Triumph and Tragedy
Six seconds. Six seconds on a bright, sunny day in Dallas inflamed me with guilt. Six seconds and three shots shattered my family on the Kennedy detail. Those six seconds in Dallas happened because I failed to protect him. I allowed an assassin to put a bullet through the head of the most powerful man on the planet. The sounds of millions gasping at the sight of a dead president will forever be etched into my mind. November 22, 1963 is a day I will never forget.
The 1960 election of John F. Kennedy brought new hope to the United States. He was a young, handsome man full of vigor and enthusiasm. I was honored to learn that I was assigned to serve on the Kennedy detail. I was Mrs. Kennedy’s special agent in charge, but I will admit I was disappointed at …show more content…
The Boss would be at a bird’s eye view from the top of one of those buildings. It’s supposed to be nice out and a lot of the office employees will have their windows open. We’re opening up a prime target for someone to pull a gun on him” (Blaine 187).
I responded agreeing with Agent Lawson, “If we preform our duties to the best of our abilities we shouldn’t run into any problems.”
We left Washington aboard Air Force One around 11 a.m. on November 21 (US Government). We were en route to Andrews Air Force Base in San Antonio (US Government). Sleep was valued and rare on these trips. I was required to have an agent or myself protecting Mrs. Kennedy all hours of the day. (Blaine 160). Upon arriving in Fort Worth, Roy Kellerman informed me I would be working the motorcade in Dallas. Motorcades were stressful because the President would be in close proximity to the general public.
The lack of sleep caused me to doze off until I heard the pilot come over the speaker, “Fasten your seatbelts we have arrived at Andrews Air Force
Six seconds. Six seconds on a bright, sunny day in Dallas inflamed me with guilt. Six seconds and three shots shattered my family on the Kennedy detail. Those six seconds in Dallas happened because I failed to protect him. I allowed an assassin to put a bullet through the head of the most powerful man on the planet. The sounds of millions gasping at the sight of a dead president will forever be etched into my mind. November 22, 1963 is a day I will never forget.
The 1960 election of John F. Kennedy brought new hope to the United States. He was a young, handsome man full of vigor and enthusiasm. I was honored to learn that I was assigned to serve on the Kennedy detail. I was Mrs. Kennedy’s special agent in charge, but I will admit I was disappointed at …show more content…
The Boss would be at a bird’s eye view from the top of one of those buildings. It’s supposed to be nice out and a lot of the office employees will have their windows open. We’re opening up a prime target for someone to pull a gun on him” (Blaine 187).
I responded agreeing with Agent Lawson, “If we preform our duties to the best of our abilities we shouldn’t run into any problems.”
We left Washington aboard Air Force One around 11 a.m. on November 21 (US Government). We were en route to Andrews Air Force Base in San Antonio (US Government). Sleep was valued and rare on these trips. I was required to have an agent or myself protecting Mrs. Kennedy all hours of the day. (Blaine 160). Upon arriving in Fort Worth, Roy Kellerman informed me I would be working the motorcade in Dallas. Motorcades were stressful because the President would be in close proximity to the general public.
The lack of sleep caused me to doze off until I heard the pilot come over the speaker, “Fasten your seatbelts we have arrived at Andrews Air Force