HISTORY: Dealey Plaza, Site of JFK Assassination

`WHAT: Dealey Plaza in Dallas, Texas, is the site of the November 22, 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy. While riding in an open-air limosine with wife Jacqueline and Texas Governor John Connally and wife, crowds heard three shots that killed Kennedy and wounded Connally - with Lee Harvey Oswald becoming the United States' government's official assassin.

WHY: Saturday was a sunny afternoon in Dallas, when I found myself staring at the painted "X" marking the spot of the fatal head wound that ended John F. Kennedy's life and presidency. It seemed that not much had changed in nearly 44 years - the images of the historical Zapruder film imprinted firmly in my mind - as a scattered gathering of folks wandered about Dealey Plaza. Small-time entrepreneurs and a few homeless men were selling assassination pamphlets or DVD copies of the Zapruder film, and the museum that now resides in the former Texas Book Depository attracted visitors. Those that were alive and old enough back in '63 know exactly where they were when they heard about the assassination - I remember my father telling me he heard it while driving across the San Mateo Bridge in California.

Standing there today, thinking back on a time when things were supposed to be better - or perhaps they were the end of better days - made me think: the best day is the present, and it's what you make of it. In the film, Kennedy is smiling and waving in the sunshine, just seconds away from the end of his life. As I looked around Dealey Plaza, I thought that there should be something there, a bigger tribute to an assassinated American president, instead of cracking concrete, fading paint, and a few out of town tourists finding something to entertain them. Then I remembered the Eternal Flame at Kennedy's grave, and remembered that this wasn't supposed to be good place. Whether or not you believe in conspiracy theories regarding the assassination - it does seem highly unlikely that Oswald could have been alone - standing at the site of a place you know so well - and the emotional resonance of a nation divided - that, president or not, here was where someone's life ended.

Looking at that footage, being in that place, and reflecting on events of today makes me realize that you must be able to stand behind your thoughts, keep an open mind to the possibilities, and like Kennedy in the moments before those bullets, have a smile on your face.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_F._Kennedy_assassination

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