ForumGarden

Theia and Oscar said a bit about it, but I would like to

hear more, from them and anyone else who either lived

it or talked to family members who did.

I was studying using the Reader's Digest workbook

with my English XL group, in the back of Mrs. Mounday's

6th grade class. I had turned 11, less than a month before.

We had an 'interoffice' phone in the classroom, and Mrs.

Mounday answered it. I remember her saying "Oh no, oh no"

and crying as she got off, and told the class what had

happened. At some point, the decision was made to send

us all home. Most homes at that time had a mom there to

go to, so I don't think it was a problem for all but a very few.

At home, the TV was on and except for the hours of sleep,

I don't remember it being turned off. I watched, and I saw

it all. Saw Oswald shot. Saw the funeral procession. Heard

my Mom comment on how she thought they could have

picked a better horse than Black Jack to carry the reversed

boots. He didn't seem sedate enough for the occasion,

dancing around due to nerves, most likely.

Went back to school, and wrote an essay titled "Four Dark

Days" (apparently, Life magazine had an article with the

same title, didn't know it at the time) and got an A on it.

I thought my Mom would have saved it, as she did so many

things, but it has never been found.

President Kennedy was the first president I was really aware

of. He had children a bit younger than I was, and seemed

almost like he could have been my Dad. I still cry when I

think about that time, especially this year. Several years

ago, I visited his grave at Arlington. I cried there, too.

I was 16 at my first job, trainee chef at the Trocadero Shaftesbury avenue, just off Piccadilly circus London W1.

I was working in the Larder, the position in the kitchen that supplies the rest of the kitchen.It started as a rumour that swept through the kitchen, I remember being shocked, and my co workers were too. There was a variety of nationalities, my Chef was a Trinidadian,Veg cook was a Greek Cypriot, Sauce cook was an eccentric Englishman Fish cook a nutty young Italian, the Roast cook a Spaniard ex foriegn legionaire. The Head Chef spoke like Maurice Chevalier.

The first news was he had been shot, everybody hoped it was not fatal, waiting for more news was difficult.

I seem to think it was early in the day but it must have been early evening, just after the evening service started. The news must have come in from the streets, as there was no way of getting the news in the kitchens. It wasn't until I got home past 11.00 that night that I saw what had actually happened.

The newsreel of the shooting rates as high as the napalmed girl running toward the camera in Vietnam as moments of terror in my life.

Others were Frejus, Agadir,Aberfan.

I was in my Junior High School Agriculture class (doing homework waiting for my radish to grow). PA comes on to announce he was "shot while traveling in a motorcade". It was later announced the President had died and we all were released to go home.

Reason I bold the word motorcade was because at the time I did not know what that word. In my mind it reminded me of "motorcycle". Trying to make sense of it I imagined the President on a motorcycle, of course properly suited, tie not flapping in the wind, surrounded by bodyguards, also suited riding motorcycles.

I was 5 years old.

To be honest, I don't remember anything other than my parents watching the television all the time that week.

Nothing was said at school as far as I can remember, I suppose we were too young.

I just know that when I saw Jackie on the TV, I thought she was the Queen of America.

I suppose It wasn't until I got older that I learned exactly what a huge loss America had suffered and I always felt a very genuine sadness, and still do, that something great had been cruelly taken.

I was in English class, and we were discussing something about Poe.

The Principal made the announcement over the intercom.

Shortly afterwards school was out for the day.

As we were loading up on buses, I remember some kids making wisecracks about the event, and others looking shocked.

Dad worked for RCA, and had just purchased our first color TV through the Employee purchase program. It arrive that day.

We set it up and turned it on.

Very few programs were actually in color, yet. mostly the "Prime Time" entertainment stuff.

All the news was still B&W, and for that whole weekend, that was pretty much what we watched. There was one piece that was a film about President Lincoln's assassination and the funeral and the train that carried him back to Illinois. It was the only thing in color for the first week. My little brother was terribly upset when the Saturday cartoons were not in color, and blamed Kennedy for that. It took a while to convince him that most of the cartoons were still in B&W, anyway.

The family next door to us was Catholic, and they were in mourning over his death. Having a Catholic in the White House had been a very big deal to them.

It seemed the whole world came to a halt to watch the process of putting Kennedy to rest.

I watch a long doco ' Kennedy's last 24 hours'....

Very sad to see Kennedy so warm, shaking hands with the crowds, laughing and joking through his speeches, even the pride In his eyes as Jackie got up and gave a speech In Spanish.

Since I was a child It was the reaction of the adults around me that I remember my own opinions being unformed.

I remember the cuban crisis watching the news and the relief when those russian ships turned back and we didn't go to war then when kennedy got assassinated the first thought was did the russians do it and would it mean war. Although I'm not american it felt like something changed and the forces for progress got a kick in the teeth.

In a not completely unrelated side-note I remember hiding behind the settee watching the daleks.

I was 7 and was aware of something major happening without really understanding the consequences. The word went around the school that President Kennedy had been shot. We all had a feeling of some worldly catastrophe, even at that young and tender age

gmc;1441379 wrote: Since I was a child It was the reaction of the adults around me that I remember my own opinions being unformed.

I remember the cuban crisis watching the news and the relief when those russian ships turned back and we didn't go to war then when kennedy got assassinated the first thought was did the russians do it and would it mean war. Although I'm not american it felt like something changed and the forces for progress got a kick in the teeth.

In a not completely unrelated side-note I remember hiding behind the settee watching the daleks.


You are not far off there. It was the Cold War and one one doco I watched last night talked to SS agents who were actually on the ground when the shots rang out. They said they're very first thoughts were that this was the Russians. Initially, many thought that even reporters. Not much thought was given to the possibility It was a lone assassin.