Saturday, November 23, 2013

What Jackie Saw

A picture paints a thousand words, in this case, a series of photos.  It's been plastered all over our media this week.  The moments leading up to and immediately after President John F. Kennedy was shot. For many people this moment and this footage will be etched into our memory.
 

However, what sticks with me isn't necessarily picked up by the camera.  It is the sheer terror of what Jackie would have seen and gone through in the immediate seconds after her husband was shot.  You wouldn't  wish that on anyone.  From what we know of the extent of his injuries, there really would be no hope that he would have survived something like that and I guess at that time, so would have she.

One minute he is sitting there waving to passers-by, the next minute, he's keeled over, blood everywhere and a good chunk of his head is gone.  The car is still moving, there is no one immediately there to help. At the same time, it dawns on you that your own survival is at stake, so you try to escape over the back of the car.

The sheer terror of going through something like that.  To see body parts of a loved one that should be well hidden.  The conundrum of fight or flight.  Adrenaline kicking in with shock and wanting to know what has just happened?

It's a lovely day, of course a drive in a convertible is a good idea. You're with your husband, the American people are out to see their President.  Who would have thought what happened, happened.



Picture from: 
http://media.smithsonianmag.com/images/zapruder-jfk-assassination-631.jpg