I grew up in a typical Connecticut town, about an hour or so out of New York City - exactly the sort of place you wouldn't expect to ever be impacted by terrorism.

But it was - on this day in 1988, when PanAm flight 103 was bombed, crashing in Lockerbie, Scotland, with a loss of 259 who had been aboard. There were 11 fatalities on the ground as well, when the wreckage tore into homes as it came down.

One of those lost was a friend of my best friend's family - several were CT natives. There were 35 Syracuse University students killed.

It's been 19 years now, but I still remember that day.

Terrorism didn't start with September 11th, or with Lockerbie. This is just another dark milestone on a murderous road - another attack from a real and deadly enemy. It's an enemy we have to defeat, so we don't need to see any more milestones - or gravestones.

Links:
Victims of Pan Am Flight 103 Home Page (Syracuse)
Wikipedia
Syracuse University - Pan Am Flight 103 Archives
Pan Am 103 Trial
Memorial
Remembering Pan Am Flight 103
Victims of PanAm Flight 103

Labels: Pan Am flight 103, terrorism