JFK

[timo2]

To paraphrase Don Henley, that was the end of the innocence...

Turned out this event was just getting us inoculated for the next few years, especially 1968.


For JFKs funeral, since we lived in northern VA, we went to watch the funeral procession. Except my dad had this idea that to avoid crowds, we should go in through the back of Arlington Cemetery to behind where the grave was to get a better view. So here is my family, sitting up the hill, in some trees, behind the various luminaries and speakers at the gravesite. I'm fairly sure no one would be allowed to wander like that in today's environment.

 

[golfnut]

I was in second grade in a Catholic school in a Chicago suburb. I remember that the nun turned the TV on--yes, we were "advanced" enough in that school to have TVs mounted on those wobbly metal stands. She began crying. I was most impressed by the fact that the nun was crying, and not the event of JFK's shooting.

Interesting time, to grow up in Chicago in that volatile time. It certainly shaped me in major ways.

I was in 3rd grade at a Catholic school in Chicago (Englewood). I remember a nun coming into the class room to tell us of the tragic news and that we were allowed to go home for the day.

 

[Idnar7]

I was in 7th grade and had just returned from lunch when the announcement came over the loudspeaker. Like others I was glued to the tv all weekend. The strongest remembrance I had of the funeral was how stark the trees looked with no leaves on them. It was as if even nature was in mourning. In contrast I remember them discussing whether Sunday's NFL games should be played. I also remember Thanksgiving and Christmas had a pall over them as if you had recently lost a family member. I remember all the events of those few days as if they just happened last week.

 

[Sue J]

I was in 3rd grade. The principal came over the intercom and asked all the teachers to come down to the office. My teacher left and when she came back we could tell she had been crying. She was a very calm, prim and proper woman and she just carried on for the rest of the afternoon, but we could tell she was rattled. Just before it was time to go home she told all of us that all after school activities were canceled and that everyone should go straight home. I was disappointed because I was supposed to go to a Brownie meeting and had my uniform on.

On the way home I heard some of the older kids talking about Kennedy being killed and my first thought was about his wife and very young kids. When I got home my Mom had the TV on and was crying. I remember sitting on the floor and watching the news and how nothing else was on. My Dad was a roofing salesman and he came home much earlier than usual.

I was into horses as an 8 year old girl so that's what I was watching during the funeral. I remember the riderless horse with the boots turned backward. If my Mom cried, I cried and we talked about how strong Jackie was.

I also think I saw Oswald getting shot live, but that may be skewed by how many times that's been replayed.

 

[HFWR]

Turned out this event was just getting us inoculated for the next few years, especially 1968.

Boy howdy...

I was unaware of the McCarthy-era, the anti-communism, the Cuban missile crisis, segregation, the fact that Kennedy was a Catholic, etc. Lots of stuff going on in the background that a 9-yo kid from Indiana wouldn't necessarily know...

 

[audreyh1]

Lots of people in their 50s here. What do you remember of that day in Dallas? I was too young to fully understand what had happened, so primarily recall my parents being upset.

I'm 54, but I remember it.

Why? We were in Germany, and German visitors coming and crying with my parents made a huge impression on me. Also, we didn't have a TV, but I remember that someone brought a black-and-white TV over which also made an impression. I clearly remember how the room looked and where the TV was and a key scene on that TV.

Someone recently told me I couldn't possibly remember at such a young age, but I think you can remember things that make a strong impression even if you are very young.

 

[marko]

I was in 4th grade. The school janitor (who we thought was sooo cool because he listened to a transistor radio with an earjack) came into the class and told the teacher. We were all sent home without a mention. Other kids met our bus and told us what happened.

I was also watching the moment that Oswald was shot.

Being kids, we were happy when we heard that school was cancelled as a day of mourning but mom immediately set us straight on the situation.

 

[W2R]

I'm 54, but I remember it.

Why? We were in Germany, and German visitors coming and crying with my parents made a huge impression on me. Also, we didn't have a TV, but I remember that someone brought a black-and-white TV over which also made an impression. I clearly remember how the room looked and where the TV was and a key scene on that TV.

Someone recently told me I couldn't possibly remember at such a young age, but I think you can remember things that make a strong impression even if you are very young.

Absolutely! I was born in 1948, but I very clearly remember a ticker tape parade for President Eisenhower, that was on the TV in our classroom when I was in pre-school. It must have been right after he won the election in 1952 since that was the only year when I attended pre-school. It made a big impression on me because (being only four) I thought President Eisenhower must be the most wonderful person in the world to be honored in a parade like that. I get what you are saying.

 

[marko]

Someone recently told me I couldn't possibly remember at such a young age, but I think you can remember things that make a strong impression even if you are very young.

Not to get off topic, but....
Maybe it's me, but I can remember being in my crib, being in my carriage, crawling/being carried (because I couldn't walk), not being able to talk yet, all sorts of stuff from a very young age.

Not everything mind you, but I have tons of memories from when I was 1 and 2 years old, very clear, vivid and confirm-able.

Is it just me? DW thinks I"m crazy, but mom confirms these things.

 

[HFWR]

Not to get off topic, but....
Maybe it's me, but I can remember being in my crib, being in my carriage, crawling/being carried (because I couldn't walk), not being able to talk yet, all sorts of stuff from a very young age.

Not everything mind you, but I have tons of memories from when I was 1 and 2 years old, very clear, vivid and confirm-able.

Is it just me? DW thinks I"m crazy, but mom confirms these things.

I can only remember lots of bits and pieces of my life before starting elementary school.

 

[W2R]

Not to get off topic, but....
Maybe it's me, but I can remember being in my crib, being in my carriage, crawling/being carried (because I couldn't walk), not being able to talk yet, all sorts of stuff from a very young age.

Not everything mind you, but I have tons of memories from when I was 1 and 2 years old, very clear, vivid and confirm-able.

Is it just me? DW thinks I"m crazy, but mom confirms these things.

Me too. I can remember all of those things too, especially my crib and not being able to walk yet. I can remember being set in the middle of the living room floor, with nobody nearby, and not being able to walk so feeling lonely (According to my mother I was walking easily by age 1, and not in the crib much after that either so these memories must have been prior to my first birthday). I remember not even knowing who my father was and being scared by him, because my bedtime was before he got home from work and also he had been traveling a lot. I remember getting the mumps when I was one and a half. But those are personal memories, and might inherently have more impact on a toddler than would national events.

 

[Birdie Num Nums]

Does anyone know what Jackie, John Jr., Caroline or Ted believed about Oswald as the "lone gunman"? If they concluded that there was no conspiracy, that's good enough for me, considering their personal connection to JFK and their ability to get "inside info" we may not be privy to.

 

[W2R]

Does anyone know what Jackie, John Jr., Caroline or Ted believed about Oswald as the "lone gunman"? If they concluded that there was no conspiracy, that's good enough for me, considering their personal connection to JFK and their ability to get "inside info" we may not be privy to.

I remember VERY clearly that Jackie announce in an interview back in the 1960's that they knew all the details, but that it had to remain secret for now. She said that it would be placed in a time capsule and revealed many years in the future (maybe 2028? I don't remember but I know it was to be after the turn of the century but while I could still conceivably be alive to hear it).

I suppose that maybe she was talking about the information that was declassified a while back. Time capsule? Maybe she meant a virtual time capsule. The time capsule intrigued me and the fact that it was being used is the clearest part of my memory of what she said.

Yesterday I heard current interview with other Kennedy relatives, and they adeptly side-stepped the issue and said the important part was to remember his life, not his death, and went on to discuss celebrations of his life.

 

[Katsmeow]

In retrospect, I think that this was in part more shocking for my parents since in their lifetimes President's just didn't get assassinated. The last assassination was in 1901 (there were some attempts after that).

I know that later when Ford was shot at and Reagan was actually shot it wasn't all that surprising to me since I have such a vivid memory of Kennedy being assassinated. I grew up with the idea that President's can be assassinated. So, while it is awful, I wasn't really shocked when someone tried to shoot Ford.

 

[Marita40]

I find it odd that I have no memories whatsoever before kindergarten. And the only vivid memory of kindergarten I have is that there was a large "stop and go" sign on the bathroom door and you turned it one way or another when you used the facility. Amazing the things that impressed me then!

 

[Free To Canoe]

I remember I was in third grade in Catholic school. The whole grade school was emptied out and moved over to the church with one instruction. Pray!

 

[SumDay]

I was in grade school. I remember my mom sobbing in front of the TV. My father kind of an Archie Bunker type, and wasn't even remotely upset.

I'm pretty obsessed with Camelot and have probably read 50+ books about it.

 

[grasshopper]

I had just returned from lunch recess in 7th grade, when our English teacher told us. Gee I can't remember anything but little John and the riderless horse at the funeral.

 

[tinlizzy]

I was born in 1967.

I remember my mom falling down the steps at age 2 - it was probably her shriek that cemented it in my memory.

I remember ducking behind my dad when a tall man with a rainbow afro came around a corner and gave him the peace sign. My dad picked me up and whispered, "it's alright, he's just a hippie."

The first news event I remember is Nixon resigning. The conversation between my parents was like a foreign language.

 

[audreyh1]

Not to get off topic, but....
Maybe it's me, but I can remember being in my crib, being in my carriage, crawling/being carried (because I couldn't walk), not being able to talk yet, all sorts of stuff from a very young age.

Not everything mind you, but I have tons of memories from when I was 1 and 2 years old, very clear, vivid and confirm-able.

Is it just me? DW thinks I"m crazy, but mom confirms these things.

I'm pretty sure I remember getting in a tub at 3 with chicken pox. I remember it because the sores were stinging badly!!! That's probably my earliest memory.

Well, I might remember knocking my high-chair backwards and the view out the back sliding glass door - earlier than the above.

 

[Htown Harry]

Oh my, what an impression the riderless horse made on a 4-year-old Dallasite.

And so many big words to learn - eulogy, cortège, caisson, dignitaries, caparisoned horse, muffled drums, lying in state ("Mom, is that the same as a state funeral?", "Is Washington a state?").

 

[Lisa99]

I have some very early memories as well. I vividly remember my first haircut that happened on my second birthday in a beauty salon across the street from my grandmothers house.

I was 2 years and 3 months when Kennedy was shot. My aunt was my babysitter and she was watching "Days of our Lives." I remember the show stopping and a man coming on and saying words I didn't understand. Then I remember my aunt started crying which scared me badly. I mostly remember images, few words and a lot of crying.

 

[Nodak]

I'm pretty sure I remember getting in a tub at 3 with chicken pox. I remember it because the sores were stinging badly!!! That's probably my earliest memory.

Well, I might remember knocking my high-chair backwards and the view out the back sliding glass door - earlier than the above.

I also have memories of being in a crib and a stroller. Also remember my Dad holding me and singing to me. There was a serious flood in my hometown when I was 2. I can remember looking out the living room window of the house and seeing 2 guys rowing down the street in a boat.

 

[JakeBrake]

I was stationed at MCRD (Marine Corps Recruit Depot) San Diego. I was attending radio school. I was attending night classes so I was off-duty during the day. I was walking from my Quonset hut to the PX. One of my class mates passed by and told me the news. Within a couple of minutes word was passed down by loud speakers on MP trucks for all military personnel to report to their company quarters. (MCRD is a very small base compared to other Marine bases). My class attended the next regularly scheduled night class but were told to not leave the area after class. The FMF (Fleet Marine Force) was placed on alert for a few days.

 

[Dwhit]

I was in the first grade, and I remember leaving the school and seeing Mrs. Mooney, a third grade teacher,standing with her hand over her heart staring up at the flag on theFlagpole. Tears were running down her cheeks.

At the time I did not know the reason why she was crying, and I don't remember much else about it, but that image is as crystal clear to me today as if it happened yesterday.