Introduction

The assassination of President John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963, left a profound and lasting impact on countless individuals, including young children. This article explores the impact of this tragic event on the Thanksgiving weekend that followed, focusing on the personal memories of a six-year-old child who witnessed the motorcade and, a few years later, began to question the official narrative of the assassination.

The Timing and Context

As a six-year-old, the memories of November 22, 1963, were overshadowed by the sudden and shocking events that unfolded. The day of the assassination, November 22, 1963, was a Friday. Thanksgiving, celebrated four days later, on Thursday, November 28, 1963, was the first major holiday after the tragic event. This article delves into the personal experiences and reflections of a young child on that fateful weekend and the years that followed.

The Assassination and Its Immediate Aftermath

The assassination of JFK was a pivotal moment in history that left Americans in a state of shock and mourning. For a young child, the immediate impact was that there was a sudden absence of favorite TV shows and outlets of entertainment. Everything shut down, even television programming, as the nation grieved. The week following the assassination was a somber time, with live coverage of Oswald's arrest and death, and the funeral of President Kennedy.

Everything ceased for four straight days, the narrator reflects. There was no normalcy, and people were grappling with the unprecedented loss and uncertainty that followed. Movies were not showing, and most businesses were closed. Broadway and casinos in Las Vegas also shut down, demonstrating the widespread impact of the event on the nation's psyche.

The four-day gap and Thanksgiving

Although the assassination took place on a Friday, four days later, on Thanksgiving, the country was still deeply in mourning. The narrator explains, Thanksgiving that year was full of much sadness and it was a mostly quiet very somber affair — with a lot of adults asking me about each and every detail of what I had seen. The event took place three days after the funeral, underscoring the intense emotions and concerns of the nation during this period.

Personal Reflections and Remembrance

On the day of the assassination, the child was in Dallas, watching the motorcade pass by, an event that has stayed with them throughout their life. Despite being a small child at the time, the experience left a lasting impression, and it wasn't until ten years later, after watching the movie Jacqueline Kennedy: A New Life, that the narrator began to question the official story of JFK's death.

The article concludes with a reflection on the impact of the assassination on a young child and the transition from innocence to awareness of a complex and often unsettling world. The memories of that Thanksgiving weekend, so somber and reflective, remain a poignant reminder of a pivotal moment in American history.