Premium Essay

The Motorcade: A Short Story

Submitted By
Words 524
Pages 3
“‘They killed him! I screamed in disbelief, They killed him!’” My words sounded foreign to my ears. Even as I mumbled this phrase, it seemed completely incomprehensible, but I knew it was true. However, I’m getting ahead of myself.
It was November 22, 1963. Waking up on a gloomy day I had known Kennedy was coming to Dallas. The clouds made me question whether I should try to film the presidential motorcade. I thought to myself, Would the film even turn out well with such horrid weather? I am no cameraman.
Leaving my home and replacing the camera in my hand with an umbrella, I headed off to work. Crowds fill the streets hours before President Kennedy’s arrival. As I entered my office in the Dal-Tex building near Dealey Plaza my secretary had mentioned how the …show more content…
I thought…” My words were cut short as my secretary gasped in shock.
“YOU DIDN’T BRING YOUR CAMERA! GO BACK TO YOUR HOUSE! HURRY THE MOTORCADE IS ABOUT TO BEGIN!”
“Okay, okay.” I chuckled at how persistent she was.
I raced home, swung the door open and was out in a flash with my Bell & Howell Director Series Model 414 Zoomatic camera in hand. Heading back to the Dal-Tex building I spotted the perfect location to film.
Now standing on a concrete abutment, I have a panoramic view of the motorcade as the presidential limousine makes its way down Elm Street. Keeping my hands steady, I slowly raise my camera and hold down the RUN button to begin filming.
President Kennedy and First Lady Jackie wave left and right to the proud Dallas citizens crowding the edges of Elm Street. Everyone was smiling and cheering in awe, and families were having picnics on the vivid green grassy hill with the sun shining brightly. It’s as if nothing could ruin such a perfect day. Then I heard it. A gunshot. A bullet breaking through the air. I froze hearing it for a second time. Unable to move, my finger still holds down the RUN button capturing events that would be permanently etched in my

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Jfk Assassination

...JFK Assassination: Are the Conspiracies Accurate? In 1976, the US Senate ordered a fresh inquiry into the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, who was murdered in 1963 during a motorcade in Dallas, Texas while campaigning for re-election. People who had been involved in the original Warren Commission investigations were asked to make fresh statements. The FBI and the CIA were persuaded to release more of their documents on Oswald. New lines of inquiry were opened and individuals who had not previously given evidence were persuaded to come forward. Most important of all, pieces of evidence such as photos and sound recordings were subjected to scientific analysis using the most up-to-date methods and equipment. The House Select Committee on Assassinations (HSCA) completed their investigation in 1979 and they finally came to a discrete verdict that Lee Harvey Oswald fired three shots at Kennedy, one of which killed the president. A fourth shot was fired from the grassy knoll, which was contradictory to the statement printed by the Warren Commission 16 years earlier. However, the HSCA could not determine who the second gunman was, and how he was in relation to Oswald. If the Warren Committee had been thorough and not corrupt the first time, the second investigation would never have been necessary. However, because of government negligence and corruption, we still to this day do not know who really killed President Kennedy.        The public became more interested in the...

Words: 2417 - Pages: 10

Premium Essay

The Assassination of Jfk

...December 14, 2013 The Assignation of JFK and the Conspiracy Theory November 22, 1963 was an unforgettable day in American history. On this day the thirty-fifth President of the United States, John F. Kennedy (JFK), was assassinated in Dallas, Texas while he rode in an open limousine with Texas Governor John Conally (Wicker, 1963). He received fatal head wounds caused by one of the bullets from the shooting. Lee Harvey Oswald (Oswald), the only person ever formally accused of the assassination, ran away from the Texas Book Depository where he worked, and was stopped for questioning by a police official. At which time, Oswald killed the officer with a revolver he had hidden (Wicker, 1963). Oswald fled to the Texas Theater and within a short time period he was apprehended by the police and brought into a police station (Wicker, 1963). Although Lee Harvey Oswald was accused of the crime, he was murdered by Jack Ruby and never prosecuted for the assassination. Since the tragic events that occurred in November of 1963, there have been many theories that the murder of President John F. Kennedy was done as part of a conspiracy. As this year of 2013 it has been fifty years since the events and people are still mystified with the assassination of JFK and the possible conspiracy theories. An important fact that Americans and people worldwide need to know about the assassination of President John F. Kennedy on Nov. 22, 1963, in Dealey Plaza in Dallas, is that 50 years on from the incident...

Words: 2396 - Pages: 10

Premium Essay

Hitlers Personal Security

...Hitler’s Personal Protection Strategies Adolf Hitler led with violence, aggression, manipulation, and military strategy, and because of that he became a target of assassination. This developed into an acute paranoia, which led Hitler to implement some of the most brilliant security strategies seen to date. Before an understanding of the reasoning behind the assassination attempts can be deduced, an accurate depiction of Hitler’s early rise to power is necessary. Adolf Hitler was born in Austria on 20 April, 1889. Being the son of a poor young cottager, Hitler was never satisfied with his stature in life. He fled to Germany to avoid being arrested for dodging military service in Austria. This did not define him, as he went on to serve in the German Army during World War I and was wounded twice. He received several medals, and maybe more important, found a direction in life in which he had been searching. World War I left Germany in a state of unease. The sanctions placed on the country left it almost financially crippled. Hitler used this vulnerability to come in and take the nation by storm. This, coupled with his determined necessity to completely rule Germany, was a recipe for disaster. It wasn’t long before Adolf Hitler became a party leader, and from the very beginning he needed, at least some form, of protection. Hitler emerged as not only a politician, but the leader of the most hostile and violent political party in the country. Adolf Hitler’s...

Words: 4123 - Pages: 17

Premium Essay

Chaos in the Skies – the Airline Industry Pre- and Post-911

...Exploring Corporate Strategy CLASSIC CASE STUDIES Chaos in the skies – the airline industry pre- and post-9/11 Gary J. Stockport The case provides an opportunity to analyse the Airline Industry both pre- and post-9/11. It shows how one major event in the business environment can reshape many aspects in both the macro and competitive environment of an industry. In turn this requires a reshaping of strategies for most of the individual companies in the industry in order to cope with this new environment. It also provides an opportunity for students to recommend how airlines might better plan for, as well as react to, disruptive events such as 9/11 happening in the future. ● ● ● This is a true story from the many stories of 11 September 2001. It was a typically routine early morning flight home. United flight 890 had left Narita Japan several hours earlier, and the sun would be coming up any minute. Captain Jim Hosking was looking forward to getting home to see his wife in LA. Suddenly a message from the cockpit teleprinter came in from the US Federal Aviation Authority (FAA). Such messages were routine, advising of bad weather or maintenance requirements. However, this message was different and it read: UA890 NRTLAX – –MESSAGE FROM CHIDD– THERE HAS BEEN A TERRORIST ATTACK AGAINST UAL AND AAL AIRCRAFT. WE ARE AT HIGH ALERT. WE ARE ADVDa THERE MAY BE ADDTLb HIGHJACKINGS IN PROGRESS. SHUT DOWN ALL ACCESS TO FLIGHT DECK. UNABLE TO ELABORATE FURTHER. a b ADVD – Advised...

Words: 5909 - Pages: 24

Free Essay

Don Bradman

...Wales 1935–49 South Australia Career statistics Competition Tests FC Matches 52 234 Runs scored 6,996 28,067 Batting average 99.94 95.14 100s/50s 29/13 117/69 Top score 334 452* Balls bowled 160 2114 Wickets 2 36 Bowling average 36.00 37.97 5 wickets in innings 0 0 10 wickets in match 0 0 Best bowling 1/8 3/35 Catches/stumpings 32/– 131/1 Source: Cricinfo, 16 August 2007 Sir Donald George Bradman, AC (27 August 1908 – 25 February 2001), often referred to as "The Don", was an Australian cricketer, widely acknowledged as the greatest Test batsman of all time.[2] Bradman's career Test batting average of 99.94 is often cited as the greatest achievement by any sportsman in any major sport.[3] The story that the young Bradman practised alone with a cricket stump and a golf ball is part of Australian folklore.[4] Bradman's meteoric rise from bush cricket to the Australian Test team took just over two years. Before his 22nd birthday, he had set many records for top scoring, some of which still stand, and became Australia's sporting idol at the height of the Great Depression. During a...

Words: 16220 - Pages: 65

Premium Essay

Fake Encounters

...------------------------------------------------- Unmanned aerial vehicle From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia "UAV" redirects here. For the entertainment company, see UAV Corporation. For the veterans' organization, see Ukrainian American Veterans. A group photo of aerial demonstrators at the 2005 Naval Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Air Demo. An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), commonly known as a drone, is anaircraft without a human pilot onboard. Its flight is either controlled autonomously by computers in the vehicle, or under the remote control of anavigator, or pilot (in military UAVs called a Combat Systems Officer on UCAVs) on the ground or in another vehicle. There are a wide variety of drone shapes, sizes, configurations, and characteristics. Historically, UAVs were simple remotely piloted aircraft, but autonomous control is increasingly being employed.[1] Their largest use is within military applications. UAVs are also used in a small but growing number of civil applications, such as firefighting or nonmilitary security work, such as surveillance of pipelines. UAVs are often preferred for missions that are too "dull, dirty, or dangerous" for manned aircraft. Contents  [hide]  * 1 History * 2 FAA designation * 3 Classification * 3.1 Classifications by the United States military * 3.1.1 US Air Force tiers * 3.1.2 US Marine Corps tiers * 3.1.3 US Army tiers * 3.1.4 Future Combat Systems (FCS) (US Army) classes * 3...

Words: 10057 - Pages: 41

Free Essay

Current Affairs Notes

...October 2012 Current Affairs Study Material INTERNATIONAL Imran Khan on anti-drone ‘peace march’ to tribal belt Imran Khan on 6th October 2012 set off on a motorcade “peace march” to the terrorists-riddled South Waziristan to protest US drone strikes in the tribal belt. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez Re-Elected for fourth term Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has been re-elected for the third term. Mr Chavez defeated opposition leader Henrique Capriles. Mr Chavez garnered 54.42 per cent of the vote while his rival bagged 44 per cent votes. Pakistani youth support Malala Yousufzai Pakistani teenaged rights campaigner, Malala Yousafzai, who was on 14th October 2012 shot by the Taliban for publicly opposing them against the girl education.She got the support from all over the world. Ali Zidan elected Libya PM Libya’s 200-member General National Congress has elected a former congressman and human rights lawyer Ali Zidan  as the country’s new Prime Minister on 14th October 2012. Austrian skydiver breaks sound barrier Austrian national Felix Baumgartner, who jumped from a height of 39 km, became the first skydiver to record the highest ever freefall and also the first human to go faster than the speed of sound. Five New Non-Permanent Member Countries Elected to UN Security Council UN General Assembly elected five new non-permanent members to the Security Council. The New Members are South Korea, Luxembourg, Argentina, Australia and Rwanda. Iran bans export of 50 basic foods to preserve...

Words: 6809 - Pages: 28

Free Essay

Bush

...the Cold 13. Poppy’s Proxy and the Saudis 14. Poppy’s Web 15. The Handoff 16. The Quacking Duck 17. Playing Hardball 18. Meet the Help 19. The Conversion 20. The Skeleton in W.’s Closet 21. Shock and . . . Oil? 22. Deflection for Reelection 23. Domestic Disturbance 24. Conclusion Afterword Author’s Note Acknowledgments Notes Foreword When a governor or any state official seeks elective national office, his (or her) reputation and what the country knows about the candidate’s background is initially determined by the work of local and regional media. Generally, those journalists do a competent job of reporting on the prospect’s record. In the case of Governor George W. Bush, Texas reporters had written numerous stories about his failed businesses in the oil patch, the dubious land grab and questionable funding behind a new stadium for Bush’s baseball team, the Texas Rangers, and his various political contradictions and hypocrisies while serving in Austin. I was one of those Texas journalists. I spent about a decade trying to find accurate information on Bush’s record in the Texas National Guard. My curiosity had been prompted by his failure to adequately answer a question I had asked him as a panelist in a televised debate with Ann Richards during the 1994 gubernatorial campaign. Eventually I published three books on Bush and his political consigliere, Karl Rove. During Bush’s presidency, many other...

Words: 249168 - Pages: 997

Free Essay

English Essay

...Write a story using this sentence as your first line : "It seemed like it was going to be another one of those days when nothing much happens." |   | It seemed like it was going to be another one of those days when nothing much happens. Ken and his friends were playing their regular football game along the banks of the river near their small village. In the midst of the game, Ken's attention was drawn to a tourist boat passing by.Actually, tourist boats were quite common in their area. It was also common for some of the tourists to take potshots at the birds and squirrels along the way. This is why Ken's friends were not really surprised to hear a few small explosions from the boat. They ignored the sounds and went on with their game.However, they were startled when they suddenly heard loud cries for help coming from the boat. They could see that the crew were running about, panic-stricken. Some people were shouting to them."Their engine must have blown up! Look, there's smoke and the boat's out of control. It's going towards the rapids," Ken pointed out to his friends.Ken's village was located at the point at which the tourist boats turned around and headed back upstream. Three kilometers downstream were the rapids, which spelt trouble for the boats."It's heading straight for the rapids! They're in trouble! The boat will be smashed against the rocks!" Ken exclaimed. "Let's get help!"The boys sprinted back to the village for help. Along the way, they met the village headman...

Words: 24286 - Pages: 98

Free Essay

Fake Memories of Me

...Fake Memories of Me by Cathyn McKenna Copyright 2016 ===== 1 September, 1853. Our parent's summer estate outside Arkangel'sk. You, 17, freshly returned from your second year at the Tsar's Imperial Riding Academy, your eyes all aglow with the thoughts of your Commission, two years hence, but still completely dominating your thoughts and words. Me, 25, already bored of The Social Circle, as all heirs were obligated to navigate, the slow gyration of palaces, dances, hunting, small talk, and the never ending search for a marital partner only slightly above your level, at least in income, but certainly not prestige. Rumors of war tainting everything. There was that one bright perfect day. In a week you would be back at the Academy. In a week, I'd be heading for Nizhny Novgorod to romance the Count's daughter, the insufferable thing. But on that day, the last good weather before May, we were brothers again. We drank, we danced, we fenced, we talked deep philosophy and shallow gossip, but we were brothers. Brothers again after so long apart, and so soon to be parted. Who could have known that a year later to the day, a fresh-faced Lieutenant of Horse, newly commissioned, and commanding 65 fellows, would lead a charge to silence a platoon of English cannon, those same cannon smashing the Lieutenant and his men to bits instantly, and mothers across Velikaya Rus smashed for the rest of their lives. I sit now at your cenotaph, as I have every year for the last nineteen...

Words: 9554 - Pages: 39

Free Essay

Biography

...B oB Marley  Recent Titles in Greenwood Biographies Arnold Schwarzenegger: A Bography Louise Krasniewicz and Michael Blitz Blle Holday: A Bography Meg Greene Elvs Presley: A Bography Kathleen Tracy Shaqulle O’Neal: A Bography Murry R. Nelson Dr. Dre: A Bography John Borgmeyer Bonne and Clyde: A Bography Nate Hendley Martha Stewart: A Bography Joann F. Price Mchael Jordan: A Bography David L. Porter Alex Rodrquez: A Bography Wayne Stewart Steven Spelberg: A Bography Kathi Jackson Madonna: A Bography Mary Cross Jacke Robnson: A Bography Mary Kay Linge  B oB Marley a Biography David V. Moskowitz greenwood b iographies GreenwooD Press westPort, connecticut • lonDon  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Moskowtz, Davd V. (Davd Vlado), 1969 – Bob Marley : a bography / Davd V. Moskowtz. p. cm. — (Greenwood bographes, ISSN 1540-4900) Dscography: p. Includes bblographcal references and ndex. ISBN-13: 978–0–313–33879–3 (alk. paper) ISBN-10: 0–313–33879–5 (alk. paper) 1. Marley, Bob. 2. Reggae muscans —Jamaca—Bography. I. Ttle. ML420.M3313M66 2007 782.421646092—dc22 [B] 2007018313 Brtsh Lbrary Catalogung n Publcaton Data s avalable. Copyrght © 2007 by Davd V. Moskowtz All rghts reserved. No porton of ths book may be reproduced, by any process or technque, wthout the express wrtten consent of the publsher. Lbrary of Congress Catalog Card Number:...

Words: 66723 - Pages: 267

Free Essay

Healthcare

...HAS passed since this book was first published. As I mention in the original introduction, the opportunity to write the book came while I was in law school, the result of my election as the first African-American president of the Harvard Law Review. In the wake of some modest publicity, I received an advance from a publisher and went to work with the belief that the story of my family, and my efforts to understand that story, might speak in some way to the fissures of race that have characterized the American experience, as well as the fluid state of identitythe leaps through time, the collision of cultures-that mark our modern life. Like most first-time authors, I was filled with hope and despair upon the book’s publication-hope that the book might succeed beyond my youthful dreams, despair that I had failed to say anything worth saying. The reality fell somewhere in between. The reviews were mildly favorable. People actually showed up at the readings my publisher arranged. The sales were underwhelming. And, after a few months, I went on with the business of my life, certain that my career as an author would be short-lived, but glad to have survived the process with my dignity more or less intact. I had little time for reflection over the next ten years. I ran a voter registration project in the 1992 election cycle, began a civil rights practice, and started teaching constitutional law at the University of Chicago. My wife and I bought a house, were blessed with two gorgeous, healthy...

Words: 154210 - Pages: 617

Free Essay

Living History

...___________________________ LIVING HISTORY Hillary Rodham Clinton Simon & Schuster New York • London • Toronto • Sydney • Singapore To my parents, my husband, my daughter and all the good souls around the world whose inspiration, prayers, support and love blessed my heart and sustained me in the years of living history. AUTHOR’S NOTE In 1959, I wrote my autobiography for an assignment in sixth grade. In twenty-nine pages, most half-filled with earnest scrawl, I described my parents, brothers, pets, house, hobbies, school, sports and plans for the future. Forty-two years later, I began writing another memoir, this one about the eight years I spent in the White House living history with Bill Clinton. I quickly realized that I couldn’t explain my life as First Lady without going back to the beginning―how I became the woman I was that first day I walked into the White House on January 20, 1993, to take on a new role and experiences that would test and transform me in unexpected ways. By the time I crossed the threshold of the White House, I had been shaped by my family upbringing, education, religious faith and all that I had learned before―as the daughter of a staunch conservative father and a more liberal mother, a student activist, an advocate for children, a lawyer, Bill’s wife and Chelsea’s mom. For each chapter, there were more ideas I wanted to discuss than space allowed; more people to include than could be named; more places visited than could be described...

Words: 217937 - Pages: 872

Free Essay

Short Stories

...Chinua Achebe A Man of the People First published in 1966 For Chris CHAPTER ONE No one can deny that Chief the Honourable M.A. Nanga, M.P., was the most approachable politician in the country. Whether you asked in the city or in his home village, Anata, they would tell you he was a man of the people. I have to admit this from the onset or else the story I'm going to tell will make no sense. That afternoon he was due to address the staff and students of the Anata Grammar School where I was teaching at the time. But as usual in those highly political times the villagers moved in and virtually took over. The Assembly Hall must have carried well over thrice its capacity. Many villagers sat on the floor, right up to the foot of the dais. I took one look and decided it was just as well we had to stay outside---at least for the moment. Five or six dancing groups were performing at different points in the compound. The popular 'Ego Women's Party' wore a new uniform of expensive accra cloth. In spite of the din you could still hear as clear as a bird the high- powered voice of their soloist, whom they admiringly nicknamed 'Grammarphone'. Personally I don't care too much for our women's dancing but you just had to listen whenever Grammar-phone sang. She was now praising Micah's handsomeness, which she likened to the perfect, sculpted beauty of a carved eagle, and his popularity which would be the envy of the proverbial traveller-to-distant-places who must not...

Words: 51295 - Pages: 206

Free Essay

Dgfd

...National Events – 2013 January: S Ramakrishnan takes charge as Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre Director Senior scientist with four decades of experience in rocketry, S Ramakrishnan has assumed charge as Director of the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre in Tiruvananthapuram. Ramakrishnan, who was director of the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC), succeeds P S Veeraraghavan. A Padma Shri award recipient, Ramakrishnan is an expert in aerospace propulsion, launch vehicle systems and project management. The new director was one of the scientists who took part in the mission to realise India's first satellite launch vehicle SLV-3. He was the mission director for PSLV C1, C2, C3 and C4 flights. Amitabh Bachchan, Vidya Balan named PETA's hottest vegetarian celebrities Bollywood megastar Amitab Bachchan and actress Vidya Balan have been named PETA's hottest celebrity vegetarians of 2012. The other names in the running were Miss India Neha Dhupia, actor Shahid Kapoor, Sonu Sood, southern star Dhanush, Kareena Kapoor and veteran actress Hema Malini. Bachchan, 70, has been named the hottest vegetarian celebrity three times in the past and even won the crown in PETA Asia's equivalent contest in 2011. Balan, who had won the crown in 2010 too, has often credited her curves to her meat-free diet. IPS officer creates triathlon record A senior officer of Andhra Pradesh cadre has created a record of sorts on completing a 695 km long journey from Visakhapatnam to Hyderabad on a bicycle. Rajiv Trivedi...

Words: 33722 - Pages: 135