The Centre Cannot Hold » John Fitzgerald Kennedy

1963 – President Kennedy is buried in Arlington Cemetary

Loki — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 21:01:10 +0000

Perhaps even more than the shooting itself, two days earlier, President Kennedy’s funeral marked the official end of the ‘Camelot’ era. With him were buried a lot of hopes. The future seemed filled with naught but uncertainty. Lyndon Johnson had taken over the job he coveted, albeit in a way he would never have wished for, but his first steps as a leader were hesitant. The one thing he had done with sureness was to declare November 25, 1963 a National Day of Mourning, when only essential personnel would be required to work.

After his death in Dallas, President Kennedy’s body was flown back to Washington, where it was autopsied at Bethesda Naval Hospital on the same day. The following day, he lay in repose, and then in state, in the East Room of the White House, and the day after that, in the Rotunda. His funeral mass was held at St. Matthew’s Cathedral, after which his funeral procession carried him to his final resting place in Arlington Cemetary.

Other than William Taft, Kennedy is only United States President to be buried at Arlington.

Referenced in:

Saturn V – Inspiral Carpets

1963 – U.S. President John F Kennedy is assassinated

Loki — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 21:23:44 +0000

One of the defining events of its era, the assassination of President Kennedy remains a remarkably controversial one, even today. Conspiracy theories abound as to who shot Kennedy and why.

While the official story, that Lee Harvey Oswald did it, with the rifle, in the book depository, is plausible, it is also notably incomplete – there are any number of holes and anomalies in it. The murder of Oswald only two days later, before he could stand trial, has done nothing to quell these uncertainties.

On a symbolic level, the death of Kennedy was the end of an era in many ways. Quite aside from the idealism that he brought to the nation, his death marked a change in the way America saw itself – no longer the lily-white paladin, but more the grim avenger willing do the dirty work no one else would – although in fairness, this change of self-image would take the rest of the decade to be complete.

Referenced in:

Civil War – Guns n Roses
Tabloid Junkie – Michael Jackson
We Didn’t Start The Fire – Billy Joel
He Was A Friend of Mine – The Byrds
Purple Toupee – They Might Be Giants
She Is Always Seventeen – Harry Chapin

1943 – The Japanese destroyer Amagiri rams and sinks US Navy PT-109

Loki — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 07:23:21 +0000

Motor Torpedo Boat PT-109, under the command of Lieutenant junior grade John F. Kennnedy, was one of 15 PT boats sent out on a mission to intercept the Tokyo Express on the night of August 1, 1943. Along with three other boats of the flotilla, it stayed behind to guard the retreat of the others and continue patrolling.

At about 2am in the morning, on a moonless night, the crew realised that they were about to collide with a Japanese ship. The destroyer Amagiri rammed them amidships, cutting the boat in half.

Under the command of Kennedy, all but two of the crew made it to safety on Plum Pudding Island, from which they were rescued by PT-157 six days later.

Referenced in:

PT-109 – Jimmy Dean

1961 – John F. Kennedy becomes the 35th President of the USA

Loki — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 07:23:25 +0000

John F. Kennedy’s Innaugration oath was administed by Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Earl Warren with all the due pomp and ceremony.

Kennedy’s speech that day was unusually short for an Innaugral Address, but it is generally considered to be one of the better innaugral addresses. Such well known Kennedy quotations as “ask not what your country can do for you…” and “the torch has been passed to a new generation…”

Also, notably, Kennedy was the first President in some decades not to wear a hat at his Innaugration, pretty much single-handedly killing hats for men. Strange but true.

Referenced in:
She Is Always Seventeen – Harry Chapin