The Derry Pennsylvania Incident - The Town Has PTSD?

[countrylove54]

I feel like you don't know this town at all. We all get along or know each other. Maybe you feel left out since you're not from originally from Derry. The incident was a "freak" accident. It happens all the time its called life! Stuff like this happen all the time all over the world. so why pin point Derry. The incident was 36 years ago people move on with their lives. I was born and raised in Derry and live there for 20 years and i never heard of the incident till probably a few years ago after i moved out of Derry to go to school. I actually believe i heard it from someone who wasnt even from the area. I had the best life growing up in Derry, a bunch of friends, good family and neighbors and their was definitely no drugs that i seen. But in every town there is problems with drugs nowadays its not just derry. And i had a very good education. So before you put down a town, you hardly know please remember you didn't grow up in derry and you know nothing about derry.

 

[Lady of Longbourn]

The incident was 36 years ago people move on with their lives.

There are thousands of people living there. How do you everyone moved on?

Do you have PTSD or know what PTSD is?

 

[CC13]

Very sad to have read this. This has nothing to do with a small town having issues regarding what happened, it is all about a small town that was very close at one time and lost alot of family and friends on what was to be a joyous day. Unless you were there to experience it, you just would not understand, and to us family members that lost loved ones, it is very hard to speak about it to this day and still hurts to read other peoples assumptions about what happened. And for the ones that say they were close friends, you did not even spell her name right! So like I said people that were affected by it do not and will not talk about it. With the wonderful world wide web, research all you would like, but out of respect to the families, don't post stuff and expect someone to answer you!

~~ WELL SAID!

I was born & raised in Derry. Was at the "incident" and have family & friends that were injured and some that were some of the 1st to respond as firemen & paramedics. It was horrific, there aren't words.. Many wonderful people were killed & maimed. It was awful. The way you describe the "incident" is bits & pieces, you can find many articles on it, as well as a list of those who did not survive. There were about 500 people there, not the 800 stated and far less than "half the town". As far as "Sorry to Read it"'s comment Parece is the correct spelling and her and her best friend, Tammy, were my babysitters. Both were killed. Anyone who needed to talk about what happened had plenty of people to talk to and, with a small close-knit town like Derry, everyone looked out for everyone else. You become "so & so's daughter", etc. Unfortunately, most of the people that lived in Derry at that time are either deceased, moved out & on to another place or still live there and have watched their beloved town being taken over by "outsiders" who brought in a lot of unwanted personalities as many left & rented out their homes. Drug use has intensified all over the US, Derry is tiny so you will sure notice it and with the declining economy there....not much is done to get rid of the problem.

As far as PTSD being the "problem" with Derry....absurd. The people who have been there the entire time have watched a wonderful, amazing, great town to raise a family crumble due to plant closings, the economy, lack of jobs, it's like going back in time visiting my family who is still there. Visit many of the surrounding towns, Brenizer, Bradenville, etc. you'll see the same thing.

It is BEYOND offensive to state an "entire town" is "screwed up" and offer your confused, uninformed diagnosis for why? If you don't like Derry, leave. FYI, the Catholic Church did not want the memorial on site. The Smith & Barchesky families donated church bells (to another church) in honor of Parece & Tammy.

 

[Denise Sherbaugh]

I was raised in Derry and was there when that happened.

Derry people are the greatest most loving people I know. Most of us are related somehow or knew each other from birth. Yes what happened in 1978 was horrendous, however your assumption that we are messed up people over it, is ridiculous. Kinda ignorant too that you talk about PTSD as an excuse why we dont trust many outsiders. People just dont move into Derry, we are all hard working citizens who come from long lines of hard workers. you have a great point about the heroin issue, I personally have addressed the school last year when i was homeschooling my godson about that same issue but you have the same issue every place else too.

We don't need to talk about that incident, it was close and personal, maybe we are all blessed we also weren't one of the ones that perished that day. Derry used to be coal miners and farmers for the most part and have strong family values, friendships and work ethics. Those of us who knew each other in school still are good friends today with each other. We are strong people, and sadly I see that gets mistaken by some and I can understand that but don't agree with you on your opinion. Sure we have our share of bad apples, what small town doesn't?

However, I think a lot of people visiting your page will also agree, that everybody I knew growing up would give their last dollar to help their neighbor and even the shirt off their backs. I left Derry when I was 15 and at 38 I moved back to the area after the Army and raising my kids.

This is where I call home. I haven't even thought of that day in so many years until I read page, and then to top it off saying we all are affected with PTSD, which coincidentally I do have but not from that. Having that doesn't make me a bad person either, so maybe I just don't understand your assumption or curiosity.

Good luck with your venture, and hopefully you can start to see that most of Derry is hard working good people, outsiders keep moving in there, maybe you should start criticizing them. Derry used to be close knit, and still is. Its called living in a small town.

 

[Kitkat123]

You didn't need to go quite so far to find info. The fire station right in Derry has a museum of old fire equipment and includes the original articles from the local papers on display on the wall.

 

[countrylove54]

There are thousands of people living there. How do you everyone moved on?

Do you have PTSD or know what PTSD is?

No I don't. But psychology is my major. Um yes I do thank you for quizzing my intelligent. Its idiotic to even think a whole town has post traumatic stress disorder.

 

[Lady of Longbourn]

I am quizzing your reasoning and logic not your intelligence. I have no idea about your intelligence.

I don't think they all have PTSD but you did say this:

The incident was 36 years ago people move on with their lives.

And so giving a blanket statement that everyone moved on which was my question/concern...You don't know that everyone has moved on. It being 36 years ago is irrelevant, it could have triggered something in a Vietnam vet or maybe someone who had been in a car accident for example.

If you don't have PTSD or supporting someone with it, then why are you here?

 

[Nicolette]

If you don't have PTSD or supporting someone with it, then why are you here?

Very good question!

 

[Deleted member 1860]

Back to the Original Poster, who is long gone.

Small towns are very insular. Small town people can be different. It's hard to see this as a kid. I grew up in a small town and loved it...but, it wasn't until I grew up that I was able to see how different these people thought than others. I mean my family could see it because they moved there shortly after I was born, but as a kid, it was all I knew. The people there were not worldly, could not/would not think beyond the scope of the small town world they had created, and unless you'd lived there for many generations, you were an outsider.

I had a friend who's situation was very much the same, except he grew up in a Midwest town and I in an east coast town. We'd joke about it and others who had grown up in a city or suburbs would tell us that places like that don't exist, or that people aren't like that. Yes, we grew up in it so we knew it to be true. My point is that unless you grow up with multi-generational small town mentality, chances are you'll never fully understand it, or be fully accepted as a member of the community. (Outsiders can't be trusted is very much their belief.)

 

[nameless again]

@Sorry to read this, How do you know they won't talk about it? You sound like you might...

They don't like to talk about it. I know, I am a victim and those who were living there at the time have a hard time speaking about it without crying. That's a fact. No words in their mouths, just painful memories.

 

[Gary613629Pa]

I have a friend that was born and grew up in Derry. At work one day the subject of the helicopter crash came up. I believe that he is the one that mentioned it. Now he has just turned 50 and he's lived there all of his life. He lives just up the from the parking lot from where it happened and says that every time he travels past there he gets a sick feeling and he remembers that day. He even told me that they actually left up the old fence that went around the parking lot for the longest time and one of the upper cross arms were bent from where the helicopter hit. Yes, these people haven't forgotten that day. I always wanted to do an Paranormal Investigation there but I don't think that would go over well in that little town.

 

[Ghostybear73]

Welcome to the forum!!!