A colleague's hurtful comments over the JFK assassination: The pain continues

As most of you know, I rarely talk about President Kennedy's assassination. It totally traumatized me as a young boy of nine. I must share this now: This was the singly most traumatic event of my childhood, even more traumatic than when I was very ill as a kid, or when I was in an emergency landing of a fiery airliner at age twelve. 

My internal trauma

 

I was totally traumatized and horrified over the JFK assassination. I was glued to the television for 4 days straight. I cried and pounded the floor repeatedly. I was in as much of a grieving state as possible for a little boy anywhere in America. 

Suddenly this man, who was only a little older than my father and who had given me so much hope, had been murdered by a madman in a city called Dallas and in a state called Texas that was southeast of my home state of California.

A colleague's hurtful comment

Years later I was siting in the faculty room at the school where I was an educator. A woman who was at least 12 years older than me started talking about the assassination of President Kennedy. She mentioned that she was in college at the time. I stated that I was in fourth grade at the time and that I was very adversely affected and traumatized by the event. She very cruelly stated: "Oh no Kevin. You don't remember that. You were too young at that time."

I do remember

 

To my colleague who knows who she is but who will remain nameless: I DO remember the assassination of President Kennedy and I was totally traumatized and mortified by this event. Not only do I remember this horrible event, but I lived through it and I will never forget! I stayed up all night for four nights. I saw tens of thousands of people pass by the President's casket in the Capitol Rotunda. I saw the First Lady and daughter Caroline kneel at the coffin. I saw Caroline step back to get John-John to bring him to the coffin as well. I saw Oswald get shot live by Jack Ruby. I watched every single second of the President's funeral. I saw Mrs. Kennedy walking with her blood stained dress. I saw John-John salute his father's horse drawn caisson as it went by and I saw it live! And I cried. And I cried. And I cried until there was nothing left for me to do but to keep crying, and then cry even more.

And the pain continues to this day and it will never end, not ever!

Never underestimate the trauma of major events on children. Never.

How dare you!

 

Don't ever tell me what I do or do not remember about a tragedy in my childhood. To my former colleague: How dare you ever judge what does or does not affect me, or what I remember from my childhood. How DARE YOU!! John F. Kennedy was the singly most inspirational and hopeful leader of my lifetime. Colleague: You will never take that away from me! Worry about your own memory. If it is as lacking as your compassion for others, there is nothing there!!