Forty-seven years ago today

A young soldier, just nineteen years old, had just gotten out of the showers in Frankfurt, Germany. He was walking down the hall to his room when someone screamed, "My God, they've shot the president!!" Someone else yelled, "Hey, man, don't joke about that! That ain't even funny!"

Just then, the large bell in the hallway, rung only for alerts, went off. The young soldier hurried to his room, put on his fatigues, boots, and web gear. At the arms room, he was shocked, as was everyone, to be issued his weapon and a basic combat load of ammunition.

We thought we would be at war by the time the sun rose the next day.

Instead, we saw a sight that night that I doubt will ever recur; the entire Kaiserstrasse, bars and hookers, was shut down. I saw men and women, Germans, mourning an American President. Over the next days and weeks, we soldiers were besieged by Germans trying to express their grief and sympathies.

Where were you forty-seven years ago today? How did you hear the news of John F. Kennedy's assassination?

Me? You just read it. I was that young soldier.

On that day I was home from school, down with the flu in my bedroom and the bedroom door was open. (I was in the second grade) The TV was on in the front room and I remember hearing my mom gasp and then she was crying. A little while later my brothers were home as school had been let out. That's what I remember about JFK's assassination.

I was in the Ordnance Shack making 'pen & ink ' changes to Special Weapons Loading checklists for the A-5A Vigilante (VAH-7) at NAS Sanford, Florida. 'Guy from supply stuck his head in the door and said "Kennedy's been shot." We didn't have a radio in the shop, but the supply guys did. I went doen the hallway (checklists in hand) 'n stood by the counter in the passageway (along with a bunch of guys) listening to Walter Cronkite. CBS I suppose... and then he intoned 'The President is Dead'. I'm thinkin' 'WTF?' I was 19 yrs old... an AOAN (E-3). I went back to the AO shack... 'n shut the door. Thru the window I saw the Skipper come of of the side door of his office in the admin building and haul the flag down to half-mast himself. He stood back, saluted... then took his cover pisscutter off and throw it on the ground in anger. He picked it up... went back into his office 'n slammed the door. Within a few seconds, he came over the squadron intercom and passed the word that Kennedy was dead and declared Holiday Routine thruout the squadron and for the OOD to set the watch. I had to finish what I was doing tho... and did it. Locked the checklists up and secured the shop. Everybody else was gone by that time. I walked to the barracks and the day room (where the TV was) was loaded... so I changed into my civvies 'n went to my girlfriends house in Sanford to watch the rest of it. She and her Mom were in tears.... I was just grim.

5th grade, Sunrise Elementary, Amarillo, TX. Still had their Airbase then. Half of the school was Air Force Brats. Was just walking into music class when the announcement was made.

Relaxing on my bed between my noon shift working at the University of Maine dining hall and my afternoon classes. I was half listening to a radio in a neighbouring dorm room when I heard the announcer talk about the assassination of Huey Long. Knowing that was ancient history, I hopped out of bed to turn on my own radio. I also remember when Ruby shot Oswald (I was back at work on my noon shift in the dining hall), the assassination of MLK (I was in a country club in Wilmington Delaware as a guest; all the African-Americans (employees) were glued to the television, all the whites (members and guests) carried on like nothing had happened); RFK (it was on television the next morning) and the attempt on Reagan (on my car radio in a parking lot at the University of Maine.) Assassinations have a way of staying on one's memory.

I was three years old and remember my Grandmother crying. I tried to give her my cup of milk to make her feel better...

6th grade. Kage Elementary in Houston, Tx. School let out early.

I was still swimming in my old mans well you know.

zack991 said:

I was still swimming in my old mans well you know.

Click to expand...

Same here.

I was a sophomore in high school. I was in a hallway, between classes, when the announcement came over the PA system. One of the saddest days in the history of this country. I remember when he came to Peoria Illinois while he was running for president. I actually got to see him. I don't believe there has been a president before, and certainly not since, that was so loved by so many.

November 22, 1963 was a Friday and I was working at a VW dealership in Kingston, Pennsylvania. I was prepping a new VW for delivery when we heard on radio that JFK had been shot. I believe it was around 2PM EST. A short while later came the report he was dead. Everyone at the shop put away tools and equipment and silently walked out, went home. I saw businessmen, cab drivers, bus drivers openly weeping - people walking around in a kind of a daze.

Friday 11/22/1963. I'll remember that day and what I was doing until I die.