Tragic A Day Bodies and dreams fell to the earth as chaos and confusion rose in the courtyards under the clock tower at the University of Texas in Austin. It was the first day of August 1966; a hot, dry summer day fractured by gun shots, which rang out across the sleepy college campus. An assassin named Charles Whitman began his rampage with his arsenal of rifles, shotguns, and pistols, thus ending the lives and aspirations of a dozen innocent college students. This gut-wrenching, historical, landmark event was the very first televised killing spree. Since the end of WWII, a naive feeling of security and well-being had blanketed the country. Mass killings did not exist here. But now on this hot summer day in the heartland of the good ole USA, our youth had been slaughtered. The pain hit close to home for all college students and the families of those attending universities all across America and throughout the world. The media coverage of the gruesome carnage in real time served as a wake-up call for this sleeping nation to spring into action, and to begin making plans to ensure no massacre like this could ever happen again. Vietnam veteran, Charles Whitman, had retired from military service, but retained possession of similar weapons issued to him during his military career. After a violent confrontation with his wife and his mother the night before, he slaughtered both of them, and then with ammunition and firearms in hand, climbed the staircase to the top of the tower at the University of Texas. There he waited until the sun broke the new day, and the unsuspecting students were walking from class to class. After the first shot rang out, it would be eighty minutes until the firing stopped. This being the state of Texas, a firearms friendly state, many students and teachers ran to their vehicles or offices to grab
their own weapons and return fire. Whitman killed twelve students and injured many more, but this catastrophe came to an abrupt end when Officer Romero Martinez climbed the tower stairs and emptied all six cartridges from his service revolver into Charles Whitman's chest. In the 1960's, uncommon tragedies like this shooting crushed the social calm. The U.T. Tower shootings were just on the heels of the JFK assassination; an event that left the country gutted and reeling in disbelief. Suddenly, that ugly feeling was resurrected again. Not only did this feeling of sadness ring through loved ones and close friends, but also through the entire nation. A feeling of discontent enveloped the country. Little did our leaders realize they had left the promise for the future and our collegiate youth like vulnerable livestock for the slaughter. A great weak-spot in our great nation had been revealed: we had left our innocent in harm's way. University security in 1966 paled in comparison to the levels of today; much due to the low crime rate and the nave feelings of universal security. But, as the rate of crime increased, university security and municipal security measures have improved to such an extent they have almost become an expected, ever-present entity. Here at Texas A&M University, as well as many other large colleges, safety methods for the protection of students are very advanced. There are police officers all across the campus, emergency telephones, and a new technological service allowing for emergency textmessaging and emails to students informing them within seconds of any threats or potential hazards and the plan for immediate evacuation or shelter-seeking procedures. Total "lock-down" strategy and evacuation exercises are becoming routine strategy. Since this unfortunate, landmark day in Austin in 1966, the nation's wounds have been
healed with ever-increasing levels of security. With media presence all over this mass killing, America became widely aware of feelings of security or insecurity in public places. From this day forward, safety measures have only been increasing in an attempt to foil the occurrence of any act as hideous as this from happening in the future. Killing twelve and injuring thirty-three, Charles Whitman introduced this country to "the idea of mass murder in a public space" (Pamela Colloff of Texas Monthly). Following Whitman's spree came events such as the Charles Manson murders in 1967, the Luby's Cafeteria shootings in Killeen, Texas, and in more recent time the Columbine High School massacre of 1999, the "9/11" national tragedy, and very recently, the Virginia Tech shootings earlier this year. Mass incidents such as these were unthinkable and unheard of before this lone, deranged, single sniper took to the stairs in the Texas University tower. With his cowardly and inconceivable acts he tore an average day into tragic shreds, and left the weeping on their knees. Since that hot, dusty day under the Texas sun in August 1966, there have been more episodes reflecting similar actions of Charles Whitman, and the world has been slowly learning how to try to prevent them. Hopefully, with time, technological advances, and our own awareness that any revolting deed is possible, the crushing sadness experienced by the families, teachers, classmates, and friends of those unfortunate, slain twelve will never again be revisited.