By Joe Walker
It’s funny how a childhood memory can remind of something from adulthood. My cousin Keith and I watched a lot of television together when we were younger. Seven years his senior, I babysat him some Friday nights so my aunt and uncle could enjoy a night on the town (and I could enjoy teen horror films on Cinemax). I’d spend the night at their house, and soon as Keith was sleeping I’d call my best friend, Shannon. With a backdrop of late night TV and conversations about school and the opposite sex, we’d laugh on the phone into the wee hours of the night.
Come early Saturday morning I’d be awake to watch cartoons with Keith. One of those was “Where On Earth Is Carmen Sandiego?” – a ‘toon based on PC game and Peabody Award-winning geography-themed game show, “Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego?”. On this a pair of brainy kids and their goofy mentor searched the globe for genius thief Sandiego in hopes of deterring her theft of renowned artifacts. Memory of Sandiego’s animated exploits popped in my head the other day (have no idea why), and it reminded me of something else I vividly remember.
It was an early Tuesday morning in September; driving home after dropping sons Tristan and Sam off to their babysitter, I turned on the radio to hear if my favorite jam was being slammed. It wasn’t. Something else was. The morning radio personality was shouting into the radio, “…and another plane just hit the second Trade Center tower!” What…? Moments later he announced a plane hit the Pentagon! I thought, “What is going on?” Terrified, I fumbled the steering wheel and my cell phone as I tried to call my wife (at the time my girlfriend), Nicki, at work. She already knew.
Once I got home I called Keith. He was fixed in front of his television in utter shock. I joined him. We didn’t say much while on the line either. We just watched, listened. Terrorist leader Osama Bin Laden was named responsible for this horrific scene. Often during the live broadcast news reporters would remind us Bin Laden’s actual whereabouts were unknown, though his base of operation was Afghanistan. Soon, my phone beeped signifying an in-coming call. It was Shannon. We never laughed. A former Marine, my best friend knew U.S. retaliation was inevitable… and both of his brothers were active in armed forces. Not funny.
Keith and I watched Carmen Sandiego commit numerous crimes, escaping to who-knows-where. Often the cartoon heroes assisted victims who never saw Carmen at all. Almost as though she didn’t exist, though they knew her to be very real. Before that Tuesday I’d never heard of Osama Bin Laden. He stole thousands of lives right from under our noses, and to this day remains elusive. Almost as though he doesn’t exist. But we all know he’s very real. And like Carmen Sandiego, no one knows where on Earth to find him.
New Resolution #45: Somebody…ANYBODY…. Find Osama Bin Laden!
