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A Boomer’s View of The Assassinations of President Kennedy, Martin Luther King, and Robert Kennedy

By cybrscrybe | Published December 7, 2025 | 1 Comment

The impact of the assassinations of President Kennedy, Martin Luther King, and Robert Kennedy, in such a short span, left an indelible mark on my teenage years. I remember being glued to the TV in November 1963 (as a 13-year-old), shocked and confused as the news broke about President Kennedy’s death—his youthful energy and promise for the country suddenly extinguished. The Kennedys (John, Jacqueline, Carolyn and John, Jr. and the lost baby) were our metaphor of royalty. They even earned the title of “Camelot” in the media.

From Jackie’s indubitable fashion statements to her rendition of the Rose Garden (now destroyed by Trump), to the young grieving widow with two small children, she stayed in our imaginations years after the assassination. Many of us followed her and her children’s progress through the years to watch her relationship with the rich shipping magnate, Aristotle Onassis. We cheered on Carolyn Kennedy as she grew, and grieved when John, Jr. died in a plane crash years later.

During the time of the assassination, many hours on TV were spent viewing the footage of the shooting over and over again. Most viewers were enthralled with being able to watch history taking place live on a medium that was relatively young. Watching law enforcement’s progress with finding the assassin, to the arrest of Lee Harvey Oswald was a new experience for most Americans.  And the shock of actually seeing the assassination of Lee Harvey Oswald by Jack Ruby as he was being escorted into jail, left many of us with vivid memories and the creation of many conspiracy theories over the years.

The shock and awe of the assassination followed by the arrest and murder of Lee Harvey Oswald was balanced with the emotional experience of watching the train with Kennedy’s body crossing through seven states. Even though we didn’t live in one of those states, we all felt the emotions and grieved with those waving to the train from the platforms. The fact that we could grieve along with other Americans helped us feel closer to our countrymen. And all due to the miracle of this relatively new medium of TV.  Some of us had just gotten colored TV’s a few years earlier.

Over the next five years, the use of that new medium, TV, became a household staple. Families, students, and all those interested in world affairs were able to learn about events happening on a real time basis.  We didn’t have to wait until the newspapers came out, or listen to scratchy radio talk, to learn about current events. Many of those events were the Civil Rights movements, and the new cultural shifts in the 1960’s. Along with watching those civil rights marches and the views of the “hippie” movement in Haight Asbury, the viewers were also getting mixed reviews of the Vietnam War and America’s place in it.

The horror and emotions from Kennedy’s death returned just five years later with the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King. His leadership in the Civil Rights Movement had inspired hope and courage, and his loss felt deeply personal, even to those of us still trying to understand the complexities of race in America.

Then, only months after Dr. King’s death, we woke to the devastating news that Robert Kennedy had been shot while campaigning for president. For a teenager at the time, it felt as if all optimism for positive change was being systematically taken away. The nation was in mourning, and our generation was left searching for meaning amidst the chaos, struggling to process a world that suddenly seemed far more uncertain and dangerous than we had ever imagined.

Other Baby Boomers are encouraged to add their experiences and remembrances to these thoughts.  Where. Were YOU when……????…

Email your answers to cybrscrybe@verizon.net or comment on my Learningbyts Blog @http://learningbyts.net/WordPressBlog/byts-of-history/

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