This morning I turned on the television soon to discover that NASA had lost contact with the Space Shuttle Columbia. Watching the footage of flaming wreckage streaking though the clear blue Texas sky reminded me of a similar scene from childhood.

I was in the third grade when the Challenger exploded. At the time, I wanted to be an astronaut. The news of that tragedy hit me hard. So much so that I wrote an essay about it my senior year in high school.
Somehow today’s tragedy seemed less shocking. After the Gulf War, the Oklahoma City Bombing, 9/11, Afghanistan, and regular military training accidents the loss of precious American lives seems to be less surprising. Perhaps it is just because I’m older. Although it’s slightly less shocking, it is still just as painful. I’ll admit I cried during the President’s statement today. And as he spoke of heroes losing their lives, I didn’t just think of the seven astronauts who died today. I remembered the Challenger crew, the victims of September 11th, and the brave men and women who are about to give their lives in the war against Iraq.