President John F. Kennedy was killed 57 years ago today. 57 years ago. For many people my age, JFK’s assassination and funeral was the first national news story of our lives. I was 5 and just started school. My family, that week was focused on Thanksgiving as well as my sister’s upcoming birthday and then the news of JFK’s death stunned the nation. People, that day, were scrambling to get news. There was no 24 hour streaming news media back then. We huddled around our black and white TV for information. My most vivid memory of watching, on TV, the state funeral was when my Dad pointed to the TV and said “See that horse, Eddie”? “That horse is a son of a bitch”, which brought my mother into the room for an admonishment. Turns out my father had his own experiences with Blackjack when he was stationed with the Old Guard at Fort Myer. The soldier handling Blackjack that day was having a tough time handling the skittish animal and, it was later reported, that the horse actually stepped on the soldiers foot making it very difficult for him to control the animal.
I can remember returning to school after this long week was over and telling Sister Grace Francis, my teacher, that my Dad knew Blackjack and he is a ‘sonofabitch’….
So, pray for the soul of JFK today. Remember a simpler time, when the nation was united in our shared grieve, when we didn’t witness the kind of violence that so many young kids, today, are witness to.
It takes time to bury painful living memories, but it must be done so memory can stand without sorrow. The Kennedy family has learned through many tragic experiences, that once you acknowledge the death, you must let it go and honor the life, for only the body dies. And remember that Blackjack was a “son of a bitch”….
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