THE NEWTOWN TRIBUTE // DECEMBER 2012


  Today I covered the Newtown tribute. It is such a disastrous thing - when a life is taken. Twenty innocent children, with radiant smiles, beaming into their teachers’ eyes with anticipation. Six school personnel, skilled at what they do and willingly attending to every child. They expected nothing more than a normal day - turning off the alarm, maybe a shower, breakfast, a bus or car ride to Sandy Hook Elementary. 
  It’s frightening to think about. That any given day, we could wake up and something horrid could happen. A shooting, an attack. It’s just further proof that we should all live every day to the fullest, and never take anything for granted.
  26. Twenty-six lives were taken that morning, on December 14. It was the second-deadliest school shooting of all time. They will be remembered.
     Charlotte Bacon, 6 Years Old
     Daniel Barden, 7 Years Old
     Olivia Engel, 6 Years Old
     Josephine Gay, 7 Years Old
     Ana Marquez-Greene, 6 Years Old
     Dylan Hockley, 6 Years Old
     Madeleine Hsu, 6 Years Old
     Catherine Hubbard, 6 Years Old
     Chase Kowalski, 7 Years Old
     Jesse Lewis, 6 Years Old
     James Mattioli, 6 Years Old
     Grace McDonnell, 6 Years Old
     Emilie Parker, 6 Years Old
     Jack Pinto, 6 Years Old
     Noah Pozner, 6 Years Old
     Caroline Previdi, 6 Years 
     Jessica Rekos, 6 Years Old
     Avielle Richman, 6 Years Old
     Benjamen Wheeler, 6 Years Old
     Allison Wyatt, 6 Years Old
     Rachel Davino, 29 Years Old
     Anne Marie Murphy, 52 Years Old
     Lauren Rousseau, 30 Years Old
     Mary Sherlach, 56 Years Old
     Victoria Soto, 27 Years Old
     Dawn Hochsprung, 47 Years Old
  We will remember the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, but more importantly we will remember each individual victim - each beautiful smile, each one’s desire to learn or teach. They will be remembered.

Sincerely,
Anderson Cooper