The Columbine High School massacre was a school shooting and attempted bombing that occurred on April 20, 1999, at Columbine High School in Columbine, Colorado, United States. The perpetrators, twelfth grade (senior) students Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, murdered 12 students and one teacher. Ten students were killed in the school library, where the pair subsequently committed suicide. Twenty-one additional people were injured by gunshots, and gunfire was also exchanged with the police. Another three people were injured trying to escape. At the time, it was the deadliest high school shooting in U.S. history. The crime has inspired several copycats, including many deadlier shootings across the world, and "Columbine" has become a byword for school shootings.
Jefferson County, is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2010 census, the population was 534,543, making it the fourth-most populous county in Colorado. The county seat is Golden, and the most populous city is Lakewood.
Columbine is an unincorporated community and a census-designated place (CDP) located in and governed by Jefferson and Arapahoe counties, Colorado, United States. The CDP is a part of the Denver–Aurora–Lakewood, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area. Located primarily in Jefferson County, Columbine lies immediately south of Denver. The population of the Columbine CDP was 24,280 at the United States Census 2010. The community lies in ZIP code 80123.
Gregory "Pappy" Boyington was an American combat pilot who was a United States Marine Corps fighter ace during World War II. He received the Medal of Honor and the Navy Cross. A Marine aviator with the Pacific fleet in 1941, Boyington joined the "Flying Tigers" of the Republic of China Air Force and saw combat in Burma in late 1941 and 1942 during the military conflict between China and Japan.
Chatfield High School is a high school located in an unincorporated area of Jefferson County near Littleton, Colorado, United States. It is part of the Jefferson County Public Schools system.
Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 112 (VMFA-112) is a reserve United States Marine Corps McDonnell-Douglas F/A-18 Hornet squadron. The squadron is based at NASJRB Fort Worth, Texas and falls under the command of Marine Aircraft Group 41 (MAG-41), 4th Marine Aircraft Wing. Their tail code is MA. During World War II the squadron saw extensive action throughout the Pacific Theater of Operations especially at the Battle of Guadalcanal as part of the Cactus Air Force. By the end of the war, its 140 air-to-air kills ranked it third among Marine Corps squadrons.
Jefferson County School District R-1 is a school district in Jefferson County, Colorado. The district is headquartered at the Jeffco Public Schools Education Center in West Pleasant View, an unincorporated area of the county near Golden in the Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area. Jeffco Public Schools serves almost 81,000 students in 166 schools. It is the second-largest school district in Colorado, having been surpassed in 2013 by Denver Public Schools, which has an enrollment of approximately 87,000.
Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 142 (VMFA-142) was an aviation unit of the United States Marine Corps Reserve that was active from 1942 to 2008. At the time of its inactivation, the squadron was based at Naval Air Station Atlanta, Georgia and fell under the command of Marine Aircraft Group 42 (MAG-42), 4th Marine Aircraft Wing. Due to a re-organization within Marine aviation, the squadron moved to Naval Air Station Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base, Texas and was placed in a cadre status under Marine Aircraft Group 41.
James F. "Jim" Amos is a United States Marine Corps four-star general who serves as the 35th Commandant of the Marine Corps. As a naval aviator, Amos commanded the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing during the Iraq War in 2003 and 2006. He served as the 31st Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps from 2008 to 2010, and was the first Marine Corps aviator to serve as commandant.
Strike Fighter Squadron 125 (VFA-125), also known as the "Rough Raiders", is a United States Navy strike fighter squadron based at Naval Air Station Lemoore, California. The "Rough Raiders" are a Fleet Replacement Squadron flying the F-35C Lightning II.
Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 41 (MALS-41) is a reserve aviation logistics support unit of the United States Marine Corps. They fall under the command of Marine Aircraft Group 41 and 4th Marine Aircraft Wing and are currently based at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth. MALS-41 provides direct support to VMFA-112 and VMGR-234.
Lt. Col. Alexander Jefferson is a retired US Air Force officer, famous as one of the Tuskegee Airmen, the 332nd Fighter Group. He served in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II.
The 2008 congressional elections in Colorado were held on November 4, 2008 to determine who will represent the state of Colorado in the United States House of Representatives, coinciding with the presidential and senatorial elections. Representatives are elected for two-year terms; those elected served in the 111th Congress from January 6, 2009 until January 3, 2011.
Michael Harold Coffman is an American politician, businessman, and veteran of the U.S. Army and U.S. Marine Corps serving as Mayor of Aurora, Colorado since 2019. A Republican, Coffman served as the U.S. Representative for Colorado's 6th congressional district for five terms, as well as Secretary of State of Colorado and Colorado State Treasurer.
Kenneth Guy Summers was a Colorado legislator. Elected to the Colorado House of Representatives as a Republican in 2006, Summers represented House District 22, including southern Lakewood, Colorado and portions of Jefferson County from 2006 to 2012.
The recent politics of Colorado, United States, are that of a state considered a swing state.
John Warren "Jack" Bergman is a retired United States Marine Corps lieutenant general and the U.S. Representative for Michigan's 1st congressional district. He served as commanding general of the Marine Forces Reserve and the Marine Forces North. He also served as a Naval Aviator, flying rotary-winged aircraft such as the CH-46 and UH-1, as well as fixed-wing aircraft such as the T-28 and KC-130. A Republican, he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2016.
The 2010 congressional elections in Colorado were held on November 2, 2010 to determine who will represent the state of Colorado in the United States House of Representatives. Representatives are elected for two-year terms; those elected will serve in the 112th Congress.
The 2014 Jefferson County Public Schools protests were a series of demonstrations against the new AP United States History (APUSH) curriculum in Jefferson County in the U.S. state of Colorado. Protests began on Friday, September 19, 2014, at Standley Lake, and Conifer high schools when classes were cancelled at both schools because a high number of teachers called in absent to work. On September 22, the protests spread to Evergreen when students left class on marched on the Jefferson County Schools Education Center. On September 23, the protests spread to Pomona, Arvada, and Ralston Valley high schools. Two days later, the protest grew to about 1,000 when Columbine and Dakota Ridge students joined together on a pedestrian bridge over South Wadsworth Boulevard.
Lieutenant Colonel Michael "Zak" Franzak (Ret.) is an American writer. He is the author of A Nightmare's Prayer, his memoir. Currently, Franzak lives in Holly Springs, North Carolina with his wife, son, and daughter.
