A year ago today

[Moderator1]

I was juggling being a dad and trying to be a good journalist, as were many in my office and at other newspapers and television/radio stations in my state.
I hope everyone took a moment today to remember. VCU did a moment of silence at noon and is doing a candlelight vigil tonight. Most schools in the state are doing something.
The papers in this region have done plenty online and in print. I just read a couple of things on washingtonpost.com that left me in tears. That have a slideshow of the victims that is very well done and very hard to get through dry-eyed. I did not succeed.

RIP to the 32.

 

[old_tony]

A year ago today ... a feature on the Green Bay Packers' offensive coordinator who was moved up from offensive line coach received the most hits on the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's website. The Virginia Tech coverage received the second-most. Wisconsin is a very, very sick state.

 

[Rosie]

Moddy, you and your family have been on my mind today, and in my prayers.

Prayers and good thoughts out to all connected to VT.

 

[Sam Mills 51]

Thanks for the reminder, Moddy. I remember that CNN was on in the house, consistently giving us worthwhile updates to those not in Virginia. For once, a worthy time to tune in.

Today, a relative has that on CNN again. I'm somewhere else avoiding it. It was bad enough to experience it the first time, and unlike Moddy, I didn't have family there.

 

[Mizzougrad96]

A year ago today ... a feature on the Green Bay Packers' offensive coordinator who was moved up from offensive line coach received the most hits on the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's website. The Virginia Tech coverage received the second-most. Wisconsin is a very, very sick state.

Or perhaps they were watching the minute-by-minute coverage on TV. Because I know if I want info on a shooting in Blacksburg, the first place I'd look would be the Milwaukee paper.

 

[dreunc1542]

I was in London and I just remember feeling so disconnected from it. I also remember reading the timeline story in the Washington Post a few days after and knowing instantly it was a top-notch, Pulitzer Prize worthy story.

 

[Ashy Larry]

A year ago today was my 8th wedding anniversary.............I remember thinking how many of lifes "events" were stolen from those 32 kids.

RIP

 

[markvid]

A year ago, I remember sitting in a hotel restaurant in St. Louis, when the first dorm sooting reports came in, then as I went to work over at Busch, seeing NBC running special reports, getting a more sinking feeling as the day went on. A great campus that won't ever be the same, but I would hope, will never sour the love I have for that town.

 

[forever_town]

I was in my paper's newsroom trying to get our paper ready for its Tuesday deadline day when it happened.

I changed our refer from "On The Web" for a Web-only story to "Rememberance" and a teaser for a story I wrote about the local impact of the Virginia Tech massacre on my county.

 

[NightOwl]

A year ago today ... a feature on the Green Bay Packers' offensive coordinator who was moved up from offensive line coach received the most hits on the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's website. The Virginia Tech coverage received the second-most. Wisconsin is a very, very sick state.

That's a pretty stupid and pretentious statement to make.

Tell us what state you live in, and we can compare notes.

I've never been to Wisconsin. But every Wisconsinite I've ever met has been pretty fine people.

 

[BYH]

Was getting my taxes done last year (the deadline was the 17th b/c the 15th fell on a Sunday) when it happened. Came home and was shocked to hear and read the news.

RIP to the 32 and thoughts and prayers with the entire VT family.

 

[Tom Petty]

A year ago today ... a feature on the Green Bay Packers' offensive coordinator who was moved up from offensive line coach received the most hits on the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's website. The Virginia Tech coverage received the second-most. Wisconsin is a very, very sick state.

That's a pretty stupid and pretentious statement to make.

Tell us what state you live in, and we can compare notes.

I've never been to Wisconsin. But every Wisconsinite I've ever met has been pretty fine people.

thanks ghandi.

 

[Mystery_Meat]

I remember watching Price is Right, working from home with a hurt back a few days after my accident, trying to watch our boy Donnie win his grandfather clock when they kept interrupting with coverage from Tech. For most of the hour it was something like "one dead, two injured," then "one dead, three injured" and "two dead, three injured," like that. A shame and all, but it's a big campus and they did have that one gunman on campus at the beginning of the school year. Then towards noon then latest update. 22. Dead. And nothing was ever the same after that.

 

[NightOwl]

A year ago today ... a feature on the Green Bay Packers' offensive coordinator who was moved up from offensive line coach received the most hits on the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's website. The Virginia Tech coverage received the second-most. Wisconsin is a very, very sick state.

That's a pretty stupid and pretentious statement to make.

Tell us what state you live in, and we can compare notes.

I've never been to Wisconsin. But every Wisconsinite I've ever met has been pretty fine people.

thanks ghandi.

You're more than welcome, Hillary.

Love your suit, babe..........

 

[JackReacher]

I remember skipping class that day to keep up with the coverage on TV. I pretty much sat in stunned silence for most of the day, wondering if any of the athletes I used to cover -- or anyone else I knew at Tech -- were injured. Or worse.

I also remember proudly wearing a VT t-shirt to class and work the next day, occasionally drawing a comment from someone. Over the next few days, I was surprised at how many people were wearing VT gear some 700 miles from Blacksburg.

RIP to the 32.

 

[schiezainc]

I remember completely being blindsided by this event until very late in the day. I first heard about this at 6pm or so and my eyes were locked on the updated news for the rest of the evening.

The full scope of this didn't hit me until I heard about a leaked song from the band 12 Stones called "World So Cold" which someone got a hold of and set to a visual memorial of the victims. I still can't listen to that song today without getting chills.

 

[forever_town]

I also remember proudly wearing a VT t-shirt to class and work the next day, occasionally drawing a comment from someone. Over the next few days, I was surprised at how many people were wearing VT gear some 700 miles from Blacksburg.

A few days after the shootings, I went to a local Sports Authority and asked one of the guys who worked there if they had any college stuff because I couldn't find anything related to Virginia Tech. He immediately said, "Virginia Tech?" I said, "yeah." They were completely sold out.

I ended up wearing a maroon T-shirt under an orange polo shirt on "National Wear Orange and Maroon Day."

RIP to the 32 victims.

 

[93Devil]

Even though it is a small thing, but one thing I learned from this is that you can reach someone with a text message much easier than trying to call them on a cell phone.

Just something to remember when a tragedy like this happens again, and all you get is a busy signal on your cell phone when trying to reach someone.

 

[forever_town]

The full scope of this didn't hit me until I heard about a leaked song from the band 12 Stones called "World So Cold" which someone got a hold of and set to a visual memorial of the victims. I still can't listen to that song today without getting chills.

I feel the same way about "Overcome" by Live. Every time I hear that song on my iTunes, I flash back to that video MTV or VH-1 made to the song that showed some of the scenes from the World Trade Center. I also feel the same way about "Half Your Angels" by Crosby and Nash (or Crosby, Stills and Nash when they performed it on The Tonight Show).

 

[Fenian_Bastard]

I was at work, watching on TV.