"A man may die, nations may rise and fall, but an idea lives on."
- John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald Kennedy
May 29, 1917 - November 22, 1963
"And so my fellow Americans; ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country."
It's one of the most recognized quotes in history, a quote that began a presidency. John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the youngest man to have been elected into office stood before the people of the United States and spoke to them as only he could. In a voice so unique to him he gave the people; his people, hope for a better future. Hope for equality. Hope for peace.
He wasn't supposed to be President. That title was held for his older brother Joseph Kennedy Jr. The patriarch of the family, Joseph Kennedy Sr. had put all of his hopes and dreams onto his eldest son Joe and was entwined into getting him into the highest seat in the United States. Sadly Joe Jr. was killed in battle during World War II so the hopes of the father passed down to his second eldest son, John.
On September 12, 1953 John F. Kennedy married Jacqueline Bouvier in Newport, RI. Jacqueline ("Jackie") was a great asset to Jack in both his life and as his companion as First Lady. Not only a fashion icon, Jackie was also knee deep in the restoration of the White House, bringing back the history of the past Presidents and creating a Museum for people to tour the most famous House in the states. During their marriage they had four children. Arabella, who was stillborn; Caroline, John Jr "John-John" and Patrick who passed away three days after his birth. John Jr. sadly died in a plane crash in 1999 along with his wife Carolyn and her sister. Caroline is alive and well and is married with three children.
With two years under his belt as President, an unsuccessful military invasion of Cuba (dubbed "The Bay of Pigs") and a huge success with the Cuban Missile Crisis, in which he negotiated the removal of nuclear missiles from Cuba, it was the hope of a nation for a great rest of term and promising re-election for Kennedy in 1964. So as John F. Kennedy decided to visit Texas for a political tour to help his standing there he asked his wife Jackie to come along with him. This was the first time Jackie would accompany her husband on a political tour in the states. And so it was...November 22, 1963 they would visit Dallas after a brief stay in Ft. Worth.
The morning started off dreary, rainy and overcast. And as they landed in Dallas the skies opened up and the sun appeared, what people called "Kennedy Weather". Jackie was wearing Jack's favorite outfit, the infamous pink skirt and jacket with accompanying pill box hat. They stepped off air force one to a cheering crowd. Walking through the crowd, greeting them and smiling they arrived at their limousine, an open top limo, which they wouldn't have used if it were raining.
At 12:30pm shots were fired and the 35th President of the United States was hit. Once through the neck and then in the head. At approximately 1:00pm at Parkland Memorial Hospital John Fitzgerald Kennedy was pronounced dead. His last words were "Oh my God, I've been hit."
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I was not alive during that time. My father was in seventh grade and my mom in sixth. They both remember where they were when they heard the news. But even though I was not around during the Kennedy Era, I have a deep appreciation for them. Jacqueline Kennedy is an icon and a true inspiration; she is someone I admire greatly. In a time where women were supposed to be housewives, and take a secondary role in life, she was strong and stood for what she believed in. And one of those things she believed in was her husband.
Was JFK perfect? No. Did he make mistakes? Yes. But he was a great man who cared about his family and cared about the wonderful country he led. He was charismatic and handsome. He was a husband. He was a father. He was a President. He was a dignified man. He died too soon in a horrible way. And he left a legacy that will continue to live on for many years.
Was Lee Harvey Oswald the lone gunman? Was there a second gunman on the Grassy Knoll? Are any of the conspiracy theories true? I can't answer that. I can't say to you if the Mob was involved, or the CIA was conspiring to assassinate their President. What do I believe? I'm not really sure. I don't think that there is a conspiracy theory, but if that ended up being true I wouldn't be surprised. However, I also don't think Lee Harvey Oswald was the only man responsible.
All in all I think the assassination of JFK was too easy to be done by a single man. A man mind you that was being watched by the FBI for years. So how can that man pull off this immense tragedy? The CIA and all those involved knew that Dallas was dangerous, they were aware of the hatred people in Dallas had for JFK. They saw all of their obstacles beforehand, as they walked through the motorcade route. The tall buildings surrounding the streets, the slower speed the motorcade had to travel due to the large crowd cheering, the fact the limousine was open top. If they knew of all of these obstacles and possible opportunities for an assassination attempt, and the significant and very real danger posed to the President how did this happen, by a single person being watched by the FBI?
We will never know these answers. But John F. Kennedy will be remembered for the man he was, the President he was and the life that was snuffed out far too soon. I always think what would the world be like today if he had lived?
Today, the 50th anniversary of his death I think of him, of Jackie, of Caroline and of John Jr. I hope he is in the real Camelot with his love and his son. Rest in Peace John F. Kennedy.
At 12:30pm shots were fired and the 35th President of the United States was hit. Once through the neck and then in the head. At approximately 1:00pm at Parkland Memorial Hospital John Fitzgerald Kennedy was pronounced dead. His last words were "Oh my God, I've been hit."
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
I was not alive during that time. My father was in seventh grade and my mom in sixth. They both remember where they were when they heard the news. But even though I was not around during the Kennedy Era, I have a deep appreciation for them. Jacqueline Kennedy is an icon and a true inspiration; she is someone I admire greatly. In a time where women were supposed to be housewives, and take a secondary role in life, she was strong and stood for what she believed in. And one of those things she believed in was her husband.
Was JFK perfect? No. Did he make mistakes? Yes. But he was a great man who cared about his family and cared about the wonderful country he led. He was charismatic and handsome. He was a husband. He was a father. He was a President. He was a dignified man. He died too soon in a horrible way. And he left a legacy that will continue to live on for many years.
Was Lee Harvey Oswald the lone gunman? Was there a second gunman on the Grassy Knoll? Are any of the conspiracy theories true? I can't answer that. I can't say to you if the Mob was involved, or the CIA was conspiring to assassinate their President. What do I believe? I'm not really sure. I don't think that there is a conspiracy theory, but if that ended up being true I wouldn't be surprised. However, I also don't think Lee Harvey Oswald was the only man responsible.
All in all I think the assassination of JFK was too easy to be done by a single man. A man mind you that was being watched by the FBI for years. So how can that man pull off this immense tragedy? The CIA and all those involved knew that Dallas was dangerous, they were aware of the hatred people in Dallas had for JFK. They saw all of their obstacles beforehand, as they walked through the motorcade route. The tall buildings surrounding the streets, the slower speed the motorcade had to travel due to the large crowd cheering, the fact the limousine was open top. If they knew of all of these obstacles and possible opportunities for an assassination attempt, and the significant and very real danger posed to the President how did this happen, by a single person being watched by the FBI?
We will never know these answers. But John F. Kennedy will be remembered for the man he was, the President he was and the life that was snuffed out far too soon. I always think what would the world be like today if he had lived?
Today, the 50th anniversary of his death I think of him, of Jackie, of Caroline and of John Jr. I hope he is in the real Camelot with his love and his son. Rest in Peace John F. Kennedy.
"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them."
- John F. Kennedy
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