November 22 1963

[eisely]

On Novembefr 22, 1963 I was in Charleston, SC preparing to depart for my first permanent duty station in Germany. I was at a car wash getting my car cleaned so I could turn it in for shipment when the word came over the radio. I don't recall reacting in any particular way to the event since I was very focused on the things I had to accomplish to be ready to board the airplane the next day. Further I was not a fan of JFK so I did not feel any sense of personal loss.

 

The country did go into shock, but that did not delay the flight schedule. By the time we finally arrived at Frankfurt am Main, a "holiday" had been declared for federal employees as part of the official mourning. Fortunately enough local civilian employees realized that there were planes still arriving that needed to be dealt with. I probably would have watched some of the ceremonies had I had access to a TV.

[Trevorum]

As a side note, I just finished Stephen King's new novel "11-22-1963" about the assassination and the foreknowledged attempt to prevent it. I'd never had read any of King before, but his authorship of The Shawshank Redemption (which I saw as the film) convinced me to try this one. Many of you already know this of course, but he's a terrific writer! The book gives a wistful portrait of early 1960s America and his research into Oswald's life during the preceeding years is convincing of the Lone Shooter theory.

[FScouter]

That's part of the conspiracy cover-up. Make people believe the "lone shooter" story -diversion from the truth. Wonder how much he got paid to write that..

[Tampa Turtle]

When I was 12 I read the Warren Report (yeah I was a boring kid) and it seemed pretty apparent it was a lone loony.

 

JFK visited Tampa a few days before Dallas. Locals my age were boys then and recalled that anyone could get within 10-12 feet of him at his speaking events or the motorcade. It was just a different era. A few high school boys ran alongside the car and touched it.

[Kahuna]

There will be conspiracy theories about that day until the end of history. I have been on both sides at various times in my life. Vince Bugliosi's book on the subject closed the issue for me, along with the fact that, after almost 50 years, no conspiracy could remain completely unknown (IMHO).

[Tampa Turtle]

As a former Federale I used to joke about Alien conspiracy theories that if the Fed workers could keep that big a secret that long it would make me proud to be an american!