I need to interview some people who can recall the period of time between 11/22/63 and 2/9/64

I am writing an essay about that time and part of the assignment is to interview someone. Anyone interested in giving me their thoughts about those 80-90 days?

I remember Walter Cronkite coming on the tube and telling us that the President has died.

Rather than pull us out of Vietnam LBJ pulled an Obama and loaded RVN up with 500,000 boots on the ground.

I was in the Base radio station at Camp Lejeune, on a typical shift, waiting for any offshore communications (morse code). We had the AM radio on, as well. That's when we heard.

All the phone lines conked out after the news. Everybody stumbled alone around the campus or sat in small groups, stunned, not speaking.
A handful of people had tv sets, and we huddled around them for three days. It was the most horrible weekend I've ever spent.

if you wish

I remember quite a bit about that time. I was in high school. We were in class and an announcement came over the PA that President Kennedy was shot and school was dismissed. They just sent us home. After that we were all glued to the TV through the funeral.

Gawd, I'm old.

I'm tying the two events together for an essay

something to bring us roaring out of mourning? Is that one of your questions? I've always wondered.

I wish you great success with your essay!

Interesting tidbit I found: Walter Cronkite had heard about them back in 63 and got CBS to do a video story on them so they could broadcast it in the states. Apparently, Cronkite thought they were great. So anyhow, they did and on 11/22/63 on the CBS Morning Show, they broadcasted a story with an interview with the Beatles and had planned on broadcasting it again that evening. Two hours later, JFK was assassinated and the film was canned. But a 15 year old from Maryland called her favorite radio station in DC and asked why American didn't have music like what she had just seen on the CBS show. The DJ had seen it also, agreed with her and had a friend fly the Beatles album over to the state and played it. The rest is history.

So we have Walter Cronkite to thank for believing that we all needed a lift after the JFK assassination and tried to introduce us to the Beatles. He half succeeded.

he could see exactly when I got over the trauma. (I startled my parents with an outburst of screaming in the living room watching Ed Sullivan. Shoot, I startled myself!)

I remember both instances well. I was 11. What was traumatic for me the most was I couldn't get the Kennedy children off my mind. It hurt me that they were hurting.

Anyway, dad told me my grades slipped after the president's death, and I perked up by being totally immersed in Beatlemania.

Then I, too, freaked out my parents by screaming in the living room. It was all that pent up emotion from the JFK thing. I went into a trance of Beatlemania and never really came out of it.

I never looked at it that way, but that must've been it.

The holiday season was approaching, and with Thanksgiving such a big deal in our family, I felt so badly that those kids wouldn't have anything to be thankful for, and how much their Christmas would be ruined.

if I search, I may be able to find my diary from those months.

We all stopped what we doing, found a radio and gathered round it. My most vivid memory was hearing the commentator saying something like, "A priest has said that the president is dead." I looked up into the face of another airman and saw my expression of disbelief and horror mirrored.

Afterward we all just left. First and only time I ever saw a military unit fall apart like that. I remember the SAC Hq building was lit up like a Christmas tree all that night.

Following that tragedy the Beatles' music brought a joy and energy that we desperately needed.

FWIW

I'd love to know what a kid thought.

Thanksgiving was not far away and we must have had a pageant at school, or something. We were watching one of those old wooden box TVs that were common then, and the mailman came and told my parents something and then the neighbors came over, and then I remember everyone seemed shocked and sad. I knew that something was wrong, but I'm not sure I really understood what it was. It was as if a pall were cast over everything. I still remember that feeling to this day.

I also remember watching the funeral cortege in DC on tv, with the black horses and the carriage... very sobering. I suspect that was when I first started to think about what death might be. I would have been 5 at the time.

If there's anymore you'd like from me about it, let me know.

We'll talk more next week through PM's if you don't mind.

but then things kind of fade into Christmas and basketball practice and cute girls. But I would be really happy to help if you PM me.
I will mention how truly eerie it was because it was so quiet all weekend.

Barracks usually have the volume cranked to eleven 24/7. That weekend the only sound was the TV in the day room. Even doors weren't slammed.

Eerie and so sad

;-)

Hope all's well with you dear! :hi:

I'm waiting to hear about publication.

:applause:

I remember hearing about the assassination. But I was REALLY pissed that I missed it when my friends told me that just saw Jack Ruby shot live on TV.

And yeah, they played that over and over.

First we were told the president was dead over the loud speaker. We were then led in prayer. The nuns turned on the new TV's that were recently added to the school. That made it even more confusing. I sorta thought they were killing Catholics all over the country so walking home from school was a real problem.

Everyone was sad but without crying. Even the asshole kids knew better than to fuck with Sister So and So on the day Kennedy was shot.

So when Oswald was shot on TV a few days later..and yes I saw it..it was kind of a relief. I mean if they killed the bad guy who is going to go after a grade school kid right?

I know that in today's world kids would be considered permanently whacked for having witnessed an assassination on TV. But my friends and I didn't really talk about it. Somehow we survived to grow up, go to college, raise families. etc.

For what its worth..it was practically sacrilegious not to have a copy of the LOOK or LIFE magazines that were published at the time if your family was Catholic. The copies have been 'handed down' to my spouse and I and somehow I still can't throw them out.

It was the beginning of all the rest of the very interesting and very volatile 60's. At least in my family.

It was the natural progression of things. When the new sibling was born they displaced the older sibling at her breast.

In your time frame I was one of the older ones and I had to fend for myself. I'd just figured out how to use the can opener. It wasn't easy, but I could feed the dog and I could feed myself!!!

I'm just old enough to remember 11/22/63 clearly. My parents & grandparents were very upset.

I only remember a few things from that day, not the period. My mother was vacuuming with this funky turquoise rolling vacuum cleaner and listening to the radio. I remember she cried out very loud "No!" and sat down on the stairs and started weeping. I asked her what was wrong and she said someone killed the president.

But do remember most of the events. Probably wouldn't be very useful though.

So many of us were children at the time,

I was at home that day so I remember the news coming on tv.

I remember all the kids coming home early from school, we went outside and listened on the radio.

We stayed away from the adults, it was hard to see adults crying.

Time stood still for that long weekend.

leesbrass@excite.com

Now granted I was only eight y/o at the time.

Kennedy was shot dead. I learned after lunch in the 3trd grade. The teachers hauled us over to the second grade class because they were worried about an attack by the Russians.

Grandma died a few weeks later.

Early '64 put the Beatles on Ed Sullivan. You could say the Fab Four helped take us youngsters out of a collective emotional depression.




"I have no recollection of the days and events surrounding the President's death".

Even though Bush 41 called the FBI 90 minutes after the murder and pointed the finger of guilt at one of his half witted gofers named James Parrot. Then Bush met with FBI Director Hoover the next day. Hoover wrote a memo titled "Assassination of President John F. Kennedy" and listed George Bush as a CIA Supervisor.

Bush claims he never worked for the CIA. Yet we have him LYING about his complicity and planting false leads to federal agents.

The leader of the free world is too young to remember this.

"Now the CinC is younger than we are."

When we were born, the sitting President was a child of the 19th century, 60 years older we were.

Mind boggling.

That's a wake-up call right there.

Thanks heaps for getting this started. :silly:

Feel free to respond if you'd like. Don't feel pressured, but I need them by this weekend.

My professor recommended I keep to one topic, but please add any thoughts you have on JFK and I will find a way to work it in.