My Generation
People throughout the world experience catastrophes, and contentment throughout their lives. Some incidences may impact just their lives, or even the world. People experience occurrences in their generation where only they could have an emotional connection. Ancestors, grandparents, and our parents have experienced situations in their lives, which we could only take a glimpse of.
We see the photos, we hear the stories but we don't feel the emotions, which they experience during that time. In my generation there have been events in my life that I classify devastating and memorable. In the following paragraphs I will present the aspects of my generation of how incidences may impact our lives and the lives all across the world.
In 1981 the year of my birth, Pope John Paul II and President Reagan, are both shot in assassination attempts.
He was the first non-Italian pope in 450 years and the first Polish pope. John Paul traveled widely early in his reign, e.g., to Poland and the U.S.
in 1979. Following a trip to E Asia (1981), he was shot at the Vatican on May 13, 1981, by a Turkish terrorist (Zpub). The assassination attempts on John Paul II and President Reagan have lifted a dilemma and gun control. Gun control is government limitation of the purchase and ownership of firearms. The availability of guns is controlled by nations throughout the world.
In the U.S. the right of the people to keep arms is guaranteed by the Constitution but has been variously interpreted (Zpub). Some states have strict licensing and other control measures, and federal legislation prohibited the sale of rifles by mail. After years of controversy, the growing number of gun-related crimes pushed congressional passage of the Brady bill. Named for press secretary James Brady who was seriously wounded in the 1981 assassination attempt on President Reagan.
The 1994 Federal Crime Bill banned the manufacture, sale, and possession of certain assault weapons.
In 1984 a Rock n Roll Group Queen release their album Queens Greatest Hits Volume I.Without a doubt the album goes Platinum, with hits like Bohemian Rhapsody, Another Bites The Dust, We Are The Champions and We Will Rock You. My favorite song from the album is We Will Rock You.
I really enjoy the song because it has personal significance and not only that, but it has a nice beat to it. The song has become an anthem in American sports, its heard in almost every closing game.
In 1987 I must be the number one G.I.
Joe fan in the world. I couldnt stop playing with the action figures. I would never miss a cartoon episode on TV; it was my favorite cartoon show. G.I Joe was about an army that would fight a group of bad guys that were called Cobra. It was the typical children show, Good vs.
Evil. G.I. Joe is a highly secret, special mission force formed to fight the evils of the Cobra Organization. Formed by General Tomahawk and led by Duke, the G.
I. Joe Team recruits only the best of the best form all divisions of the U.S. Military.
Naval Seals, army rangers, delta force (WPIX). Green Berets- while all of these soldiers want to one day become members of the G.I. Joe team, only those who pass the grueling physical, mental, and ethical tests will be selected to join the team.
Intending on taking over the world, Cobra has a secret network of soldiers and spies with bases around the world. Led by Cobra Commander, who has a long-standing grudge against the G.I. Joe team. The Cobra organization will not stop until they taken over the free will and finances of the leading countries (WPIX). The G.
I. Joe team is committed to the cause of freedom for all people and will stop at nothing to make sure that the plans of Cobra are defeated.
In 1991 the Persian Gulf War broke out, Jan.-Feb armed conflict resulting from Iraq's invasion of Kuwait. In August 1990 Iraq invaded and annexed Kuwait, which it had long claimed. The UN Security Council called for Iraq to withdraw and subsequently embargoed most trade with Iraq.
On Jan. 17, 1991, a U.S.-led coalition that included Britain, Egypt, France, Saudi Arabia, and other nations began a massive air war to destroy Iraq's forces and military and civil infrastructure (Atkinson). Iraq called for terrorist attacks against the coalition and launched missiles at Israel and at Saudi Arabia. The main coalition forces invaded Kuwait and southern Iraq on Feb.
24 and, over the next four days, encircled and defeated the Iraqis and liberated Kuwait (Atkinson). Kuwait and Iraq suffered enormous property damage. Iraq agreed to coalition peace terms but subsequently sought to frustrate the carrying out of the terms, particularly UN weapons inspections.On February 26, 1993 while celebrating my birthday I hear the news of a terrorist attack in the New Trade Center. A nitro urea bomb, in excess of 1,000 pounds, with hydrogen cylinders to add impact, was ignited in the yellow Ryder Econoline van on the B-2 level of the parking garage, causing massive destruction that spanned seven levels, six below grade (Reeve). The terrorist attack killed six people and injured 1,042.
For approximately two months prior to the bombing the plotters gathered materials needed for the terrorist act. They resided in New Jersey and apparently rented storage space that was used as a staging area for the bomb and later loading of it into a Ryder rental van (Reeve). Ten people were convicted in the bombing in 1995, and the bombing's mastermind, Ramzi Yousef, was tried and convicted in 1998. This event is definitely classified as devastating in life.It was April 19, 1995 on my sisters 4th birthday the bombing of the Murrah Federal building in Oklahoma City kills 168 people, leading to nationwide mourning (CNN).
An FBI investigation leads quickly to the arrest of Army-veteran Timothy McVeigh. It is the worst terrorist attack ever on U.S. soil until. A massive bomb inside a rental truck exploded, blowing half of the nine-story building into bits. A stunned nation watched as the bodies of men, women, and children were pulled from the rubble for nearly two weeks.
Convicted Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh is executed by lethal injection on June 11 (CNN). Convicted of murder, conspiracy, and explosives charges in the bombing of the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City.
In 1998 Steven Spielberg's Schindler's List, a movie about the Holocaust, is released to critical acclaim. The film will win the Oscar for Best Picture of 1993. Spielberg, Steven, 1946-, American film director; b. Cincinnati.
His technically polished films include Jaws (1975), Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), E.T. (1982), The Color Purple (1985), Jurassic Park (1993), Schindler's List (1993; Academy Award), Amistad (1997), and Saving Private Ryan (1998; Academy Award) (Universal). Holocaust is the name given to the period (1933-1945) of persecution and extermination by Nazi Germany of European Jews and other groups. After Adolf Hitler's rise to power in 1933, most Jews who did not flee Germany were sent to concentration camps.
With the outbreak of World War II, Hitler began to implement his final solution of the Jewish question: the extermination of Jews in all countries conquered by his armies. By the end of the war, 6 million Jews had been thoroughly murdered, and a creative religious and worldly community destroyed. Gypsies, homosexuals, Jehovah's Witnesses, the disabled, and others were also victims of the Holocaust (Universal).
During the morning rush hour of Tuesday, September 11, two terrorists hijacked 757 airliners and slammed into the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, creating an explosion and fire that leads to the collapse of both towers. Moments later, a third airliner crashed into the Pentagon building in Washington, D.
C., and another crash-landed near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in what was revealed to be a coordinated terrorist attack on the United States (Rees). Osama bin Laden, leader of the Afghanistan-based international terrorist network al Qaeda, is held responsible for the attacks. Nearly 3,000 people, including the passengers and crew of the airliners and several hundred emergency personnel responding to the initial fires, lost their lives (Rees).
In the aftermath of the worst terrorist attack in history, President George W. Bush announced a war on terrorism, and many nations pledged their support. As I look back on 9-11, I will never forget what happen. No action of such kind can have any good validation for.
Terrorist acts occur throughout the world, since the beginning of time.
Humans battle for land, goods and freedom. Massive destruction has occurred during my generation, where war has played a major role in this country. War is a time of fear, loss, and devastation. Yet war could also help bring prosperity, unity and pride in their countries. Throughout my life, I have experienced horrific events from the Pope assassination attempt, Gulf War, Oklahoma Bombing, and both World Trade Bombings. Although 9-11 was one of the most tragic events, which has touched our lives and everyone elses in the world, it also taught us to unite and work was a whole country to fight in what we believe.
Musicians create songs to help us through these horrific times like Queen and Elton John. And Steven Spielberg creates movies to help better understand the concept and tragedies of war. This is just a glimpse of what my world/generation was like from 1981-2002.Works Cited
Atkinson, Rick.Crusade.
New York: Princeton Press, 1997.Schindlers List. Dir. Steven Spielberg. Perf. Ben Kingsley, Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes.
Videocassette. Universal, 1993.No Author. Online source http://www.cnn.
com/US/OKC/bombing.html
Reeve, Simon.The New Jackals.Boston: Northeastern University Press, 1999
Rees Mat. World Trade Center TragedyTime Sept. 2001 35-37
No Author.
Online source http://www.zpub.com/un/pope/
G.I.
Joe An America Hero: WPIX 11. New York. 1988
