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"I was at my daughter's second birthday party."
"My staff and I were on company retreat on Long Island."
"I was in the hospital having heart surgery."
"We were travelling in Europe and had stopped at a cafe for dinner."
November 22, 1963, is one of those dates in American history which calls forth such comments. It was on that date, in Dallas, that President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. There are many theories about the actual event, but for most Americans the event was primarily a shocking, grief-stricken moment in history which changed the character of the United States of America.
I, too, remember where I was. I was student teaching in an elementary school in Upstate New York and became one of dozens of teachers and staff who crammed into a teacher's lounge to watch, to cry, and to express bewilderment. It wasn't a partisan event; political parties went out the window in that moment. Our President had been murdered...assassinated.
The act of assassination was horrible in itself, killing a young man who captured the imagination of new generations of Americans. The husband of a beautiful, young woman, and the father of two picture-perfect children, John Kennedy represented a new moment in our nation. It is hard to believe that he would be 92 years of age if he were still living. In an instant he was gone, and with him went the confidence, the hope, and the vision of a nation capable of reaching the moon and resisting the threat of Communism.
Kennedy was not the first President to be assassinated, but his death took place in a time of instant communication, with televisions around the world broadcasting the tragedy within minutes of it happening. The world reacted with horror equal to that of the American people. This charismatic young President represented America at its best and gave hope to captive people in embattled nations globally.
Much of our population today know JFK only by story. But even they are moved by the senseless act which took his life. His assassination stands as a pivotal moment in our history. A piece of us died with him in Dallas that day.
Photo Credit: Wikopedia
Ed - thanks for that post; a member of my running group - on sunday during a 10 mile loop - asked what was special about that day? Whew, threw me back; I was in NYC, working at Orbach's across from the Empire State Bldg, on 34th St - about 1:30pm my co-worker told me - and wow, the store was closed, the city was quiet like a funeral, people wandered the streets in a daze, thousands of us finding a way to our homes, then the following unbelieveable three days - all in eyes of a college student in NYC; an imprint forever.
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