A DAY TO REMEMBER
Undoubtedly to all of us the news of the assassination of
President Kennedy came as a sudden shock never to be forgot
ten. Its impact left me numb and confused. I kept telling my
self that this was not true, someone played a gruesome, dis
tasteful joke on the American people.
Events proved to be determined to turn these dark hours
into pitch black pages of history while the world looked on
helplessly and ashamed. I, an alien-born American citizen,
felt no less responsible for this tragedy than any other
American did at that moment.
It was on Saturday night, November 23rd, that my husband
and I and another American couple, decided to leave for g
Washington. I would like to relate the immense meaningful
experience we encountered in ONE SINGLE minute while passing
by his coffin - for which act we spent 17 hours in total, 10
hours traveling and 7 hours standing in 42° temperature.
We left New York City at
2:30 a.m. Sunday morning and
5 hours later, the sky, show
ing faint traces of an ever-
rising sun, we drove into the
suburbs of Washington D.C. If
we had expected to find a
bustling city, we were proven
wrong. It was quiet, clean and
serene
We drove immediately to the
White House where the atmos
phere was no less than its su
burbs Only a few flags remin
ded the visitor of a tragic
event. A pale sun was illumi
nating the magnificent sight
of the stately building and as
we stopped and stared between
the spikes of the gate sur
rounding this structure we
noticed from a far several
huge watch dogs roaming
around while guards stood
motionless. It was my very
first (and perhaps my very
last) visit to our capital.
We were hungry, tired and
cold. It took a while before
we found a coffee shop open
at such an early hour. It
seemed that the entire police
force shared our physical
problems because the counter
looked blue of the many uni
forms
At 10:15 a.m. we were told
that to enter the Rotunda we
had to stand in line which
would prevent us from seeing
the procession. We had come^v
to pay respect to him, not tcr
see a spectacle. Thus, we
joined the then 3 blocks long
line. It was cold, people
filed in behind us in a steady
stream. Accents from all pos
sible states of the U.S. were
heard. What amazed me was the
fact that parents with child
ren in age from 4 months and
up, were standing in line.
People talked to each other
without even knowing each
