven’t paid it much mind. But with Isabel looming large, it’s beginning to seem like a damn fine time to cut loose and get a little silly before we have to get very serious. I’ll be on the widows-walk with me spyglass. Aye, there the beastie be!

Tiger redecorated. I know that everyone sees these pages a little differently depending on browser version and stuff, so take this for what it’s worth (absolutely nothing). I don’t like the new format, and apparently I'm alone in that opinion. On my machine, it’s just hard to read. I’ll give it a try at work over lunch, that might make all the difference in the world.

Al reminds us that it’s National POW/MIA Awareness Week. For more information, I’d suggest contacting your local American Legion or VFW post.

Oh yeah, I changed the name of my “Links Roster” category to “All the cool people and places”. Mainly because that way it’s almost at the top of my category list, and easier to find. Since I use that list more than my blogroll to get around, I’ll point you to a few blogs that I’ve been enjoying recently:

Terra Taco makes me think. Always a good thing. Rocketman also makes me think. Still a good thing. And he’s moved too (note to self: update his link). And these guys make me hungry. Never a bad thing. Enjoy.

Posted by: Ted at 10:57 AM | Comments (62) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

National Archives News

I saw a story on the news this morning about the reopening of the National Archives exhibit of the US Constitution, Declaration of Independance and Bill of Rights in Washington DC. They’re doing a ‘citizens poll’ to select the 10 most important documents in American History. Read about it, and vote online, here. Now I’m annoyed, because I can’t find a link to it online, even from the news channel I saw the story on.

While googling for the 'poll' site mentioned above, I ran across this one at Liberty Story. I haven’t dug deeply into it yet, but it appears to be something worth spending time on. As an aside, I had the chance to view the original Magna Carta in Boston several years ago. It amazes me that simple ink and paper can become so awe-inspiring.

And here's another online archive site worth looking into, if you're into history.

Posted by: Ted at 10:49 AM | Comments (59) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

This can only be good news

Oops, I fogot. It's a quagmire.

Posted by: Ted at 10:43 AM | Comments (58) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

September 15, 2003

Woot!

Wizbang photo caption contest. I'm doing the happy dance (film at 11).

Posted by: Ted at 10:27 PM | Comments (61) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

Rocket Jones’ Great Random Google Junket

Ok, for reasons I talked about below, I didn't do the Junket last night. I do need more suggestions folks, so keep it up. The comments are down below, just leave a word, any word. And we'll see what back alley we wind up in, eh?

Tonight's words:
Snorkle - from LeeAnn
Ricochet - from Tuning Spork
Nyquil - from Jennifer
and a special request from Victor for
"Stevespurriercantcoachhiswayoutofapeepeesoakedpaperbag"

1. Snorkle + ricochet - I’m not going to post any links for this combo, because the first several were all about ATV’s. Go figure.

2. Nyquil + ricochet - brought up two uninteresting sites, the first is a message board where we read "Tanks Ushiro. I tink I will ricochet back to bed now and hug my Nyquil..", and a site where we can learn all about a singer/songwriter from Taos, New Mexico, who’s written songs titled Nyquil Blues and Ricochet. Mike, you've just been Rocket Jonesed. Do you think I'd be pushy if I asked for a percentage of future gross?

3. nyquil + snorkle - this is a natural, eh? Only one travel hit, and we learn "They use mint liqueur and it tastes like Nyquil!"

Which brings us to 4. Stevespurriercantcoachhiswayoutofapeepeesoakedpaperbag - which against all reason brought up zero hits. Being the persistant type, I slightly edited the search criteria to "Steve Spurrier coach paper bag" and whattayaknow... 258 hits.

This is typical: "Can Steve Spurrier coach his way out of a wet paper bag, or is it back to the NCAA for him?" I saw similar sentiments on more than one online betting site. Looks like he’s not convincing people that he can coach in the NFL.

So there you have it. Leave a word. Be amazed and amused. Besides, it keeps me off the porn sites.

Posted by: Ted at 08:43 PM | Comments (65) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

1 Word suggestion: ostentatious

(hey, it was either that or flatulence)

oh, how about ostentatious flatulence?

Posted by: John at September 15, 2003 09:05 PM (Sqh6n)

2 quagmire

Posted by: Jennifer at September 15, 2003 09:11 PM (E9paH)

3 Can't decide between "lucky" and "safety."

I didn't really think this would be more fun then Jennifer: Skin or Other?

Posted by: Victor at September 15, 2003 09:20 PM (FNHVL)

4 I agree about the Jennifer game, but everyone wanted real rules and stuff, and she's already told Bill "no chest shots". I'm doing my charming best to change her mind, but no luck so far.

Posted by: Ted at September 15, 2003 09:25 PM (2sKfR)

5 Hey Ted,
Thanks for commenting on my blog today. I sent you a private e-mail.

Posted by: tasberry at September 15, 2003 10:20 PM (J65d5)

6 jejune

Posted by: Pixy Misa at September 15, 2003 11:01 PM (LBXBY)

7 proximity

Posted by: Susie at September 16, 2003 01:42 AM (SM1Wt)

8 splice

And I thought the Jennifer contest ended due to lack of interest.

Posted by: Jennifer at September 16, 2003 01:54 AM (rZmE1)

9 Heh, you wish Jen.

Posted by: Ted at September 16, 2003 07:09 AM (2sKfR)

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Air Shows

Fellow Munuvian Stevie went to an airshow yesterday and had a great time.

We've recently been hearing about the annual Oshkosh Airshow up in Wisconsin. Some rocket buddies of mine live up in that area and get to see it every year. It sounds great. My favorites are the biplane originally built in 1937 and modified to fly with a Lear-jet engine slung underneath, and the grand finale - the Wall of Fire. Basically, they simulate a bomb drop by overflying warbirds. The wall is ¼ mile long and reaches the height of a three story building. Neat (if you like smoke and fire – and I do)!

Not all the Airshow news was good though:

Thunderbird Jet crashes at Idaho Airshow
Mountain Home Air Force Base - 85-THOUSAND PEOPLE WATCH AS AN AIR FORCE THUNDERBIRD CRASHES INTO A FIERY BALL OF FLAMES IN MOUNTAIN HOME AND THE PILOT WALKS AWAY.
A F-16-C AIRCRAFT PLUNGES TO THE GROUND SUNDAY AFTERNOON JUST AFTER 3 PM.
THE CRASH HAPPENED AT MOUNTAIN HOME AIR FORCE BASE'S "GUNFIGHTER SKIES 2003" AIRSHOW.
PILOT CAPTAIN CHRIS STRICKLIN DID EJECT SAFELY, HE REPORTEDLY STOOD UP AND WAVED TO THE CROWD, BUT AIR FORCE OFFICIALS WON'T SAY ANYTHING ABOUT HIS CONDITION.
WITNESSES SAY THE JET WAS THE LAST OF THE SIX TO TAKE OFF, IT CLIMBED IN THE SKY, STRICKLIN EXECUTED A BARREL ROLL, BUT WHILE UPSIDE DOWN THE JET STARTED TO DIVE.
IT APPARENTLY HAD ENGINE FAILURE.

The amazing part of that story is that the pilot stood up and waved to the crowd, because you can't imagine how violent an airplane ejection can be. If nothing else, today he feels like the entire NFL used him for tackle dummy practice.

I saw the video of the crash, and he did a fine job keeping the aircraft under control. Something you may have noticed is that the crash happened parallel to the crowd.

I believe that it's a requirement of U.S. airshows (at least) that the aircraft do not fly over the crowd. It's been that way since the Flugtag Airshow disaster in 1988. Three Italian aircraft clipped each other during their performance and one crashed into the watching spectators. We were stationed at Ramstein AB at the time, and some of my people were on the ground near where the plane impacted. My kids and I weren't there, because we had watched the practice the day before, and went to a carnival instead. My son's teacher was severely burned, and we had neighbors who were killed. My kids had nightmares for years about that, and to this day we haven't gone to another airshow.

Airshows are cool, but the danger is there, and when things go wrong they can go spectacularly wrong in a hurry.

Posted by: Ted at 07:58 PM | Comments (68) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

1 I am a Air Force Medic, I was asigned to the clinic at Ramstein the day of the Airshow disaster
The injuries I withnessed was horrific but also a since of pride comes from the fact that We did the best job that could be done for so many injured and though there were 70 deaths from that incident there are plenty that survived due to prompt quick action by Security, Fire and medical forces and from the assistance of by standers and lesser injured folks. Ramstein may never have another air show but it wont forget 28 Aug 1988

Posted by: John F Williams at January 25, 2004 04:36 AM (d1oSL)

2 I was about 150 feet from the impact of the Solo jet with the Ice-Cream Tractor trailer Refrigerator van. I was in the 377th CES at Einsedlerhof and we did crash surveys as part of our duty. I was a TSGT and in charge of the shop and so we got to do the flagging of all the metal and human ‘parts’. It took us about three days and what many people do not know is that there were THREE planes that crashed that day. The Solo plane went into the crowd after first striking the runway, bursting into flames, and then picking up the concertina wire as it cart-wheeled into the many Germans who were by the Ice Cream van picking up the FREE Neapolitan Ice cream we were giving out to them. They love our Ice Cream (as compared to theirs)! The approach road from the control tower, past the LOX plant, and to the perimeter road (where all the people were lined up to view the show) was PACKED with people getting an early start home DURING the last air flight of the day!

The Second plane went into a drainage ditch of taxi way 10…that plane was the one that had sliced off the nose and cockpit of the solo plane. Both pilots were in so many pieces that it was impossible to tell whose parts belonged to what pilot. I rolled over a helmet and there was pink brain material in it!! It did not click at the time but later it sure did!

The third plane got caught up in the debris and went into the far side of taxiway 10 opposite the ditch side. The pilot got out but he was too close to the ground and his cute did not deploy…he was laid out like a rag doll…all together with the cute stretched out behind him…but…his plane continued on and its left wing cut through the canopy of the ONLY Blackhawk rescue helicopter that was stationed (in a safe place) for emergencies evacuation (to Landsthul hospital up on the far hill overlooking the base). The cockpit of the helicopter looked like a large knife went through it and there was blood and goo all over the place!

I drew up the crash survey map

And I actually have some pictures that I took (personal types) so that I could then help remind myself of the MESS as I drew the map. They were Polaroid and I might be able to scan them.

In the area of the Ice Cream Van I remember a baby stroller upright and oddly not damaged at all while everything around it was blackened and torn up…I remember looking it over real close for blood stains…and was relieved to find (oddly) that there were none! There was also a blue German (plated) four door car (BMW I think) that was on the runway side (closer to solo side impact and its travel) of/to the van. There was what looked like a landing gear strut driven through the car and into the front seat. The car was position parallel to the runway with the driver’s position nearest to the runway. BOTH the drivers door and the passenger door behind the driver were CLOSED (the doors closest to the runway and the oncoming plane) but the two doors on the other side (away from the plane) were wide open…I bet those two people (at least) are STILL running!

There is also a story I heard of a German father standing beside a dumpster and watching the plane coming at him in flames and in a spark of wisdom…he picked up his boy…and did a side leap into the dumpster…! He and his son walked away while all around them were burned and cut up by the concertina wire.

I was with my wife Donna, and new born handicapped (premature) daughter Erin, and my German Friend Rudi Gephardt. When I walked up the approach rood at the start of the show, I decided to go to the left (away from the Ice Cream Van) mainly because there were a few of my CES friends near the van (I did not want to take attention away from my German Friend by paying too much attention to them and not to Rudi). Had I gone right (to my friends) rather than left I might be dead! Moving Erin would have been difficult to do quickly.

Immediately after the plane stopped…the welling up of people who rushed away from the flames was frightening. The screams were chilling and time seemed to slow to a snails pace. I felt like I was in a fog and that my legs were made of lead…nothing moved fast. After the plane hit…there was this flash and crunching grinding noise and then SILENCE (for about five LONG seconds) then the screams and cries for help…strange time! I remember going back with the rest of the crowd (after about 20 seconds) and putting people’s feet (those who were laying on the ground but conscience) up on top of the soda crates and trying to calm them down. Some had burns but most were OK…just shock! Heck…I was in shock too…we all were! Had this really happened!!?!?!? I asked myself! I remember looking over toward the Ice cream van (after about 2 minutes…it’s hard to judge time) and there was this body…laying in the road…and just as black as the road…his (her?) arms were up as if (it) was wanting help to stand/get up. BUT, this person was burned completely black and upon closer observation (about 15 feet away) you could easily see the pink and blood like fluid oozing from the corpse. This person was gone! Five minutes prior…he/she was a live person probably getting Ice Cream! That vision and many more will NEVER leave my brain.

I spent a total of nine years at Ramstien (from 1970-73 (7SOS Sq) and from 1982-88 in 86th CEG and 377th CES). I retired after 23 years as a MSgt in 1991

Gordon Tatro

Posted by: Gordon Tatro at February 09, 2004 07:13 PM (I4e9M)

3 I was stationed at the Stein during this terrible and horrific accident. My family and I were at the airshow that day standing in front of the AVIS van. Gordon, by the grace of GOD, something told me to round up my family and depart just as the French were ending their demo. That something was JESUS I'm convinced. We left but a family we were standing next to didn't. He ended up on the front page of every major newspaper in the world. When the planes collided he and his wife took off running, during the confusion they forgot their baby, he is pictured running back into the inferno to get JJ his son. All three lived a miracle. I will never forget the next several weeks, as a supervisor of flying I saw many things I wish I hadn't. THANK YOU LORD FOR WATCHING OVER US.

Posted by: LtCol. Robert "PeeWee" Edlund at March 17, 2004 09:19 PM (E9paH)

4 A couple of hours ago I finished looking at the photos and reading the posted narratives. I had to stop and walk away for a while. The memories were intense (even now). I was a Lieutenant and the arriving Disaster Preparedness Officer for Ramstein at that time. The outgoing DW Officer (Captain) was working inside the Command Post during the event, I was on the flightline. I remember wishing (then) that I still was a 902 (Medic) instead of a Disaster Preparedness Officer. I would have preferred staying in the midst of the triage efforts instead of forming up the Disaster Control Group.
Somewhere at home I believe that I have a copy of some of the video footage of the crash. I'll hunt for the video tonight. If I still have it, next week I'll convert some of the video to mpeg. Maybe others who were there will want to view the video, too.

Posted by: Wayne Paradis at May 21, 2004 02:52 PM (JVSCe)

5 I was also there that day.
I was stationed at Landstuhl.

I had my son in a stroller and I had taken the day to spend time with my German girlfriends.
This was the first time that they had been on post.

I remember having a bad feeling that day.
Someone made a comment behind me... "One of these planes is going to end up crashing". That statement from a fellow soldier somewhere in the crowd garnished a roll of muttered agreement through the crowd.

We were standing very close to the ice cream van.
I remember thinking that people were being very nice to let us up front with our baby in the stroller.

As the French team flew overhead I had a terrible ominous feeling. I turned to my best friend Christiana. "I don't think they are supposed to fly right over the crowd". I said to her.
"If they had an accident we would not be able to get out of here".

I remember everything like slow motion from that point.
Christiana looked at me like she was really scared. "We wouldn't be able to get the stroller out of here. Somebody would trample it".

At that point she removed my son Joshua from the stroller and held him as we turned and started walking towards the barracks. We had a friend who's barrack's were right off of the flight line and, although we knew that we would not be allowed to go into the barracks, especially with the baby, we still headed that way.

I figured my friend would have some idea where we could go to wait for the next bus back to post.

My husband Troy (we weren't married yet) was working that day at the emergency room at LARMC so I could not get a ride from him.

I remember it was so pretty out there.
Just a beautiful day.

My other friends had run off to flirt with GI's and do the things that 20 year old German girls do when they are finally let loose with a bunch of Air Force guys.
I asked Christiana if we should go look for them.
"No, let's just get to the barracks and we'll let the guys go find them.

We got to the front door of the barracks. As I reached my hand down and grabbed the front door, the planes hit. There was screaming.
I still had my hand on the door as the plane hit the crowd. I will never forget that feeling. My entire body was shaking from the blast. It felt like an earthquake. The building was groaning and every glass window was shaking so hard that I thought for sure they would break.

I screamed at Christiana. There wasn't any blast noise really. More like something had hit and sucked all the air away for a minute. I had the sensation that there was ringing in my ears, but I couldn't hear it.
Just intense pressure.

I was yelling as loud as I could to get inside and Christiana couldn't hear me. I felt like my eardrums were going to burst.

We made it inside the door and we were screaming that there was an earthquake. Airmen came running from all over the building, somebody grabbed me and asked if I was Okay.
"The planes just crashed", he said.
"No, I think it's an earthquake"! Sounds crazy now, but somewhere in my mind I knew it COULDN'T be the planes. A plane crash would be loud and this was just heat and pressure.

We found my friend as he was leaving his room to run outside. He grabbed my son and said, "you have to go they called a mass-cal (mass casualty) at LARMC”.

I worked on 1 Delta at LARMC. That is the psyche ward. What the hell good was I going to be in a mass casualty situation?

My friends took Josh and said they would take him back to my girlfriend's house. I had to get on a bus. The Emergency Commander on Ramstein got a bus to carry all soldiers back to LARMC.

When I arrived, at the emergency room it was already full of gurneys. It was nearly silent.
I have never witnessed anything like it.

There was a little blond haired girl laying on a gurney, she could not have been more than five. Her burns were so severe that she wasn't even crying. Her eyelids were burned off and she was staring at me and her chest was heaving up and down struggling for breath. The only sound from her was a gurgling as she tried to breath. I don't know if she lived, my husband worked on her, but refuses to discuss it.

At this point I remember almost passing out. My husband came up behind me. "Go see 'So and So' (sorry, can't remember her name), she is in charge of setting up beds”.

I was taken upstairs to an empty ward. The guys were bringing in empty beds and we began putting linen on them.
Some guys were bringing in some other material for burn patients to lay on, they explained to me that this would stop them from sticking to the sheets.

I wish I could remember more... or not.
I don't know... it is like a movie I saw, but kept closing my eye's through the scary parts.
I know what happened, but I can't remember it.

I went back to Ramstein and our psych department set up an information center for the people who were waiting to hear news about missing loved ones.

It wa in some type of auditorium. It was packed full of crying families. I spoke a little German and I was taking names to compare with the ones coming in from the hospital. I was there a long time, but again, I cannot remember more than one or two things. I remember sitting with a German grandma and grandpa who were looking for their daughter and granddaughter. I remember sitting and rubbing her back while she was crying and clinging onto me. I remember at some point passing out Kool-aid in dixie cups.

If I met someone who had gone through a traumatic experience like that and couldn't remember what happened, I would tell them to see a psychiatrist. I however, don't want to talk about it.
This is the first time I've ever written about that day. I was much more traumatized than I realized. I am crying as I write this.

I received a 'Letter of Commendation' from the Air Force Commander for helping set up the Information Center.
My husband, who saved countless lives in the ER that day, did not.
My friend from the barracks was given the task of walking the flight line and picking up body parts the next day, did not receive a 'Commendation' either.

I have never read that 'Commendation'. I have seen it only once since we left Germany. I found it, when we were in the process of moving... I don't know where it is now.

I don't want to see it. It is just a reminder of how utterly useless I felt on that awful day.

There were many more deserving than I, and if I could give that 'Commendation' to anyone I would have given it to my husband... he was truly a hero that day.

Posted by: Tricia Weight at August 09, 2004 01:14 PM (9g1+F)

6 Thank you for the opportunity to unload the memories from that day. We are forever joined by what we experienced that day. Few can understand the enormity of that particular event.

I would like to add my story to the others.

I was a nineteen year old new medic when the infamous day occured.

I was going to work at the fire station in Vogleweh when my team leader wanted me to stay at Landstuhl to work at the hospital till 1500. It was a calm day, nothing much going on until the earth rumbling sonic boom hit.

I remember saying that it was a plane breaking the sound barrier or something, nothing bad could happen right?

We got the phone call to get everyone in for the mass cal right away. My teamleader called the barracks and sent a medic over in a PTV to bring in people to work. I stayed in the ER waiting for the first wave of injured to arrive.

Our 66 passenger mercedes bus was already there and filled quickly. It was the first and only time that I had seen this many patients at one moment.

Time froze as the bus showed up with many patients still smoldering, tourniquets on limbs, moaning and groaning, smoke still so thick it was hard to see what was happening.

The first thing that struck me was the smell of burning flesh and the amount of kids and German nationals on the bus.

My job, with all of this going on, was to assess who to take care of first. Everyone seemed like an emergent patient to me, but in a split second we had to take live or die now patients first and leave the expectants to die.

This was a new sensation for me; someone's loved one, child, father ,mother etc. could die as a result of going out and watching an air show and having fun together.

I wanted to save everyone... Now!
My senior medic took over and told me that we can't save everyone but to focus on the one's that can truly be saved versus letting my emotions dictate who gets saved.

I remember thinking airway, breathing, circulation... the abc's of the medical field. Sucking Chest wound emergent now, O2 ,chest tube, IV, amputee tourniquete stable but start IV for blood loss.

Put fires out fluid, fluid, fluid...I learned a lot that day.

In retrospect, I did not realize the enormity of the situation because I was engrossed in the moment. We ran out of supplies, the war crates were opened and used up.... then it happened.
The NATO trucks started comming in with all kinds of supplies and we had to translate the packages to make sure what we were giving was correct. All kinds of helicopters were landing on our open helipad area from different NATO countries as well.

The hospital filled up and we stabilized the new patients and took them back to the different helicopters for transport to surrounding hospitals. I was amazed later to find out that we treated about 400 patients and only around 70 died.

Please don't misunderstand me, I think that loosing one life is a big price to pay... given the circumstance we did one hell of a job... From the flight line triage and treatment to the hospital level care and transport in all areas in between.

I am truly proud to say that I did my best with everyone else involved to save all that could be saved...My unit at the 2nd general hospital in Landstuhl did not receive any awards that day for exceptional treatment under such dire circumstances, but that does not diminish the collective acts of exceptional people rising to the occasion...I was only nineteen at the time, and saw more suffering and death in that short 2-3 hour time frame than most will see in a lifetime.

Having to make the decisions about who gets treated and who goes to our waiting room with an expectant tag still haunts me, but I am here to say that I'll never forget those people that I treated and I hope they are all well...

Posted by: Troy Weight at August 29, 2004 10:11 PM (lRTFS)

7 wow. these stories are amazing.

im speechless.

Posted by: vadergrrrl at August 30, 2004 10:03 PM (Gmc2U)

8 It's been over 16 years and for some reason a lot of feelings are coming back. I was 20 years old and a brand new security police officer. I was in the theater at the time of the accident with other SP's as a emergency response team. When the explosion happened we went outside and immediately doubled timed to the flightline and what I saw I still don't believe. We didn't know where to start. We had to get order to the site but at the same time we had to decide which people we could help and which were beyond. The worst feelings were when we found the kids. The sights and sounds were unbearable. I can still remember the smells of that day. The absolute worst part came after it finally calmed down and all of the wounded were transported. We had to stay out there all night to secure the area while the investigators did thier job. That night was extremely long. I was forced me to remember it over and over again as I'm standing in the blood soaked ground that it happened in. I swear that I could hear the screams thoughout the night. This week is the first time that I've actually talked in detail about it. My wife know nothing of this until last night. Thanks for your ear.

Posted by: Eric at March 28, 2005 03:34 PM (9bG+b)

9 I was that time in Ramstein with my wife and my daughter.They died, and I was a year long in a hospital.It's been over 16 years,but for me like yesterday.I hope for informations from anyone who helped us in Ramstein 1988.After the crash I was yet three hours in Ramstein before I came to Koblenz.The same was with my daughter.It is possible that she came with a bus to Ludwigshafen but no one knows it exactly.She died on 9.September 1988.
I have learned to live with this disaster.
But I know not much from the last hours in Ramstein.Can anyone remember?
Thanks for all your stories here,they are important.

Posted by: Roland at April 07, 2005 12:02 PM (1EMuH)

10 i was stationed at RAF Alconbury but was part of the air show because our plane, the tr1 spy plane was on static display. I was in the crowd that day and was very very to escape without injury or harm because the plane came down in front of me and people around me were either hurt or killed. For you who have read these stories or wrote them, God bless you and your families if you lost a family member or a good friend. What i remember at the time of the disaster was a giant cloud of black smoke in front of me with fire rolling upwards. The screams of people in pain, the screams of people in fear as they run away from the fire. It was like a war zone and there were many people burned and worse. All i could do is react and help. It seemed to be all everyone wanted, how can i help these people who need help. All the helicopters on static display got involved and give the base alot of credit, it was so fast in getting its emergency services in action, i am sure it also saved many more lives. I transported victims that day into helicopters, helped move people to the gymnasium, and also went around collecting blood donors to bus out to give blood. it was about nine o'clock at night and i still found myself wanting to help along with everyone else. It really didn't sink in that night because of the shock and reality that has just taken place that i was never prepared for before that day. It hit me hard waking up in the morning and seeing all the parked vehicles down by the taxi way, knowing these people were injured or worse, it made me shake and emotion overcame me as i began to tremble. But along with sadness came the only good thought i had since the disaster took place. People still care, in the worst of times can bring out the best in all people, and on that day it did.....M. Guerin United States Air Force

Posted by: M. Guerin at April 15, 2005 12:03 AM (5t0+b)

11 Thanks for a great tribute to a terrible day. I, like so many other posters, haven't revisited the sights, sounds, smells of Flugtag 88 for a long time. Today happens to be the day before our airshow here at Langley, and I have a view of the flightline from my office window, which brought to surface many memories. I was working security that day with my future wife. We were on standby on the hot cargo pad (where all of the accrobatic planes were parked) just in case something happened. I remember watching the Italian team members joking around and having a good time before their flight. They had purchased a mountain bike from the BX and were riding it around on the ramp. A strange sight, since bikes were generally not allowed on the ramp. I had watched the performers practice the day before, including the Italian team, so was familiar with the Pierced Heart maneuver. In fact, I readied my camera and captured the moment just before impact. It is interesting to note that the #10 plane had it's landing gear down; I heard later that was a technique to reduce air speed. At the moment my shutter clicked, there was a flash of light and a "pop" sound, which was caused by the #10 plane colliding with two other planes above taxiway 10. I have seen maps drawn out to look like the planes were above the runway, but they were actually above taxiway 10. Watching the #10 plane head toward the crowd was almost like slow motion. It slowly rolled and tumbled, then impacted with a huge fireball. The other two planes were immediately driven into the taxiway in front of us and slid to the left, taking out the medical helicopter. One interesting note I haven't seen posted is that there was a man on a lawn chair sitting just in front of the helicoptor, who surprisingly was completely unharmed (the plane must have missed him by inches). There were 30 of us security police on this detail, and we immediately deployed in line formation and swept perpendicular to the taxiway, toward the runway and accident site. Our primary mission was to ensure the crowd didn't spill into the flightline area, but it immediately turned into a search and rescue mission. I was side-by-side with my future wife, and the first casualty we came across was the #10 pilot. We could see where he impacted the runway, almost in the middle, and slid about 30 meters across and into the grass on the other side. This would be the first of many grizzly sights that day. We tagged and continued on our way to the crowd. I grabbed three other SPs and established a landing zone for incoming medical helicoptors, which began arriving almost immediately. Aside from assisting the injured and marking the dead, there are a couple of things I remember most vividly: I remember watching a couple of german police extracting their K-9 from a burned-out police car. The dog was in the front passenger floorboard, and was practically melted into the floor. It took two strong men to rip the poor dog out of the car. Also, there was a car behind the ice-cream truck that had a large piece of wreckage in the driver's seat. It could barely fit through the side window, but there were no marks around the window frame. After loading bodies onto trucks, we later went back to the hot cargo pad and swept down taxiway 10, along the wreckage of the other two planes. The wreckage there was very spread out, so finding one of the pilot's was difficult. We finally found him in a water-filled ditch, pulled him out, and loaded him into the back of a truck. I remember the mixture of blood and water leaking out of the back when the truck pulled away, and also how heavy he seemed to be. I have come to terms with everything that happened that day, but will never attend another air show unless duties require me to. I have found that this is an event you have to live through to really understand, and in the long run, believe it has made me stronger. I want to thank you again for maintaining this site, very good therapy

Posted by: A. Aldrich at May 13, 2005 02:14 PM (8Pv/P)

12 i managed to construct a digital virtual docu on what happened.
check it out here:

http://enigma.as28747.net/hex/vid/rs88.htm

[bizarre fact:if they had flown the show WITHOUT droptanks the accident had not occured !]

Posted by: HEXJUMPER at June 03, 2005 08:56 AM (mM6lf)

13 Hi, I remember being at the Flugtag in the afternoon of that day, I believe it was 3-ish? We had taken a bus tour to the "Monsters of Rock" concert the night before and I had been the chaperone of the bus. We did not get back until 6 am due to one the girls having been lost and we had been searching for her, she was at home when we got there, had gotten a ride with someone, unbeknownst to us.
Anyway, I was to work a beer stand at noon for the MWR, as I was a child care provider part-time prior to joining the Air Force, and directly after High School.
I had sat down to smoke a cig, our stand was down the taxiway towards the larger aircraft static displays. Right as I lit my cigarette, I was looking towards the Frecce Tricolore performance and was thinking,"Why is this guy flying towards the crowd like that?" At that instant, they made contact and the realization of what was happening struck me like a solid punch to the head. The second aircraft landed directly across the runway from us, somewhere near the bomb dump (where I later was assigned). The reaction was instantaneous, looking back on it, the response to the disaster probably couldn't have been better. They came around and got everyones Ice from the stands for the injured. I remember within 2 minutes, a German man came running to the stand with a video camera and showed me his video through the lens, he was in a state of shock and rambling on about the crash, He had been right near the concertina wire about 300 feet to the (west?) of the solo planes crash, the video was amazing and sickening at the same time. This was now 3 mnutes after the crash and Everyone was running from the runway area, people throwing up, screaming for their children, children crying, at this point we were not worried about the beer in fact I downed 3 in a row to calm myself. I proceeded towards the crash site to offer assistance, but was turned away by off-duty SPs who had put up a perimeter around the disaster. We are 10 minutes after and everything is in a frenzy, there are sirens going, but not getting here fast enough, the first helicopters probably didnt make it for 30 minutes, and didnt quiet down again for three days solid, 24/7, volleying the injured & deceased to Landstuhl and beyond. They had hijacked (for lack of better term) POV pickups to transport less critical patients by ground, they werer putting injured in buses, VW vans, pickups, flatbeds, anything they could find. The phones were down for days, the congestion had overrun the local system, you couldnt call loved ones stateside or otherwise.
The most awful part was not knowing where your family and friends were. I remember for literally months afterwards, the eerie feeling of seeing those visitors cars still parked there on the grass, not knowing if they were hospitalized or dead. The sirens and chopper sounds kept me awake for the next 3 nights, endlessly they worked trhough the day and night, transporting everyone and everything.
A year later, even 3 years later, that eerie patch of bright green grass near the control tower where the plane had crashed and so many had perished. It was a bright landmark denoting a dreary event. The sights, sounds and smells of that day are scorched into my mind forever, I can remember certain events of that day as if they happened yasterday. I, as well as many, too many others, have learned to cherish the rest of their days on this planet as if tomorrow may be the last. God Bless all the injured people. May the deceased rest in peace.
There is no way to try and highlight the good parts of the show on that Sunday afternoon at Flugplatz Ramstein, Rheinland Pfalz.
Thanks for allowing me to get this off my chest after so many years.

Posted by: rob harvey at June 18, 2005 05:57 AM (o0NBJ)

14 I was only 8 when it happened, but I remember almost every horrific detail. I remember we had just arrived at Ramstein AFB because we were in TLF. That day started as a very exciting one because my family loved air shows. There were my parents, my brother(13 at the time) and myself ( all climbing into our Subaru stationwagen ready for an awsome day at the show. My family, being airshow junkies, knew that with 2 kids you needed a spot in between the food stands and the bathrooms. So my mom found the perfect spot, about 50 yards ffrom the ice cream stand. I'll forever remember the ice cream lady. She had her hair pulled back in a ponytail and a t-shirt on with a infant on her hip. Why I can still after all this time rememeber that detail I'll never know. But I'd gone to get ice cream right as the Italians started. I'd returned to my family and ate the treat I'd begged for, but as soon as I'd finished all hell broke loose. Right at that moment my dad had gained super-human stregth. He grabbed all three of us, all at once, thrown us behind a car and jumped on top of us screaming to my brother and I not to look up. But there was space enough for me to make the biggest mistake. I looked up to see plane parts and ashes raining from the same sky that had me so excited just seconds earlier. I could also see the ice cream stand in flames. When all this happened I remember also I couldn't breath for a couple of seconds. It was like the air was sucked from around me. When it got quiet,my dad slowly got up and gathered the rest of us and said" don't look back." We had reached the car and we sat to collect our thoughts. I know my parents were trying to be brave for my brother and I but I could see the terror in their faces. As we sat in the car I could see men carrying the women like small children in their arms and some men were still running with the women over one shoulder. I can remember that I could see people screaming and see my family crying but I couldn't hear. It was like a slow motion sequence in a horror movie. When we finally got back to TLF my dad explained what had happened. Since then my family hasn't spoken of it. I'm now married to a wonderful man who is also in the military and we have two children. He understands my fear and doesn't question my reservations about air shows. I've tried to go to another one since we've been married,but all it took was that first jet to pass and I was reminded suddenly of what had happened so many years ago. This is the first time I've written about my experiance. All I know is that I saw hell's fury and I never want to see it again. Thank you for allowing me to use this as an outlet.
Jessica Saunders-Cooley
Daughter of:
Lt.Col.(Ret)Thomas H. Saunders (HERO)
Wife of:
TSsgt. Scott Cooley (Mr. Wonderful)

Posted by: Jessica Cooley at July 11, 2005 02:41 PM (F17jE)

15 I was a dental officer from Wiesbaden Regional Med Ctr. who arrived on the scene shortly after the accident occurred. We were tasked with opening the body bags and making dental charts from the teeth of each victim. I remember horrible injuries, lots of lacerations, decapitations, missing arms and legs. I also remember identifying one child, bad memories. Luckily, I rerely think about this

Posted by: Richard S Finlayson at August 29, 2005 11:23 PM (rjWiO)

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