Journey to the JFK Funeral

(previously posted on Facebook)




JFK was assassinated on November 22, 1963, and his funeral was near the end of the month, not yet December but close, and cold weather was drawing in hourly in Washington.

We left Charleston WV early in November 24, after the assassination and Mrs Kennedy's sad trip home from Dallas to the White House. Traveling in my fairly new Chevy Corvair, a hot little four-place "roadster" convertible with a strong little engine and a stick shift, we avoided busy US 60 and blew through the mountains, Summersville, then Richwood, Marlinton ... through the Allegheny Mountains and into Virginia. Just as we settled down into the glorious Shenandoah Valley and began the turn up U.S. 11, it was past dawn but still early, and a bulletin came over the radio announcing that someone named Jack Ruby, who ran a strip joint in Dallas, had talked his way into the Dallas jail and, in front of cops, cameras and the world - shot down Lee Harvey Oswald, the suspect in the assassination.

Johnny, in his wise and thoughtful manner, remarked, "Mother fucker ... somebody's trying to cover this thing up"!

The whole nation was thinking the same thing.

Every hotel in the eastern seaboard was booked as virtually millions of people from all over the world were flocking to the Capitol to pay their respects. We planned to bunk in with my brother Boniface, and his family, who was then a Major in the Army, I believe, quartered at Ft Meade, Md, a very large military base just outside of DC. Gladys knew we were coming, had combed the Washington Post and Evening Star for funeral arrangements and details, and 
had a great lunch all ready. Quick naps and showers prepared us for what we suspected would be s long time on our feet.

We had no idea.


-More on this post tomorrow-