November 22nd, 1963 was just 6 days after my 9Th Birthday. I remember being in my 4Th grade Classroom at Our Lady of Mount Carmel School on Bathgate Avenue in the Bronx. At 1:40 PM, A terse announcement came across the PA System., "The president has been shot". We spent the rest of that school day praying for the President.
In the years after that, President Kennedy became a National Martyr and bigger- than- life hero. We now know about The attempts on the lives of Fidel Castro and his brother Raul. The Fuller Story on The Bay Of Pigs,Authorizing Wire Taps on Dr. Martin Luther King, Junior and some of the uneven responses to the Civil Rights Protesters in specific and the Civil Rights Movements in General. The now known connections to organized crime are also off-putting.
Yet, President Kennedy also added vigor and motivation to our nation. People were encouraged to exercise. People were strongly urged to volunteer. We took our first step into space and were put on a path that led the nation to land on the Moon in the Summer of 1969!
President Kennedy also had a deep concern for children and those suffering from mental illnesses. He started us on the path from being less enamored with nuclear weapons. He urged us to be willing to negotiate and to listen.
He could be haughty, vulgar and ill-tempered. Yet, He also could be caring, charming and quite charismatic! He was not a perfect man but he was a brave, visionary and daring man
Thank you, Mr. President. Today, Many Americans mourn the tragedy of your death and are inspired, renewed and re-invigorated by the many triumphs of your life!
- Johnny -
That spirit of community and courage is what I believe is the most lasting legacy he gave us.
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