A Moment We’ll Never Forget: When 3-Year-Old John F. Kennedy Jr. Saluted His Father’s Casket
It’s Hard to Believe, but It’s Been 60 Year's Since the Former 35Th President, John F. Kennedy Was Assassinated on November 22, 1963 in Dallas, Texas...
It’s hard to believe, but it’s been 60 years since the former 35th president, John F. Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 1963 in Dallas, Texas.
Identifying and apprehending the culprit was a notoriously difficult endeavor — 42 groups, 82 assassins, and 214 people have been accused of JFK’s assassination. Ultimately, it was concluded that the president was fatally shot by former U.S. Marine Lee Harvey Oswald.
The tragedy captured the attention not only of Americans, but the entire world.
November 22, 1963
On the day of the assassination, a villain may have shot the president, but heroes were present, too.
Secret service agent Clint Hill is well known for working for no less than five American presidents, including the late John F. Kennedy.
Hill showed true heroism that day, preventing further injury to the president and sheltering former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy from the attack.
Sadly, the seasoned secret service agent’s valiant effort could not save the president. JFK was later pronounced dead at the hospital. He was buried three days later on November 25th, 1963.
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November 25, 1963
While it’s unclear whether JFK Jr. learned how to salute on the day of his father’s burial or prior, one thing is for certain “John-John” saluting his father’s funeral procession was the moment of the day.
There are some reports that say the three-year-old had been working on his salute for months so that he would be able to do it alongside his father during a visit to the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery. While other reports suggest Jacqueline asked a secret service agent to keep her son entertained and the agent along with military escorts kept John occupied by teaching him the military salute.
Whatever the case, when JFK’s funeral caisson passed, John-John raised his hand and saluted his father.
“I don’t think there was a dry eye from the highest ranking general to the lowest private,” Hill told Piers Morgan on CNN.
Alexander Ross has covered the video game industry for a decade, writing deep dives on game design, esports tournaments, VR developments, and gaming culture.
