Where were you 50 years ago when JFK was shot

[CaramelSmoothie]

That was a good one.

It cracks me up when I imagine the looks on people's faces as they read that! LOL!

 

[Edward]

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.

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

Ah! Thank-you. Of course, it makes sense that it's a military thing, given the CiC role of the president. It did seem vaguely familiar - I must have seen mention of it at Regan's funeral - I think his was the only presidential funeral I remember seeing coverage of at the time (Nixon died in my era, but I don't recall noticing much coverage of it; I suppose Regan was the first POTUS of whom I was aware, so I would notice these things more with him).

911.

Af

Mn, I should have remembered that one - right enough, the second tower did go down live on tv. I suppose Oswald somehow stands out more on the individual level to me because of the directness of it, as distinct from only seeing the plane and the building.... (actually, the image that sticks in my head from 9/11, above all others, is the footage of the folks who jumped. That's the one that still makes me shiver).

I remember talking to one of my ex-fiance's grandmother when Jimmy Stewart died. She described how he was one of the last of "her" generation...almost all of the politicians, popular singers, movie stars, celebrities, etc, that were representative of her years on the planet were gone. It was a very lonely feeling, she said.

The oldest person I believe I ever knew was my Great Grandfather - my maternal grandmother's father. Born in 1889; I still have his running medals from 1900-1908ish. he died in 1986, at the age of 97. Towards the end of his life, he once remarked "There is no-one left to call me by my Christian name". He was the last survivor of the amateur soccer team for which he had once played.

The people who were adults at the time of JFK's death, if still living today, would be about the same age the WW1 vets were when I was a child. For some reason that thought chills me to the bone.

WW1 didn't seem like ancient history when I was growing up -- but now that the link of knowing people who were there is gone, it might as well be as ancient as the Wars of the Maccabees. It won't be long before the death of JFK is as remote from the people living as the death of Lincoln is to us today.

It's fascinating just how these links with the past exist - and then are gone. In Reggie Kray's East End Stories, he mentioned one of his grandmothers who could remember taking care not to be out too late at night, for fear of the Ripper: she was in her middle teens when Saucy Jack was on the go. I found that quite amazing.

Only 20 more years till they open the files.

Yeah, they'll totally tell us the truth. lol

The reaction to Kennedy's death, here in the UK, was similar to that when we heard of the Twin Towers atrocity. If you google: Was JFK an Anglophile, you will find he was, very much so. And he was respected from both sides of our political wings.

I think I first became aware of him around mid 1982, when Carrickfergus Council, the local town council with authority over the village in which I grew up, made a point of renamng Kennedy Drive as Prince William Way, partly to show their support for the then latest royal birth, and partly as a deliberate slight on JFK, as they disapproved of his perceived political affiliations with regards to the Irish Question. Still draws a mixed reaction over there. I do remember it being big news when Reagan was shot in '81. I sometimes look at these historical events and wonder how they might be perceived differently had they occurred in this era of minimal soundbites (in JFK's day, the average soundbite was three minuties; today, it's eleven seconds) and 24/7 coverage.

 

[Stanley Doble]

Actually, he had a good amount of flight expierience but he lacked an instrument rating
which allows a pilot to 'fly blind'. He hit a 'black hole' which without the use of instruments will cause all but the luckiest of pilots to go down. What would have been an uneventfull flight in daylight turned tragic at nightfall. He had intended to arrive at his destination well before dark but the tardiness of his passengers (wife and sister inlaw) delayed take off. Yes he displayed a serious lack of judgement by trying to beat sunset but he was not quite the buffoon you discribe.

He wasn't a buffoon, he was a Kennedy. They were famous for their devil may care attitude. They did riskier things than that. Usually they got away with it.

 

[Tomasso]

He wasn't a buffoon, he was a Kennedy. They were famous for their devil may care attitude. They did riskier things than that. Usually they got away with it.

JFK jr was not a 'Kennedy.' His mother saw to it that her children were not raised that way.

 

[Stearmen]

JFKjr. commented before his death, he could not tell how much he actually remembered and how much he had seen on TV through the years. At first I thought that was stupid, but then I realized, I was picturing the funeral procession in color. I imagine, every one here (except for LaMedicine, who saw the procession in person,) saw it on a small Black & White TV. I did not see any color footage until the mid 70s! Now, I have to stop and think to see it in B&W!

Some times I wonder why I bother! No one actually read my post past the first sentence!

 

[LaMedicine]

Some times I wonder why I bother! No one actually read my post past the first sentence!

I did. Even though TV footage was in B/W, there were plenty of color photos immediately after, in the newspapers (yes, we had them delivered every day then) and magzines like Life and Time and all which all printed special editions, so I think a lot of us would have projected the colors onto the B/W images as soon as.

As for JFK Jr, he was only 3 at the time, so if it hadn't been one of the most dramatic and publicised events of the century, he most likely wouldn't have remembered a lot if any. Just about all of his memory would have been what he had learned from the media. Caroline, on the other hand, was just about to turn 7, so it's likely that she remembers a lot as first hand expreince, as well as memories from the media later on.

All of us youngsters then, lost at least some of our youthful innocence that day.
Thinking back now, I think one of the things that makes this tragedy so well remembered is all the promises that never were realised, all the future that might have been, compared to where we actually are now. Would it all have been the same somehow, anyway, or would it have been very different? A question that will never be answered.

And in a few hours, it will be exactly 50 years.

 

[Stanley Doble]

JFK jr was not a 'Kennedy.' His mother saw to it that her children were not raised that way.

It must be in the blood.

 

[Renault]

As stated in my earlier post I well remember this day. I think the defining incident that clearly stands out in my memory more than anything else was the Cuban missile crisis from the year before. When I set back and recollect, many things return. They were scary times but innocently all seemed like it would be a great adventure to a 6/7 year old.

 

[Atticus Finch]

I think the defining incident that clearly stands out in my memory more than anything else was the Cuban missile crisis from the year before.

Yes. I remember that two weeks very well. Beaufort sits on the East Coast almost exactly between Camp Lejuene and Cherry Point MCAS and well within the range of the Cuban missiles. I'm sure the adults in our area felt like a big, red target had been drawn on their heads. I remember that our school began having drills that included practiced emergency evacuations. Of course, all I knew was that something was wrong and we were getting out of school early almost every afternoon.

One of my most vivid memories is of my best friend crying as we walked home one of those days. His older brother (who was ten or so) had told him that a terrible enemy was invading the country and their soldiers liked to stab children with long knives. Chris kept crying and telling me that he knew he was going to be stabbed that night. I chuckle at it now. We had no idea that the situation could have been much worse than what Chris' brother had predicted.

AF

 

[Renault]

Things that stick out in my mind from the missile crisis;

We all were required to bring a one gallon Clorox bleach bottle of water to school. Stored in back of classroom.

First time I ever heard on TV "this is NOT a test!" Airwing scramble out at Carswell AFB . The SAC base mebbe 4 miles from the house.

Our "prepper" inventory was extremely anemic! LOL!

Getting back to the original assassination day thread. Thought it interesting to mention one of my former platoon sergeants was in boot camp at MCRD San Diego. They were outside chow hall when their DI came out all excited!!! Stating " someone just shot the President! We're all going to war!"

 

[Stearmen]

I did. Even though TV footage was in B/W, there were plenty of color photos immediately after, in the newspapers (yes, we had them delivered every day then) and magzines like Life and Time and all which all printed special editions, so I think a lot of us would have projected the colors onto the B/W images as soon as.

As for JFK Jr, he was only 3 at the time, so if it hadn't been one of the most dramatic and publicised events of the century, he most likely wouldn't have remembered a lot if any. Just about all of his memory would have been what he had learned from the media. Caroline, on the other hand, was just about to turn 7, so it's likely that she remembers a lot as first hand expreince, as well as memories from the media later on.

All of us youngsters then, lost at least some of our youthful innocence that day.
Thinking back now, I think one of the things that makes this tragedy so well remembered is all the promises that never were realised, all the future that might have been, compared to where we actually are now. Would it all have been the same somehow, anyway, or would it have been very different? A question that will never be answered.

And in a few hours, it will be exactly 50 years.

Thank you LaMedicine!

 

[vintageTink]

Mn, I should have remembered that one - right enough, the second tower did go down live on tv. I suppose Oswald somehow stands out more on the individual level to me because of the directness of it, as distinct from only seeing the plane and the building.... (actually, the image that sticks in my head from 9/11, above all others, is the footage of the folks who jumped. That's the one that still makes me shiver).

They both went down live on TV. The only thing that could news did not show happen in real time (although there is home video of it) was the first tower being hit. I distinctly remember watching it burn and then seeing the plane hit the second tower, and then everything after that.

As for Kennedy, I would not be born yet for another 16 years.

 

[Atticus Finch]

They both went down live on TV.

The entire day was terrible beyond belief, but when I mentioned 911 as an example of a televised murder, I was referring to watching on live television as the second plane was flown into the South Tower.

AF

 

[LizzieMaine]

The entire day was terrible beyond belief, but when I mentioned 911 as an example of a televised murder, I was referring to watching on live television as the second plane was flown into the South Tower.

AF

Indeed. I was watching the Today Show that morning, and they were interviewing an eyewitness to the first hit by telephone, over helicopter video of the burning first tower when the second plane hit. Television viewers had a clear view of the second strike. There was no question of what had happened, and seeing it happen live was like being punched in the stomach.

I recorded all of NBC's coverage of 9/11 on videotape, beginning as soon as the story broke, and continuing for a full week -- and it's interesting to compare it with the surviving recordings of the JFK coverage. As obnoxious and superficial as modern TV news had become by 2001, there are far more parallels between the way the two events were covered than there are differences. In both cases, the coverage for the first couple of hours was chaotic and improvised, only settling into polished, carefully-arranged routines after the initial shock had passed.

If you really want to see some chaotic coverage of breaking news, look up the ABC-TV coverage of the JFK assassination. ABC News was a dime store operation in 1963, and had no "flash" studio available for coverage of breaking news. Network anchorman Ron Cochran appears on the air well after the story broke -- the first thing he tells you is that he was pulled away from his lunch, and he clearly seems to resent it. He is seen standing in a bare, empty studio, and as he talks, you see stagehands hauling flats and rigging lights and building a set behind him.

 

[vintageTink]

The entire day was terrible beyond belief, but when I mentioned 911 as an example of a televised murder, I was referring to watching on live television as the second plane was flown into the South Tower.

AF

True, but I was replying to the poster who said one building went down on tv. We saw the live murders of those on the second plane, those in the buildings, and the first responders.

I hope I never again see the like.

 

[Worf]

I was 7 at the time. I was attending an all-Black grade school in Jamaica, Queens... NY City P.S. 40. The entire school was called into the main auditorium. All the teachers were seated on the stage or in the aisles. Many of them were "Kennedy Kids"... Vista Volunteers who came into segregated schools to help us level the playing field. They were in tears... openly sobbing. They told us the President had been shot in Dallas and was dead. We were dismissed. The gravity didn't hit me till my Dad came home and he and my mother collapsed into tears..... We kids weren't used to seeing Dad cry... he was a hard man... tough as Iron. He wept like a child. My mother kept repeating "what's this world coming to?" Over and over. I never saw President Kennedy but Bobby Kennedy spoke at the Jamaica Armory. I saw Bobby Kennedy and Malcom X. I never saw Martin. The most dreaded words of my youth....

"We interrupt your regularly scheduled program for a special news bulletin."

Worf

 

[Widebrim]

^^Thank you for that, Worf. The terse words of the announcer coming on the screen announcing Pres. Kennedy's shooting are also still with me.

 

[Dragon Soldier]

Ah! Thank-you. Of course, it makes sense that it's a military thing, given the CiC role of the president. It did seem vaguely familiar - I must have seen mention of it at Regan's funeral - I think his was the only presidential funeral I remember seeing coverage of at the time (Nixon died in my era, but I don't recall noticing much coverage of it; I suppose Regan was the first POTUS of whom I was aware, so I would notice these things more with him).

Prior to the Reagan era we didn't obsess, news wise, about happenings in the USA the way we have since. Something happened there, in the relationship between Reagan & Thatcher that changed things. Including the media.

I still get RTE at home and they do not carry the US presidential debates live, they don't carry US presidential inaugurations live, they do not have all night coverage of US election results... Yet British broadcasters do. It's something I don't quite understand.

 

[gear-guy]

+1 Worf

 

[LaMedicine]

Torn and tattered, but still in my possesion.