Sixty years later, America remembers and honors the life and legacy of President Kennedy, who was not only a charismatic leader, but also a visionary, a reformer, a hero, and a martyr. I was a Kennedy Kid, born four days after he took the Oath of Office, and I was 2¾ years old when he was assassinated, so I don’t really have any memories of the event. (I’m told my mother dropped me when they broke into programming to announce it, but my siblings told me lots of false things to mess with me.)
Kennedy was born on May 29, 1917, in Brookline, Massachusetts, to a wealthy and influential family. He graduated from Harvard University in 1940, and joined the U.S. Naval Reserve in 1941. During World War II, he commanded a series of PT boats in the Pacific theater, and earned the Navy and Marine Corps Medal for his bravery and leadership in rescuing his crew after their boat was sunk by a Japanese destroyer. He also suffered from chronic back pain and other health problems, which he endured with courage and stoicism.
After the war, Kennedy pursued a career in politics, following the footsteps of his father and older brother. He served as a U.S. Representative from 1947 to 1953, and as a U.S. Senator from 1953 to 1960. He also wrote a Pulitzer Prize-winning book, Profiles in Courage, which highlighted the acts of moral courage by eight U.S. Senators. In 1953, he married Jacqueline Bouvier, a socialite and journalist, with whom he had four children, two of whom died in infancy.
In 1960, Kennedy became the youngest person ever elected president of the United States, and the first Catholic to hold the office. He faced many challenges and crises during his presidency, such as the Cold War, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Bay of Pigs Invasion, the Berlin Wall, the Space Race, the Civil Rights Movement, and the Vietnam War. He also initiated many programs and policies to promote peace, progress, and prosperity, such as the Peace Corps, the Alliance for Progress, the Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty, the New Frontier, and the Apollo program. He inspired millions of Americans and people around the world with his eloquence, charisma, and idealism. He famously said, “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.”
Kennedy's assassination was a tragic and traumatic event that shook the nation and the world. It also sparked many conspiracy theories and controversies that persist to this day. However, Kennedy's legacy lives on in the hearts and minds of those who admire and respect him, and in the institutions and initiatives that he founded or supported. Kennedy was a man of courage, vision, and hope, who dedicated his life to serving his country and humanity. He once said, “A man may die, nations may rise and fall, but an idea lives on.” Kennedy's ideas and ideals still live on, and we honor him by striving to uphold them.
Rest in power, Mr. President.