I wasn't born yet, but I can say what my parents told me about that day. My sister had just been born, and they were living in a trailer park in Lodi, NJ. The news came on the radio about the President and my father came home from work early because the print shop had closed as soon as they found out. A few people in the trailer park left for PA because they thought there might be a war with Russian and being so close to NYC they didn't want to be around if it happened. My parents said it was the 4 saddest days they can remember, wondering what was going to happen next. JFK was my hero growing up, and I read everything I could about him. No matter what stories keep surfacing about his way of life before and during the Presidency, he is still a hero to me.

We had worked through the night before putting #3 main engine back together prior to taking USS Sablefish (SS-303) from New London to Portsmouth for an overhaul. We got underway at 8:30 a.m. or so -- and I caught the 8-12 AER throttle watch and hit the rack deep in Hogan's Alley. I just collapsed. When they got me up for the nightside 8-12, I stumbled into the crew's mess to pick up coffee and a sandwich. it took me a coupla seconds to tumble to the fact that"something" terrible had happened. The radio was on and I heard an announcer say something like"the President died at 1:30, etc." and my first thought was that some banana republic assassination had taken place. Some banana republic. I may have been one of the last people on the face of the earth to learn of the murder -- probably not -- but it sure felt lonesome. And it was one long watch that night.

I was in New London in the GM enginering school. Our instructor was named (Ski)He got a phone call and when he got off he broke down and cried. He then told us that the PRESIDENT had been shot and it was confirmed that he was dead. Needless to say school was shut down and we were all given leave until the next week.

I was sitting in a bar, having taken off work at noon to get a early start on the deer hunting traffic. The bar was right across the street from work and I just happened to live upstairs of the bar at that time. Needless to say, when my fellow hunters showed up we were glued to the TV, waiting on further news about the Presidents condition. By the time we left to drive to the northern Wisconsin hunting area we had picked we were in a depressed state, wondering if we would have need of our deer rifles for targets other than deer. I was 12 days past my reserve obligation (2 yrs.) after my 4 in the navy, but I was ready to go if called.

At Fleet Sonar School Key West, FL TAD from construction crew of USS John Adams SSBN 620 blue. Classes were dismissed for the day at noon. We went to the drinkery on the beach and followed the story on the tube. Everyone was bummed.

Evening meal, steak, baked potato, green beans, coffee: the old man hit the 1MC and announced, "this is the captain, the president has been assassinated, Cutler is down, man battle stations, set condition 1SQ" a very long time later we secured, a very long time. In spite of my rate the captain liked me on the helm, why I never will know, but I sat and listened to all that went on that day, it still brings a shiver. It was about 20 years later the first time I ever saw the funeral or any of the video.