50 Years Ago

Last week marked the 50 th anniversary of JFK's assassination .I was sitting in my 3rd grade class and I can still hear Mrs Gaskill crying as the news came over the intercom.It was one of the saddest periods in our countries history.All the events were broadcast over all 3 of our tv channels which were picked up over an antennae which we installed on our roof.Russia was our countries biggest threat and many of our richest neighbors had bomb shelters.At school we had bomb drills where we would literally get under our desks in case of an attack.Seems crazy now when I think back on it.At first everyone was sure the Russians were responsible.The Kennedy's were the family everyone wanted to be like-all good looking,smart, rich.John Kennedy could inspire an entire nation with his speeches and made us feel like nothing was impossible.He challenged us to put a man on the moon and we did!He stood up to Castro in Cuba and Krueschef in Russia -He seemed invincible .He inherited a war in Vietnam .Their was also a racial split in the country.Schools were segregated.Blacks rode in the back of the bus and they had separate bathrooms and drinking fountains.All those things seem ridiculous now but not back then.A lady named Eva Lou Ragland lived with us for about a year-she was black.The Klue Klux Klan KKK burned a cross in our yard.It was a challenging time for everyone,especially the president.He inspired us to serve with the phase "Ask not what your country can do for you ,but what you can do for your country."He started the Peace Corp.An organization that young people joined to serve others for two years.He inspired us to better.We lost a president 50 years ago but individually and as a nation we lost much more that day.We lost hope and we lost our innocence.In some ways we still mourn as we grasp to understand mans inhumanity to man.In the span of a few years Bobby Kennedy -the presidents brother and Martin Luther King a black preacher and Civil Rights leader were also taken by assassin's bullets.We have our share of problems in this country but we are making progress.And yes there is always hope.