Thank you for that incredibly insightful report about Northern Ireland recent murders of three policemen. You not only explained, you shared experiences.

That you had a quality presence on WTVH I have long known, only during recent days have I come to realize you are an outstanding writer.

Thank you for sharing this site.

WSE

I went to Londonderry (Derry) in Northern Ireland the week before 9/11 2001 to supervise the installation of an million dollar machine in the Seagate factory where they make computer hard drives. After the job was complete I took a little free time to play tourist and visit some castles and the Giant’s Causeway and to soak up some of that gorgeous green country.

A local cabbie was driving me around Derry and giving me the play by play of local history peppered with a lot of negative statements about the British soldiers that were on patrol everywhere. They paint the sidewalks red, white and blue in the protestant neighborhoods, and green, white and orange in the catholic areas of the city.

As we were traveling slowly through downtown next to the old walled city in a red, white and blue area, a very LOUD THUNK on the car. I asked Kenny, “Did that guy hit your car with his fist?” – Noo it was a ROCK!” said he. So at the next intersection he made a right hand turn behind some large brick buildings, stopped and got out to see the damage.

Well I had a small video camera that I had been filming with so naturally I got out to take a look too. Kenny panicked just then as the two thugs came barreling around the corner pegging bricks and rocks at us. He shouted, “Get in the car, get in the car!” So I swung the camera at the two goons and they pulled their tee shirts up over their noses but they kept coming.

I started to turn to get in the passenger door, too late. “Thunk.” a large brick skimmed across the roof of the car and smacked me right square on the top of my head splitting my scalp way open. Blood filling my eyes I missed my footing and hit the door cowling with my left eye.

Kenny is now screaming, “They’ll kill us, they’ll kill us!” we were in a little traffic jam and they were almost at the car so he drove up on the sidewalk, then down a short one-way street the wrong way and a block or two later it was all over. Kenny was VERY apologetic. “Oh I shouldna nevr taken ye up therr…”

My heart was still in my mouth and racing like crazy. “What the Hell happened?” Kenny’s reply was something like, “Oh the bastids…”

Well it was in the newspaper the next day about the Yank getting attacked in downtown Derry in broad daylight. How was I to know that the Derry Taxi company was owned by former members of the IRA? They were after Kenny, not me.

The next night no matter what pub I went in, I couldn’t buy my own drink, regardless of any religious affiliation. “Therr’s the yank was attacked…”

So I came home with a huge bloody scab, a black eye, several stitches and a great story that I soon forgot all about in a couple of days on 9/11. But that is another story.

Dick Hillenbrand