Mike Levin: “one week from today, we will memorialize the worst school shooting tragedy in our nation's history. The very mention of…”

“one week from today, we will memorialize the worst school shooting tragedy in our nation's history. The very mention of Columbine High School strikes a nerve with the American public. It reminds us of a horrendous scene of children, screaming and running from their assailants, while SWAT-teams descended on to their otherwise calm neighborhood. On April 20, this year the nation will remember, but for the students of Columbine, those few hours of April 20, 1999 are replayed over and over again every day in their minds. The survivors of Columbine revisit the massacre daily. They are reminded of that day by the fragments of ammunition in their bodies, or the scars cut deep in to their skin. When they see trenchcoats, they shudder, when they hear or smell fireworks, they get flashbacks. At such young ages, they have endured unimaginable physical and emotional pain. They have been poked and prodded by nurses, physicians, surgeons, physical, occupational and recreational therapists, and clinical psychologists. Some of them have found peace, others are still angry and frightened. A few can not tell their stories but many can tell them over and over again. For Columbine-survivor Valeen Schnurr, "The nights are always the worst." Valeen is in college now, but Columbine is still very much with her. She writes, "Inevitably, I find my thoughts drifting into nightmares, terrifying images of the library at Columbine High School on April 20, 1999.…”