[meteorite-list] Shuttle Debris Site (repost)

From: CMcdon0923_at_aol.com <CMcdon0923_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 10:18:24 2004
Message-ID: <6E11741F.57942854.0A2C07BE_at_aol.com>

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I apologize if this is a duplicate posting to some/all of you, but personally I never received it after originally sending it about 8:15 CST last night, so here it is again.

Since sending the original email last night, I uploaded a few images at (long URL, watch the word wrap):
 
http://hyperphoto.photoloft.com/view/allalbums.asp?s=cano&u=1755698


Original email:

My wife and I just got home about three hours ago from a Caribbean cruise out
of Galveston, Texas. We heard of the tragedy while sailing back towards
Texas, from Cozumel, Mexico.

On the drive back towards Dallas, we passed through the town of Rice, Texas.
Unaware that debris had been located there, as we drove we saw lots of
flashing lights off to the side of the road, and assumed it was a traffic
accident. But as we got closer, we saw the military helicopter sitting off
to the side and realized it was a debris recovery site. We turned around and
parked in the school's lot along with about 50 other people and watched as
both uniformed and civilian officials inspected "something" on the ground.
One of the people standing there said that it appeared to be a piece of tile,
approximately 6x8 inches square. It had been found on Saturday.

We could not actually see the tile from where we were...they were keeping us
about 100 feet back from the spot. But after about 20 minutes, they loaded
the debris into a metal case and loaded it onto the chopper. Once they had
taken off, the police allowed us to come down to the actual spot where it had
been. What we saw was a circle of small American flags stuck into the
ground, one of which was at half-mast. We were told they had been put there
by the military. There was also a small stick with a verse from the Bible
printed on it. The whole scene was very surreal. Nobody talked above a
whisper, if at all.

I have some digital images which I haven't downloaded yet, so perhaps I'll
post a few tomorrow.

Sincerely,

Craig McDonald
Frisco, Texas

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From: CMcdon0923_at_aol.com
Full-name: CMcdon0923
Message-ID: <1d9.173e866.2b6f1c29_at_aol.com>
Date: Sun, 2 Feb 2003 20:13:13 EST
Subject: Re: Body Remains Found In Hemphill, Texas (Ron Baalke)
To: meteorite-list_at_meteoritecentral.com
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My wife and I just got home about three hours ago from a Caribbean cruise out
of Galveston, Texas. We heard of the tragedy while sailing back towards
Texas, from Cozumel, Mexico.

On the drive back towards Dallas, we passed through the town of Rice, Texas.
Unaware that debris had been located there, as we drove we saw lots of
flashing lights off to the side of the road, and assumed it was a traffic
accident. But as we got closer, we saw the military helicopter sitting off
to the side and realized it was a debris recovery site. We turned around and
parked in the school's lot along with about 50 other people and watched as
both uniformed and civilian officials inspected "something" on the ground.
One of the people standing there said that it appeared to be a piece of tile,
approximately 6x8 inches square. It had been found on Saturday.

We could not actually see the tile from where we were...they were keeping us
about 100 feet back from the spot. But after about 20 minutes, they loaded
the debris into a metal case and loaded it onto the chopper. Once they had
taken off, the police allowed us to come down to the actual spot where it had
been. What we saw was a circle of small American flags stuck into the
ground, one of which was at half-mast. We were told they had been put there
by the military. There was also a small stick with a verse from the Bible
printed on it. The whole scene was very surreal. Nobody talked above a
whisper, if at all.

I have some digital images which I haven't downloaded yet, so perhaps I'll
post a few tomorrow.

Sincerely,

Craig McDonald
Frisco, Texas

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Received on Mon 03 Feb 2003 06:19:43 PM PST