Fifty Years Ago…
I was in high school, changing classes. Suddenly the news spread up and down the hallways like wildfire. The President had been shot. The students and staff were shocked at first, unwilling to believe anything so horrible could have happened. None of us wanted to believe it was true. Then, as more and more updates came racing in, reality set in and the agonized weeping and hushed whispers began. Some people were simply wandering around, aimlessly. Others were clinging to their friends. Still others rushed to get to the TVs where we watched as the whole nation stopped whatever they were doing to watch the horrible scene play out.
Staff and students alike were galvanized to the black and white, grainy screens as we searched for some sense to it all, some rhyme or reason. We each were in our own private worlds at times. At other times, we tried to console those who couldn't or wouldn't be consoled.
I can remember being numb and cold and feeling these emotions from moment to moment: horrified, detached, angered, saddened, sorrowful and expectant. I wanted some announcer to get on and say it had all been a mistake. When they didn't, and I gave in to the reality, I prayed that the President hadn't felt much pain. Then I started thinking about his wife and children. Somehow, their pain and sorrow became paramount. Finally, I turned to the global view. What would it all mean? Would Johnson be a good president? What would this mean in the struggle against the communists, the Cubans?
By the time I reached home, I was emotionally worn out. I remember my parents talking in hushed tones about what had happened, and then we stayed glued to the TV to find out the latest developments. Not more than twenty words were shared around the living room that night.
Fifty years later, I still have strong feelings. I also can't help wondering what that bullet kept from happening that day in Dallas. What would our world look like now if Kennedy hadn't been shot? Even though I know it's useless to think about, I still wonder.
Where were you that day?
May the dragons watch over us all...
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