When John Kennedy was shot I was sitting the barracks at Ft. Riley, Kansas, taking a break from "clearing post" prior to going home. The next day I marched, arms reversed and at slow march, in a parade at which we were officially notified of the murder of the Commander-In-Chief.

When ML King was shot I was in college -- within 24 hours I was in the National Guard Armory, activated by the State of Illinois for possible riot duty.

When Robert Kennedy was shot I was on Federal active duty at Ft. Carson, Colorado; the National Guard unit had been activated by LBJ and readying for deployment to Vietnam.

When the Challenger exploded I was at work in Elkhart, Indiana.

When the Columbia exploded was in in Kentucky, AIMing with a young lady (11 at the time) whose father worked (and works) for NASA. I broke the news to her.

On September 11, 2001 I was working across the Ohio river from Cincinnati.

I learned of the outbreak of the Korean War while riding in a car with my father and mother. I asked my father if he would have to go to this war like he had gone to the other one (WW2). He said no; a month later he was dead in a construction accident. I was five at the time.