Where Were You 57 Years Ago?

November 22nd, 1963. 57 years ago. I remember that day. I was in third grade (don't remember what class I was in.) Whatever subject we were being taught, we were interrupted via the classroom loud speaker by the principal of my school.

In a broken voice, our school principal announced to us all that President Kennedy had been shot. At that time he didn't have any other information. There was such a hush in the room and I could see the shocked look on my teacher's face.

After school, when I got home, my parents had the television on and we watched the events unfold along with the broadcast from Walter Cronkite as he announced to the world that President John F. Kennedy had died from gunshot wounds.

Our world turned upside down so quickly. I don't remember much after that concerning our daily routine at school, but I'm sure most of the conversations were about the assassination and how the death of our President would affect us going forward.

I was only eight years old, and was trying to understand all that was going on. Then the assassination of Lee Harvey Oswald by Jack Ruby just made a horrible situation just that much more unsettling for all of America and the world.

I remember being glued to the television during the time President John F. Kennedy's body laid in state in the Capitol Rotunda where a quarter of a million people came by to pay their respects.

The funeral and procession to Arlington National Cemetery was a hard thing to process for an eight year old. I along with everyone else who watched, were so moved then John F. Kennedy Jr. saluted his father.

57 years. So long ago, yet it doesn't seem that long ago to me. Sometimes I wonder what our nation and the world would be like if it never happened.