46 years ago, what for many here was just a paragraph in your history books...

[Dan Murphy]

Sad day, I recall it like it was yesterday, though it was 46 years ago. President John Kennedy, assassinated, age 46 the time. I was only 19 that year, 1963. A sad day, a sad time for the country, the world back then. Time does move on.

He had his faults, as stated over the years, but he indeed was a President whom many looked to for a brighter future. His presidency did give that hope, though short it was.

This song came out in the early 70's, some of you may have heard it before. It was poignant when it came out then, still is today I think. We have made so much progress over the past 40+ years, in so many ways, and still room for improvement, always.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhhZ2PDl-aM



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[antmaril]

I was 12 years old and the memory of that day is burned into my brain. A very sad time for our country. I remember my mother crying like a baby.

 

[C.Ann]

I was a teenager at that time too and remember it all too well..

I'm a bit of a Kennedy family buff - having collected books; magazine articles; newspaper articles; vidoes; etc. - since the 60's - and will be checking the television later on to see if A&E or the History Channel will be showing any specials..

 

[CDoobee]

Thanks, Dan.

I was 9 years old. I remember sitting in my 4th grade classroom crying my eyes out. I don't think I understood it all, just that our president was dead and I was very sad.

 

[BelleWDW]

It was a Friday-the Principal "Sister Something" came on the loudspeaker to tell us that the president had been shot.
We all filed into church-Catholic School girl here-and said the rosary.

The next few days were spent non-stop watching TV

I saw Lee Harvey Oswald (his assasin) shot and killed live on TV

The whole experience was surreal

Then the funeral & John-john saluting his Dad during the funeral procession.

 

[Sleepy]

His death not only touched the American people, but many in the rest of the world. My father was stationed in Italy at that time and he said he remembers many strangers stopping him on the street to tell him how sorry they were.

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

I was only 3, so I don't remember it, but still, I remember how deeply affected my family was.

Many blessings to President Kennedy.

 

[minniecarousel]

I'm one of those "where were you when Kennedy was shot":
I was a 10 year old attending Catholic school. We all went into church to "practice" singing our Sunday hymns. Looking back, I realized they sent us all into the Church so they could tell us what happened and have us all in the appropriate place. At the time, I thought that was just what we happened to be doing when we got word. Those nuns had a plan (who knew?!)

I always wonder how different things would have been had he lived.

 

[Micca]

I remember it because it was my 9th birthday. Fortunately I was young enough that I was pretty oblivious to the tragedy of it.

 

[jx3smom]

I was in third grade and remember many of the events very clearly starting with my teacher leaving the room in tears.

 

[DisneyMomx7]

I was in first grade and remember it vividly. The principal (Catholic School so she was a nun) came in and made the announcement. Most of the sisters were crying and we were saying the rosary.

When I got home I remember my Mom crying for days. I was sitting on the sofa with her watching everything and remember watching Lee Harvey Oswald get shot - my Mom yelled it to my older brother who was upstairs sleeping.

It was very wierd - we were eating in front of the tv, everyone was so somber. I still remember watching the funeral.

Say what you will about the Kennedy's - they've definitely had more than their share of bad luck.

 

[luvflorida]

I was eight years old, in the third grade, and the memory of that day remains crystal clear. My classmates and I were outside for a late afternoon recess and we were only out for a short time when our teacher blew her whistle indicating it was time to line up and file back inside. We were told to go straight to our desks and put our heads down. I remember the teacher crying and telling us that President Kennedy had died. I still remember that awful feeling of dread, and not fully understanding what had happened.

I remember the news coverage on television being on all the time, and my parents talking to friends and neighbors. Everyone around me was just so shocked and sad. Like a previous poster, I clearly remember Oswald being shot on live television. I remember Jackie and Caroline walking up and kneeling beside the casket, and John Jr. saluting.

It was a sad, sad time. I also have a clear memory of my 6 year old cousin reciting Kennedy's famous remark- "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country".

 

[goofyernmost]

I remember! I was in 10th grade just starting in my English Lit. class when the intercom came on and it was tuned to the local radio station. The statement was that the President had been shot...no word on his condition. The PA went off and we resumed, half heartedly, class once again. A few minutes later the PA came back on with the radio announcement that JFK was dead. The principal made a brief announcement stating that school was canceled for the rest of the day.

The hallway, packed with teenagers, was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. The whole weekend was totally surreal. The coverage from Texas, the shooting of Oswald, the funeral. Just seems like that couldn't have been happening. That was a pretty intense year for our family anyway. Both my Grandmothers passed away in 1963, my father was forced to change jobs and transplant us from our home in New York State to Vermont, then the Kennedy thing. It still seems like it was a dream. A bad one, but a dream none the less.

 

[ChrisFL]

I wasn't around yet, when that happened, but I can't imagine what that must have been like...

Last night I saw a show about the 24 hours after the assassination....it was very interesting and it really felt more real watching it in such chronological order, which hadn't been done before, they found a lot of documents that were classified until this year.

I just hope that we never have to go through that trauma as a nation again.

 

[Poohbear123]

I was 5 and was watching "As the world turns" with my Mom when they broke in....I just remember Mom sending me outside to play, as she didn't want me to see her cry...27 years ago today, my Son Patrick was born. Happy Birthdat Pat.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Thanks for the reminder, Dan. I don't remember the assasination but I do remember some of the other events of the decade, and certainly JFK is a legend in these parts. I watched the video with my kids and we all enjoyed it. BTW, I caught a show about the JFK assasination on The History Channel recently, and thought it was very well done.

 

[Coach K]

I was in 5th grade and we were cleaning up at the end of the day and the announcement came over the PA. I an home-we only lived a few hundred yards from school-and everyone was glued to the TV. I remember thinking "What do we do now?".

 

[mrsheppo]

I was 5 years old and in kindergarten when they announced that the president had been shot and they were sending all the students home. I remember getting home and finding my stoic Irish grandfather crying as it was announced that JFK had died.

 

[oliver 2001]

My father was stationed in Germany and we lived in a little German town. I can remember the church bells rings, when we heard of his death. I took my dog for a walk and I can still remember the people in the town coming up to me telling me how sad they felt. I was a teenager..

 

[eduk8r26]

I was in college when I heard. I remember watching tv all weekend and Oswald getting shot.