Journey to the JFK Funeral, part 2

(previously posted on Facebook)

Preparing for cool weather, we loaded up my Spider with thermos' of hot coffee that Gladys McClung made fresh. Johnny, thoughtfully, grabbed a quart of scotch from the Major's liquor cabinet as we him at Ft Meade, (the assassination had placed the entire Federal City on high-alert, forcing ranked-officers like him to be placed in duty for the foreseeable future - he was at the Pentagon, I believe) and left for Capitol Hill.

The First Lady, with the help of Attorney General Robert F Kennedy and his brother-in-law, R. Sargent Shriver, new Director of one of the late President's pet projects -the Peace Corps - had personally made every arrangement for the entire post-assassination official schedule - down to who would stand where, all flowers at the White House, and every pallbearer. I have read that she set all personal trauma aside in order to insure that the slain President was given the historic burial this historic tragedy his life deserved. From our personal perspective, and that of the world television audience, Jacqueline Kennedy surpassed everyone's expectations. 
The President's body - in a closed coffin, as his injuries were said to be impossible to would lie in state in the East Room of the White House for 24 hours, for visits by foreign heads of state and American dignitaries, then be transported on Sunday, November 24, 1963, to Capitol Hill - on a horse-drawn wagon - as President Abraham Lincoln had been, so Members of Congress could pay their respects.

Johnny, Chuck and I left Brother Boniface's residence at Ft George Gordon Meade ( after a fine leader of Lincoln's Union Army) headed down the George Washington Parkway, exited on East Capitol Avenue and - with wild luck - found enough room close to the Capitol to squeeze the car to the curb, and immediately confronted the next problem... the line, which ended at the Capitol, actually began on North Capitol Street, then headed east about forty long blocks, turned south for four, then west - back toward the Capitol- for another forty blocks. 
And, now about 8p, the weather had turned even colder ... now almost freezing.

As we looked at this line, the prospects dimmed. I told Chuck, "Nephew, we may have bitten off more than we could chew". 
Johnny had a better idea. "We probably need to round up another bottle of scotch"!
Across the street to a liquor store for extra scotch, around another dark corner for whizzing all around, and we found the end of the line - not single file but about ten people wide, and untold miles long.

As we joined this mass of mourners, the temperature was steadily dropping. It was about 730p in the 24th of November.

- more on this story tomorrow-