As the horror of Virginia Tech unfolds, I fear it is going to get worse.  No doubt, there will be a lot of "what-if" analyses, looking at how things might have been done differently, but that is not the point of this off-the-VA-HIST-beaten-track note.

I share this brief part of my life with you, because my experience underscores the fact that YOU personally must take responsibility for your survival in a crisis.  I was in the IBM building in Bethesda in 1982 with a gunman drove through the glass door, hopped out and began shooting.  Some of the victims never had a chance, but as he wandered through the building shooting at anything which moved, most of us had anywhere from 10 minutes to half an hour to find out what was going on and then do something.  The key to survival was DO SOMETHING for yourself and for other people.  i.e. Don't wait for somebody else to save you all.  If you do, it is going to be too late.  I wrote up my experience for the benefit of our grandchildern to let them know that (1) it is OK to be scared in a life-threatening situation and (2) DO SOMETHING to help yourself and your fellow workers address the problem.

My story is obviously not germane to the misison of VA-HIST; hence, I'll not clutter up the net with an attachment.  But if anybody would like a copy of the little monograph, I'll be glad to send it to you.

Randy Cabell