A twelve year old boy remembers what happened on Nov. 22, 1963

[turbinetree]

Living in Livingston California, (Castle Air Force Base) and preparing to eat my grade school meal, our principal came in to say that we were all allowed to go home and our buses were there there and that there had been a terrible tragedy concerning President Kennedy.

Being twelve year old boy and remembering what the meal was at school and leaving it at the table , and then going home to see my beloved mother crying, and her saying that her president was dead, and everyone on the base being on high alert because of the death.

For four days my entire family was transfixed to the TV, just like so many other families from that time, and watching the events unfold in real time, and watching Walter Cronkite wiping tears from his face and trying to keep his composure, said something to me as a young boy about this country and empathy and watching the movie with Cliff Robertson about President Kennedy's PT109 heroics.

For those of us that were in some ways joined in history from that time and place, I go back and see my beloved mother crying in my minds eye every year at this time ........as I do now and think what it could have been .........and then later in life as many of thousands have done .......gone to Arlington .......to pay my respects to a young president and what he could have done ,if had had not been killed.......