So Where Were You When You Heard?
Claire Berlinski, Ed. ·
May 2, 2011 at 5:54am
I woke up as usual, put up the coffee, wandered over to the computer and did what I usually do first: checked my e-mail. First one I opened was from the editor of City Journal:
If you have 350 words on obl's death for tomorrow, we will do a mini symposium
It took me about ten seconds to figure it out after that. My cats were puzzled but delighted by the ensuing outpouring of joy in this household.
They're sleeping it off now.
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May '10
Re: So Where Were You When You Heard?
As Peter wrote in an earlier post, I was tipped off by Mollie's post of an unusual Presidential news conference for late on a Sunday. Then I hopped on Twitter, and started reading the rampant speculation. I hit 20 years in the military this week...and now I know I can retire with a bit more peace when I decide to hang it up....
May '10
Re: So Where Were You When You Heard?
Just getting my last Ricochet fix before bed and Mollie's post alerted me.
Feb '11
Re: So Where Were You When You Heard?
Got up at five thirty or so, sat down in front of the computer and wondered why the unread messages on Twitter was at 96. After pressing "refresh," it was all Bin laden, starting off with people who usually tweet about the Steelers.
Plus trying to figure out why they were talking about POTUS appearance at 10:30 which obviously hadn't happened.
Jan '11
Re: So Where Were You When You Heard?
Having just gotten out of the shower, I was half-naked in my bedroom with the TV on as I got dressed for work.
But I'm pretty sure nobody needed to know that.
Jun '10
Re: So Where Were You When You Heard?
Thanks to Mollie, I turned on the TV 5 minutes before I had planned to go to bed. Needless to say, I was up for another 2 hours.
May '10
Re: So Where Were You When You Heard?
I was in the Hilton in Bangkok and I found out via a Rob Long tweet when I took a break from working. I follow him on Twitter but he so rarely tweets it caught my attention. It was something about 72 virgins being 300 lb guys who play WoW. Then the tweets started rolling in.....
Re: So Where Were You When You Heard?
Watching Mets v Phillies on ESPN. Loved the chant - USA! USA! USA! I'm not sure the players knew why the fans suddenly broke out into that.
May '10
Re: So Where Were You When You Heard?
I checked my email late late last night, and had a message from a friend with the subject line "I assume you have heard the news." The body of the email said only "Things could get interesting."
I hadn't heard about bin Laden's death yet, so I went to Google News and there it was. I was pleased, but also frustrated it had taken so long. Then the grim realization that this is to be a very long war with our side low on resolve took over. A strange feeling of dissatisfaction, really.
Jun '10
Re: So Where Were You When You Heard?
I was at the pub and went to the washroom. There was a dude in the stall who was yelling, "Turn on the news baby! ... Just turn it on... USA USA USA... We got him baby, yeah!"
Forever burned into my memory...
Edited on May 2, 2011 at 7:47amDec '10
Re: So Where Were You When You Heard?
Just was about to turn off the T.V. and head to the rack when the "stay tuned" announcment was declared. I went downstairs for something and returned to hear my wife say "The reports are they got bin Laden." Believe it or not, I replied "Don't you mean Ghaddaffi?" I suppose it was for several reasons I gave that reply. Afterall bin Laden remained elusive for so many years, I figured he was already worm-food. The newscaster came on again to confirm it was in fact the evil-doer himself that was paid a visit by our military force and I felt a mild sense of gratification.
Apr '11
Re: So Where Were You When You Heard?
How many of us heard via Facebook or Twitter? Man has the world changed. I was greatly pleased to know he ate a bullet, rather than a bomb. I too had been going under the assumption he was already toast, so I was proved wrong then right instantly. Pretty cool.
Apr '11
Re: So Where Were You When You Heard?
I was on World of Warcraft and heard through Guild Chat. So I turned on the TV and saw it there. Any other night of the week and I would probably have heard it on TV first...
I didn't feel any jubilation, more of a quiet "finally".
I'm happy it was SEALS. I'm really proud of our military.
Congratulations folks, job well done.
May '10
Re: So Where Were You When You Heard?
I was taking my younger son to school just before 8 this morning (he was still rebellious because he's had school on three of the four days of this long weekend of public holidays in the UK), and he checked his Facebook status on his smartphone - the story was all over.
Best Facebook status from one of his friends:
"What with Osama being found and killed, Wally is going to have to seriously up his game."
(that would be Waldo in the States)
Jun '10
Re: So Where Were You When You Heard?
Sitting in the dark in North Alabama, with a Twitter app on a cell phone tuned for storm recovery updates, when the news broke across the CBS feed.
Jan '11
Re: So Where Were You When You Heard?
I was reading myself to sleep when the Elder Spawn, who was spending the night, burst in with the glad news.
Sleep's overrated anyway.
Dec '10
Re: So Where Were You When You Heard?
Interestingly enough (to me, anyway) my wife and I were on a gorgeous golf course in Hawaii when she checked the news on her iPhone. Sure changed the mood of that round! I'm rather ashamed to say, however, that my 2nd reaction was something along the lines of "Doggone it! Why'd it have to be on 'This guy's watch.'" My family sends thanks to the brave men in Seal Team Six who pulled the trigger - several times!
Jan '11
Re: So Where Were You When You Heard?
I got up this morning and went to my usual first source for my morning news NRO. I was pleased and elated. I would have found out last night but my 16 year old house guest and friend was face booking last night. When I told him he said oh yeah that was all over the place yesterday. He didn't think it was worth mentioning to me but he was only 6 in 2001.
Sep '10
Re: So Where Were You When You Heard?
I had just gotten off an airplane, having safely returned from an emotion-filled fortieth high school reunion. The thirtieth reunion had taken place a few weeks after 9/11, and that event underlay every thread of conversation. At this reunion, that memory was rarely commented on, yet many attendees were much more emotional about us reuniting. When I booted up my computer at around 11:30 p.m. and saw the news of this "developing story," I thought maybe it's not just time itself that has noticeably aged us in the interim but, also, the added weight of its passage.
Mar '11
Re: So Where Were You When You Heard?
I was scanning the 'net and not doing any of the stuff I should have been doing. Caught sight of an announcement on a website that the President was going on at 9:30 CDT. A little while later, another website reported it was concerning national security.
Oh great, I thought. We are going into Syria. We are not going into Syria. We've blown up Muammar. We are sending in boots-on-the-ground in Libya. The Norks have lost it and every artillery tube in range of Seoul has opened up. The Duchy of Grand Fenwick has declared war on us. The nuclear football has gone missing and Barry is appealing to anyone who was at the White House Correspondents' Dinner to call in if they remember where he might have left it.
OBL didn't occur to me until some of the places I scan started to report rumors. It still seems to good to be true. I was late getting into work today,