president to be killed in office, but the first whose death was caught on film.
22, 1963, Kennedy’s unfulfilled promise has become a symbol of the lost nobility of politics.ĭespite the many scandals that have since become attached to his name, he is seen as a president who enlisted his fellow countrymen in lofty goals ― like putting a man on the Moon ― “not because they are easy, but because they are hard.” Obama later led a moment of silence as he met with supporters of the Peace Corps, the humanitarian organization launched by Kennedy which endures to this day.Ĭut down in his first term at the age of 46 as he was driven through Dallas, Texas in an open-top limousine on Nov. “Let us face today’s tests by beckoning the spirit he embodied ― that fearless, resilient, uniquely American character that has always driven our nation to defy the odds, write our own destiny, and make the world anew.” “Today and in the decades to come, let us carry his legacy forward,” Obama wrote Thursday. In a proclamation ordering flags be lowered at government buildings and even private homes, Obama recalled Kennedy’s leadership in the Cuban missile crisis, his speech in Berlin and his drive to advance the rights of African Americans and women. the gun shot by one man that killed a president in whom many of us had set our hopes and dreams for a better America,” intoned Bishop Kevin Farrell of the Catholic Diocese of Dallas.Ī steady stream of mourners visited Kennedy’s tomb in Arlington National Cemetery outside Washington, where two kilted pipers from the Black Watch of the British army repeated a tribute their regiment performed at his funeral 50 years ago.Īcross the Atlantic too, Kennedy was remembered.Ī wreath-laying ceremony was held in the Berlin neighborhood where Kennedy gave his famed Cold War-era “Ich bin ein Berliner” speech to a rapturous crowd. “You, Lord, have lifted us up from the horrible tragedy enacted in this place. as a moment of silence marked the time that the deadly shots burst forth from the sixth floor of a book depository in Dallas, Texas. The ringing of church bells filled Dealey Plaza at 12:30 p.m. “Today, we honor his memory and celebrate his enduring imprint on American history,” President Barack Obama declared. The young leader’s brutal death, a dark turning point even in an era gripped by the Cold War nuclear stand-off and bloodshed in the jungles of Vietnam, shocked the world.įive decades on the wound is still raw, with many still obsessed by the conspiracy theories surrounding his death, and others gripped by regret for the America they imagine might have been.Īcross the nation, at ceremonies large and small, many took comfort in reflecting upon the words of a charismatic man whose soaring rhetoric and call to service continues to inspire.
Kennedy and a generation’s shattered dreams, cut down 50 years ago by an assassin’s bullet.
Kennedy’s grave marker at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, Friday.ĭALLAS (AFP) ― With flags fluttering at half-staff, the United States paused Friday to mourn President John F.
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