Where were you 50 years ago when JFK was shot

[gear-guy]

Wow newsman,don't know what to say, that's incredible!

 

[gear-guy]

Newsman that reminds me that about 7 or 8 years ago I was sitting in a chair in Hobby lobby waiting for my wife to finish shopping and an older gentleman sat down next to me. I asked him how he was doing and he say's that he was just reminiscing. My first thought was "oh boy, great an old man going to ramble on and on". so I asked him what he was thinking about. He say's that it has been 60 years since we dropped the bomb on Hiroshima! I stated that you have a good memory, and he replied that he should since he flew one of the three planes that day that went to Hiroshima. He flew a decoy so that it would be hard to detect the real mission. When my wife came and said she was ready to go I told her to back and shop. First time in our 33 year marriage. What were the odds that sitting in a Hobby lobby in a little town in Indiana that something like that would ever happen? Thank your dad for his service!

 

[Stearmen]

I was in our living room, watching our little blocks& white tv. As a side note, a few months before, JFKs motor cade was less then two blocks from where I was sitting. We walked over, and stood at the intersection, the Limousine stopped right in front of us, less then 5 feet away, and he smiled and waved at us! I will never forget the brilliant red tint to his hair as the sun caught it. That was the last time I would see him in color until the mid 1970s, always black & white. Incidentally, I had a front row view because of our neighbour lady, who said I should be in front for such an important historic day. She was the Republican block captain.

 

[Stearmen]

Something that just struck me as I was writing the above. JFK was 46 when I saw him, 6 years older then my father, which seemed like an old fossil at the time. Now, I am almost a decade older then JFK was at the time, and seeing tonight, a photo of him on the autopsy table, I was struck by how incredibly young he looked!

 

[Zombie_61]

...I see the other JFK thread got shut down so I exit this will too. Why? Dunno.

The topic of the other thread was "Who Killed Kennedy (JFK)? What Say You?" I imagine it was locked as a preemptive measure because of the obvious potential for it to devolve into a political discussion. If we can avoid that here and remain on topic, this thread should be okay.

 

[Warbaby]

When I logged in a few minutes ago, the lead item in the Activity Stream box was:

"Where were you 50 years ago when JFK was shot in The Observation Bar
Today, 11:37 PM"

Hmm...

 

[53Effie]

I was fourteen and a freshman in high school. We had a split schedule in our school due to overcrowding. My class had the afternoon shift. I was just about to head off to school when the news bulletin came on tv. I just remember being scared and a deep feeling of disbelief that something like that could really happen in this country. I will never forget that day and the feelings that went with it.

 

[HoosierDaddy]

Here is a photo of (family friend) Richard Pace from my hometown of Fairmount,Indiana who led the riderless horse during the JFK funeral procession. This pic hangs in the Fairmount Museum.
HD

 

[HoosierDaddy]

BTW..here's part of the story: "Richard Pace, was the only one of the Old Guard Troops ,that was given the honor to accompany the Lead Horse in the JFK funeral when the Kasson was taken from place to place".
HD

 

[Doctor Strange]

I was 8-1/2, and on a school trip to see a kids ballet version of Cinderella. It was clear on the bus ride back that something was wrong: all the teachers were whispering and seemed shaken, and we were told that our parents would be at the school to pick us up (which was strange, because we were getting back early enough that that hadn't been the plan). My mom told me when we arrived.

It was a very, very strange weekend. The most shocking moment for me was when Ruby shot Oswald - I saw that happen live!

My kids have somewhat equivalent experiences for 9/11, but it's not really the same. My kids, and the entire society around them, were nowhere near as innocent as we were in 1963.

 

[emigran]

I was 16 and it was a family sit down in front of the TV for the duration watching endless video and little John John saluting along with Jack Ruby and Walter Cronkite et al...

 

[Virginia Creeper]

My dad was 10, my mom was 7, and I was some years off from being created. I do wonder what sort of impact his assassination had on Canadians. I ought to get around to asking, one of these years.

 

[1961MJS]

I was two...but I do remember the funeral on the TV.
What stuck with me as a child was the horses pulling the hearse and that the adults were so upset.

Hi

Same here, I was at my grandparents in Bluffs Illinois for some reason. I understood that it as a big deal, but I didn't know why.

Later

 

[Edward]

Here is a photo of (family friend) Richard Pace from my hometown of Fairmount,Indiana who led the riderless horse during the JFK funeral procession. This pic hangs in the Fairmount Museum.
HD

Is the riderless horse a funeral tradition, or was that unique to Kennedy?

 

[cw3pa]

The best I can remember; it' is a little used military tradition. I found the following on Wikipedia.
A riderless horse or caparisoned horse (in reference to its ornamental coverings, which have a detailed protocol of their own) is a single horse, without a rider, and with boots reversed in the stirrups, which sometimes accompanies a funeral procession. The horse follows the caisson carrying the casket.[1] A riderless horse can also be featured in military parades to symbolize fallen soldiers. In Australia for example, it is traditional for a riderless horse known as the 'Lone Charger' to lead the annual Anzac Day marches.[2] It was used during Ronald Reagan's funeral.

 

[1961MJS]

Is the riderless horse a funeral tradition, or was that unique to Kennedy?

HI Edward

It's a military tradition, one that extends to other military commanders (including the commander in chief). Wikipedia says that Colonel is considered the minimum. I would guess that a lot of the funerals that included the riderless horse take place at Arlington.

Later

 

[Stanley Doble]

I was 12 when it happened. We were in class when someone came in and told the teacher who told us. This was in Ontario Canada. I remember it as a solemn and serious event but of course, did not have the impact it had in the USA.

 

[rjb1]

I was in the 10th grade and we were having a debate, so I was sitting at the front of the room with three others. It was announced over the PA system. Not as much reaction as you might think, since no one knew what to make of it.
I remember that initial instant clearly, but for some reason the funeral and the rest are fairly vague.

 

[Widebrim]

I was at home, eating a cream cheese and jelly sandwich (I don't know why I wasn't in school). An announcer came on our RCA TV and said something to the tune of, "Ladies and gentlemen, President Kennedy has been shot..." My grandmother starting moaning, "Oh, my God! Oh, my God!" That's all I recall. (My father later told me that when I saw LBJ being sworn in on the news, I asked, "Daddy, is that the new President?") My memories of RFK's murder are more extensive.

 

[SGT Rocket]

I'm fairly sure I was just a twinkle in my daddy's eye.