Everyone,

I sent this to a friend of mine in Texas and with his permission I am sending you his response...

 will NEVER, ever forget that day on a cold windswept hill in Texas. It was
our second day of training extras for the movie "The Alamo".   As I stepped
out of the west facing tent in that early dawn I saw the twinkle in the
dawn-distant sky.  I made notice and told several of the other guys standing
around and we all watched as the plasma ball got bigger and the glow
intensify.  Then we saw the first piece sort of just drift brightly out of
the fireball, twinkling downward until it disappeared and all I could say
was "Uh-oh!".  As it traversed the sky and was directly in front of us, a
very large piece broke away and there was a chorus of "Oh my GOD!" and other
expletives.  More pieces began shredding off as it passed by to our right.
I felt my knees weaken and heart ache because I knew at that speed and
altitude there could be no survivors.  A short time later, the director and
the assistant director came by and told us that it was the Columbia.  Being
from Houston, I grew up with the NASA and the space program.  I still have
vivid memories of the Apollo fire and then the first shuttle explosion.  But
seeing this one, the way I did seemed so much closer.  For some reason, the
loss felt incredibly personal.  Brave people, all of them.

God rest their souls

Amy Conant

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