Internetworkers: http://www.ibiblio.org/internetworkers/

["Bill Geschwind" <geschwin AT email.unc.edu>]

Back in 1987/88 I spent a year in Berlin as an exchange student. Towards
the end of my time there, the study abroad office organized a social
gathering for the exchange students which I decided to attend. A day or
two before that gathering, there was another **event** that I'm sure
will not be mentioned in any history class in this country. The USS
Vincennes, a US Navy Cruiser on patrol in the Straits of Hormuz
accidentally misidentified an Iranian Airbus A300 (wide-body civil
airliner) as a hostile F14 fighter jet and shot it down, killing all 290
people on board. Whoopsie! Sorry 'bout dat! When I got to that social
event, it turns out that I was the only American there, and most other
students were Middle Easterners who were **very** upset. I left again as
quickly as I could. IIRC, the officer responsible for that didn't get
too much more than a slap on the wrist.

- Bill


-----Original Message-----
From: internetworkers-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org
[mailto:internetworkers-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of Steven
Champeon
Sent: Wednesday, October 22, 2003 9:50 AM
To: Internetworkers: http://www.ibiblio.org/internetworkers/
Subject: Re: [internetworkers] PART 2: history lesson

<snip>

PanAm 103. Over Lockerbie, Scotland, also by Libyans. It was full of
Syracuse University students headed to England for a study abroad
program, and I was a freshman. Two Italian girls on our dorm floor were
hysterical; they'd lived through the attacks on the airport in Rome, and
so it hit home for them. It was a very bad day all around; I had friends
who knew people on board, though I didn't know anyone - but it left its
mark on the University. There is now a "Hall of Remembrance" or some
such at SU, where there used to simply be some steps leading up to the
Hall of Languages, where I spent three years trying to learn something
about philosophy and religion. Now it is a constant reminder, like the
red lights at a railroad crossing.

Steve

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