“Schools should be places of sanctuary and safety and learning. When that sanctuary is violated, the impact is felt in every American classroom and every American community. Today, our nation grieves with those who have lost loved ones at Virginia Tech.” These were the words our president used to describe the events that occurred on April 16th at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

In the aftermath of this shocking event the country was glued to their televisions, anxious to hear the latest on the Virginia Tech shooting and the shooter, himself. It took the school, as well as the country, completely by surprise, killing a total of 33 people including the gunman. It was the worst shooting since 1991 when, in Texas, a man drove his pick-up truck into a Luby’s Cafeteria and shot 24 people to death, including himself.

This disaster began at 7:15 in the morning, when in the West Ambler Johnson, a co-ed residence hall, the gunman killed a man and a woman. Then, about two and a half hours later, there was a 911 call reporting a second shooting at Norris Hall. The police had a great deal of difficulty getting into this hall, as the gunman had chained the front doors from the inside to prevent people from escaping. The officers were able to force their way in, to find 31dead bodies, including the gunman, who they were unable to identify, because of the severity of the self-inflicted wound to the head, and because he was wearing no form of identification.

The school had already been subject to a great deal of tension as there had been, prior to this incident, bomb threats on campus. Only in August had the classes on campus been canceled when an escaped jail inmate allegedly killed a hospital guard off campus and fled to the VT campus.

This sad event will now be a part of an already sad week, for the anniversary of the Columbine Shooting was only four days after this. Many people said that when they heard of this shooting, or saw it taking place, they immediately thought of Columbine. Little did they know how very much worse it would end up being.

In the aftermath of this horrible event, there was a great deal of finger-pointing, and speculation about why the gunman wasn’t stopped sooner, and how/why was he able to purchase a gun, and so forth. But no matter where blame was placed, nothing could lighten the sorrow felt by the families who would never be complete again. There was a large memorial service held, in order to honor and remember the bright young lives that disappeared in an instant. The country watched, and prayed, and thanked providence and God that they did not have to feel the pain that these families felt.

This country will never forget that fateful day, where so many bright, and kind lives, were lost, and so many young voices were silenced; and we pray that our future will not hold anything so bloody, and violent as this.