Every American was lucky Saturday when a would-be assassin failed in his attempt to kill former President Donald Trump. I say that after remembering the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963.

I wrote about that assassination 25 years later and it continued to bring back sad memories. For young idealists in 1963, JFK represented a new age and a break from the politics of World War II, the recovery years and the Korean Conflict.

Kennedy said it best in his inaugural address on Jan. 20, 1961.

“Let the word go forth from this time and place to friend and foe alike, that the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans…,” he said. “Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall  pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and success of liberty…

“And so, my fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.”

The late Louisiana Gov. Buddy Roemer said many times that Kennedy was directly responsible for his political career. He mentioned the time he heard Kennedy at Harvard and what an influence it had on his future ambitions.

In 1988, the historian at the Arlington National Cemetery said visitors to Kennedy’s grave couldn’t help but remember that fateful day.

“A lot of memories come back,” she said. “People don’t just remember Kennedy’s assassination. They remember that whole period of their lives, their families, their friends. People tell me they remember smells, sounds.”

Walter Cronkite, the respected TV newsman, explained how it felt when he learned Kennedy had died.

“This one really struck home,” he recalled. “This was tearing the guts out.

“It was when you finally had to say the word, officially, that he was dead that it really impacted in the way it did.”

An assistant White House press secretary at the time said he remembers the horror and tears on reporters’ faces when he told them President Kennedy was dead.

The United States was on a roll in 1963. It was definitely the best of times and the future looked brighter than ever. That’s why we felt so cheated when Lee Harvey Oswald, for whatever reason, fired those fatal shots that killed the president in Dallas on Nov. 22, 1963.

I wrote in 1988 that while there might have been scattered rejoicing at JFK’s death, the general mood of the nation was one of irreplaceable loss. Americans mourned for four dark days that November.

The AP reported Sunday that other presidents who were assassinated were Abraham Lincoln in 1865,  James Garfield in 1881, and William McKinley in 1901.

Robert F. Kennedy, JFK’s brother and a Democratic presidential candidate, was killed in 1968. George C. Wallace, another Democratic presidential candidate, was shot in 1972 but survived.

The AP said six presidents were assassination victims and survived.

Former President Theodore Roosevelt, who had served two terms as president, was shot in Milwaukee in 1912 while running as a third party candidate. He wasn’t seriously hurt.

Franklin D. Roosevelt, president-elect in February 1933, wasn’t injured but a shooting while he was giving a speech killed Chicago Mayor Anton Cermak.

Harry S. Truman was staying across the street from the White House in November 1950 when two gunmen broke in. He wasn’t injured but a White House policeman and one of the assailants were killed.

Gerald Ford faced two assassination attempts within weeks in 1975 and was not hurt in either incident.

Ronald Reagan was shot in March 1981, but recovered. James Brady, his press secretary, was partially paralyzed as a result.

George W. Bush was attending a rally in Tbilisi in 2005 when a hand grenade landed about 100 feet away. It didn’t’ explode and no one was hurt.

The nation has been spared the turmoil it might have faced Saturday. While there is closely divided and bitter political disagreement in this country, we still have an opportunity to make our presidential choices on Nov. 5, 2024.

Jim Beam, the retired editor of the American Press, has covered people and politics for more than six decades. Contact him at 337-515-8871 or jim.beam.press@gmail.com.

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