Columbine

April 20, 1999. I don't think I'm acquainted with many people who don't recognize the significance of that date. Two boys - yes boys - carefully planned and executed the maiming and murder of dozens of their peers within the supposed safe confines of Columbine High School.

The media monster ran uncensored and unchecked for weeks. Vastly differing accounts by survivors, largely tainted by the media's power of suggestion, created a burgeoning lie which left the tragedy of Columbine shrouded in supposition, misinterpretation and grief-stricken denial.

Columbine by Dave Cullen is a thoughtful and earnest account of the incident, the boys-turned-murderers; and lots of background information on the school, staff, community, the investigation, aftermath, etc. It is very thorough.

The reviews on Amazon.com are conflicting, but I can't be sure that there aren't motives behind them. For example, the top-rated negative review was written by the father of Brooks Brown - the ex-friend of Eric and Dylan - whose parents reported that Eric Harris had threatened their son's life on numerous occasions. While likely the fault of the local police department (many accusations were made against the department and law suits followed) there were no official police reports filed detailing any threat made by Eric Harris.

In a nutshell, the aforementioned failure to record instances of Eric's increasingly violent behavior seems to be among the biggest disappointments in the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department.

Perhaps one of the most disturbing accounts of the massacre was that of Dave Sanders, a twenty-five-year veteran teacher and coach at Columbine High. He undoubtedly saved hundreds of students' lives that day - literally sacrificing himself for their safety.

Sanders was shot through the back - the bullet tore through his rib cage and exited through his chest. The second bullet entered through his neck and exited through his mouth, shattering several teeth on the way out. The wounds sliced a carotid artery and his subclavian vein - both major blood carriers.

Sanders' life should not have been lost. Despite continuous promises that "help is on the way - no more than 10 minutes," Sanders was left with two dedicated Eagle Scouts, who despite their best efforts could not prevent Sanders from bleeding to death. It took more than three hours for him to bleed out.

I feel the utmost grief and profound respect for those two boys who did all they could to save Sanders' life. Aaron Hancey and Kevin Starkey are true heroes. While they may not have saved Sanders' life, they never faltered in their resolve to keep him alive. Their courage was phenomenal. We should all hope that more sixteen-year-olds turn out just as brave and selfless as those two young men.

I can't say that I did not read the book with a healthy curiosity for why Eric and Dylan decided to carry out mass murder, but I found myself quite moved by the stories of the survivors. How Patrick Ireland found forgiveness before he could even think about walking again; the heart-breaking recollection of Dylan's private funeral and his parents' fears of how to lay their son to rest; how Brian Rohrbough proclaimed, with dignity, that the accounts of his son's supposed heroic efforts before his death were false.

My heart ached the entire time I read the book. Every news report I watched in 1999 played back in my head. I cannot imagine the pain of those close to the incident.

I wish them peace.