'It’s Hard To Imagine Any Event Having The Same Impact Today'
"In an instant, optimism turned to despair," says reader who recalls feeling "strong, unusual, and sophisticated emotions" as a child when JFK was killed
[This is part of a continuing series of recollections of Nov. 22, 1963. Submit your JFK story in the comments sections here: “Where Were You When?”]
Steffen Saifer
“There is only one thing on my bucket list; I don’t want to die without knowing the truth about JFK’s assassination.” I have said this to my wife, children, and friends many times over the last few years, but I have been thinking it for decades.
I was 12 years old sitting in my middle-school music class when we heard the news. It was so visceral and monumental that no one questioned that we needed to go home. I have yet to meet any American of my generation whose school did not close as soon as the news came through. It’s hard to imagine any event having the same impact today. Why? I think Kennedy embodied the American ideal; an America at its best with even better days to come. The “face” of America was as thoughtful, witty, …
