JFK
It was afternoon and I was on my way to a chemistry class. I had stopped for a drink of water when the news came over the speakers in the classrooms.
For those who weren’t alive at the time: remember what you felt on September 11, 2001 for a taste of November 22, 1963. It was a massive change for the worldview of my generation and it marked the beginning of a period of disruption and decline in the civility of American society. Arthur had died and Camelot fell.
At his inauguration John Kennedy made the point: “If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich.”
The colors of my world will never be as bright as they were on November 21, 1963.
8 comments
Amen to that…and great quote.
Thanks for the reminder of our shared tragedy, Bryan. I was sitting in geometry class when the announcement came. Nothing has ever been the same since.
I was in the 3rd grade at the time. When I went home for lunch (yes, we were allowed to do that back when I was in grade school) my mom was crying. That’s when it hit me that this was going to affect all of us. Little did I really know.
The quote cuts to the heart of liberal ideals, Jim, something that has been lost over time.
He was a symbol, Steve, of an optimism we have never regained. There will always be the nagging thought that if another individual rises that high, they too will be assassinated.
We are left with a lot of “what ifs”, Lady Min, and we won’t ever regain that thread of history.
Similar to Steve, I was in Algebra class when the principal made a brief, frantic announcement that the President had been shot, then put the radio broadcast over the school intercom.
Our crusty old retired colonel/teacher left the room , surreptitiousely dabbing his handkerchief to his eyes.
I will never in my life forget that moment, nor watching the funeral procession with the family and all those world leaders.
I can still hear the drums.
In many ways the funeral cemented the country because almost everyone alive in the country watched. It was one of the best things that television has ever done, connecting the country, rather than dividing it. Then you had the grief, that is some ways we have never worked through. The events of 1968 brought it all back with Martin and Bobby.
I was only in my very first year if Primary school at the time, so too young for it to really affect me then. But I do remember how shocked and saddened my Mother and Grandparents were. It was a tragedy that was felt globally and resounded in every corner of this World. I did come to learn about JFK and who he was and more importantly perhaps, what he stood for. My maternal Grandfather made very sure I understood. It was one of the reasons I eventually chose the Military and then Intelligence. My grandfather, who was a decorated vet of WW1 & 2, never believed the public stories surrounding the assassination.
By ’68, I was old enough to understand, and when MLK Jr. was assassinated in April, and then RFK was assassinated in June, I remember asking my Grandfather who was responsible. Even then at a young age, it all seemed somehow connected, though I really had no idea why. I suppose I became fascinated by the three events, and eventually learned many details.
So, even thought I am not an American, though I have lived and worked within the USA, these events had a very big impact upon my life and many choices I have made since JFK was assassinated. Sadly, but ironically, it’s perhaps true that all three had a more profound impact on the World through death than they might have had they lived to old age. We will never know. But the World will never forget either. 🙂
Rest, in Peace.
People were looking for something new and different after World War II and the grim times that followed. A new generation was taking control from the war time leaders and the war shortages were finally being overcome.
The big shock in the US was the realization that you couldn’t trust the government to tell you the truth. In WWII people understood about restrictions, but two decades later there were no reasons being presented for what was happening that made sense.
Actually, I don’t think that the JFK “legacy” would have been nearly as great without the assassination, because LBJ was the force that got the bills passed, something that JFK couldn’t have done. Kennedy wasn’t as strong on civil rights as Johnson was.