There has been extensive coverage on the 50th anniversary of the assassination of John F. Kennedy this week. Today, the president laid a wreath on the JFK memorial at Arlington Cemetery. Peter Watson from the BBC was in New York in 1963 when he heard of the shooting in Dallas and he quickly flew there and filed a report. This report has been reprinted on the BBC website this week and not only it is very well written but I find his observations to be thoughtful and insightful. You may read his report here. It has been reproduced as if you are reading his actual type-written notes, and I found it very effective that it was done in this manner. (Could this actually be his report typed on a typewriter? I have no idea, I only know that it is moving for me to read it this way.)
"The waste and pathos brought me closer to tears more often than I have ever been before". It is interesting for me to read how someone from another country lived through these events. I was only six years old but I remember very well, the shock and the sadness that the country experienced. If you don't have a chance to read this article just now, please read it when you can.
And in case you miss it, it says that Peter Watson died just last week.
I still have to tell you about the services (I went to two of them!) that I attended on the weekend before Veteran's Day. I took this photo of the young men who reenact the raising of the flag at Iwo Jima...they hold this for several minutes and it is quite impressive. John F. Kennedy was in the South Pacific, during World War II and the best account that I have read about his heroism after the sinking of his PT boat was written in a book entitled "Johnny, We Hardly Knew Ye". If you get the chance, read that book, it's very good. ("PT 109" by Robert J. Donovan is another one.) You might have seen the movie made with Cliff Robertson playing JFK, if not...I highly recommend it.
Hi Kay, thanks for visiting my blog and your comment, I now realise that the car was silver and not white. My husband mentioned when he read my post that I had got it wrong, lol. It was a very comfortable car and I know Danny enjoyed driving it.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your post today and I will read that report by Peter Watson - thanks for drawing my attention to it. :))
Ha! No worries, it's just that your rental car is JUST like ours that I felt that it had to be silver and believe me, saying white instead of silver would be JUST the kind of thing I can do too!! (Funny thing, we ALWAYS buy white cars, but this year, we bought a silver one!)
DeleteThanks so much for your comment, and please visit me again. ( I am one of your followers already!) xx P.S. I love Scotland too, although I have never seen it.
My father was in surgery when the assassination happened, so he didn't hear until a couple of hours later. It came as a big shock, he said, as everyone else already knew, and couldn't understand why he was clueless.
ReplyDeleteIt makes me sad to read about it, as is true of so much of history.
The assassination of Kennedy and the bombing of the World Trade Center are the two events in my lifetime that everyone seems to remember exactly where they were and what they were doing when they learned of the terrible news.
DeleteI've been watching all the JFK remembrances every night this week too. I think what I've been most impressed with is how Jackie handled herself throughout the ordeal. It's incredible that she took the time to hand write the condolence letter to Officer Tippit's wife. She was so very dignified and strong.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment, Kay.
DeleteI find that most people don't care to remember this, or if they do, it is only to scoff or make fun of Kennedy, or to just totally disregard him. I don't know what has happened to people these days, there is a cruelty, a real meaness about people that I find very disturbing.
And I think that Jackie must have done more for the country than most people realize. It was her strength and dignity that served as a calming influence for a country that was truly in a turmoil.