9/13/01
Everyone remembers 9/11/01. . . . . . .
But, we also recall the night-after-next night, quite vividly.
Living in North Brownsville, the "Tip of South Texas", 3/4 surrounded by Mexico; about midnight on September 13, we got a chilling phone call: "Hello, this is the Rancho Viejo, Texas, Police Department. "They" just blew up our bridge. We don't know what to expect. Get up and arm yourselves. This may be the start of an attack!"
Lights went on all over. Neighbors with deer rifles and shotguns met under streetlamps.
Phone calls went unanswered.
Cell calls went out to other cities and states. No “news”.
Then, about 1:15 AM on 9/13, we got other calls: "This is the Police Department; we have determined that the bridge was knocked down by accident. About 15 people are missing in the accident. A few bodies have been found. By the way, it was the Port Isabel - South Padre Island Bridge, not one of our International Bridges."
Although this was a terrible tragedy in which nine citizens were killed by an errant barge-tow tugboat; we were in no immediate danger.
Stood-down, back to try to sleep the remainder of our night.
But, still unforgettable because of the times in which it happened !
"NEVER FORGET!"
Never Forget Pearl Harbor, "9/11", or any attack on our civilization and Nation ! Never completely relax your guard. "Eternal vigilance is the price of continued LIBERTY !"
Rick
Post-Script: Realizing our vulnerability, and the inability of our Police & Sheriff to protect us; many of us bought military-style rifles and loaded-upon on ammo. I bought a nice 5.56 Bushmaster AR carbine from Chuck at "Chuck's Guns". Never even fired it. When our "Marine" came by to check on Mom, my carbine left with him, still un-fired. He says he uses it in his police work in Lafayette, LA. BTW, were we really under attack, “gathering under streetlights” would have been really, really DUMB !
Everyone remembers 9/11/01. . . . . . .
But, we also recall the night-after-next night, quite vividly.
Living in North Brownsville, the "Tip of South Texas", 3/4 surrounded by Mexico; about midnight on September 13, we got a chilling phone call: "Hello, this is the Rancho Viejo, Texas, Police Department. "They" just blew up our bridge. We don't know what to expect. Get up and arm yourselves. This may be the start of an attack!"
Lights went on all over. Neighbors with deer rifles and shotguns met under streetlamps.
Phone calls went unanswered.
Cell calls went out to other cities and states. No “news”.
Then, about 1:15 AM on 9/13, we got other calls: "This is the Police Department; we have determined that the bridge was knocked down by accident. About 15 people are missing in the accident. A few bodies have been found. By the way, it was the Port Isabel - South Padre Island Bridge, not one of our International Bridges."
Although this was a terrible tragedy in which nine citizens were killed by an errant barge-tow tugboat; we were in no immediate danger.
Stood-down, back to try to sleep the remainder of our night.
But, still unforgettable because of the times in which it happened !
"NEVER FORGET!"
Never Forget Pearl Harbor, "9/11", or any attack on our civilization and Nation ! Never completely relax your guard. "Eternal vigilance is the price of continued LIBERTY !"
Rick
Post-Script: Realizing our vulnerability, and the inability of our Police & Sheriff to protect us; many of us bought military-style rifles and loaded-upon on ammo. I bought a nice 5.56 Bushmaster AR carbine from Chuck at "Chuck's Guns". Never even fired it. When our "Marine" came by to check on Mom, my carbine left with him, still un-fired. He says he uses it in his police work in Lafayette, LA. BTW, were we really under attack, “gathering under streetlights” would have been really, really DUMB !
