Ten Years Ago...

I was awakened in the early morning hours by a frantic phone call from my parents. "Where are you?! Are you alright?! Have you seen the news?" Confused and bleary-eyed I stumbled to my TV and turned it on. My roommates and I gathered and watched in sorrow and disbelief as we learned of the tragedy of Bonfire '99. The stack had fallen and 12 lives were lost. That day is still etched in my memory and as I sit here typing this my emotions of that time are flooding back and tears are streaming down my face. My second home, the school I love, was so deeply wounded by the events that happened in the early morning hours of November 18, 1999. Wounded, scarred, and healed by togetherness. You see, we, as Aggies, are a family. No matter what we look out for each other. That day, we came together again. We cried together, prayed together, worked together, and will always remember together, our brothers and sisters that died that day. I will never forget how I felt when I learned of the collapse. I will never forget how Reed Arena looked with thousands of candles glowing within. I will never forget how much I cried on the night Bonfire '99 would've burned. I will never forget how bittersweet the victory over the Longhorns was just days later. I will never forget how moved I was when I visited the Bonfire Memorial. I will never forget the day I discovered what it truly, truly means to be an Aggie. God bless those lives affected by the collapse of Bonfire '99. I will never forget. Ever.