JFK's Assassination From Those Who Experienced It

Throughout Libra, we’ve been reading about the JFK assassination from various points of view. We’ve even seen the assassination itself from the video we watched in class today. However, to add some perspective, I wanted to find some sources that could better encapsulate the public’s perception of the events at hand. Almost instinctively, I turned to some of the best people to interview I could.

            Without dating my family, my father was one of the two people I interviewed about the events of November 22^nd, 1963. Although he was relatively young, he wasn’t able to really provide that much detail. However, he did mention some of the aftermath. He said for about the next month, every day Americans sat in front of their TV’s, watching JFK’s funeral and the subsequent media coverage. My dad did say that the one image he remembers most vividly is the image of President Kennedy’s son saluting during John’s funeral. I have attached a picture of that exact scene to the left. The best description he could give me about the public’s reaction was that it was similar in nature to 9/11, almost 40 years later. Although he does not vividly remember much, the fact that he remembers so much information from so long ago speaks to the magnitude of this event.

            In addition, I also interviewed my grandma as well. She was much more descriptive. “As best as I can remember, I was outside and someone said he [Kennedy] was shot and I didn’t believe them. I ran home to turn on the TV”, she said. She continued, “all I can remember is I watched TV every day-Nancy (My mother) was *redacted age*-we all watched TV glued to the news”. When I asked her whether she believed it was a conspiracy theory, she had an interesting response. At the time, she said she “believed in what the press told us” but “today I question everything they say.”

 Although there was nothing revealing about what my grandma told me, I feel like her sentiments about the press are indicative of the general public’s opinion as well. As time progressed, more and more people slowly began to distrust those who controlled the narrative. Libra was a book organically written in that skeptical atmosphere. We've seen a continuation of this today with the prevalence of "fake news" from both sides of the political spectrum as well.

I also found the comparison between the JFK assassination and 9/11 very appealing. The emotion of vulnerability and the attack on American ideals is prevalent in both tragic events. In addition, both events have a similar conspiracy angle to them that stems from a distrust of federal authorities. The reaction of shock and horror swept through the nation for weeks after both events. I cannot imagine what it must have been like to live through either tragic event.

In final, I learned something far more important after interviewing my older family members. I realized how crucial it is that we discuss important moments in time with those who are still living after that event occurred. Even by reading historical articles and fictional novels, it’s impossible to effectively grasp the emotional trauma an event like the assassination of JFK can cause unless you talk to somebody who directly experienced it. As time continues to march forward, we as a generation are losing the ability to develop a deeper understanding of historical significance as many who experienced one of the most crucial centuries in the modern world are slowly leaving this earth. As a society, we need to do a much better job of putting down our smart phones and picking up a voice recorder before these voices disappear forever.